Legacy Waste Management in Central Australia

Research output: Book/ReportOther report

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyse legacy waste in central Australia - namely in the communities of MacDonnell and Central Desert Regional Councils, and Mutitjulu. Previously legacy waste was understood as the waste the regional councils inherited when they were first established as Regional Shires in 2008 and before they started following established waste management practices. That said, what is covered in this report is more than just this understanding of legacy waste as it became impossible to distinguish between what was pre and post 2008. Central Australian communities have genuine challenges in terms of managing their legacy waste and its recycling and recovery. Lack of infrastructure and tyranny of distance results in a large variation in resource recovery rates from these regions as compared to other regions closer to the urban metropolitan areas. While waste volumes and material recovery from Alice Springs town are discussed in this report, for Alice Springs there was not a legacy issue but rather a challenge accessing circular economy / recycling & recovery infrastructure. As the first study of its kind in the Northern territory (NT) this project sought to provide an understanding of quantities and collection of waste streams in the very particular context of central Australia. The study also aimed to identify potential options for managing this waste.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationDarwin
PublisherCharles Darwin University
Commissioning bodyWaste, Recycling Industry Association NT (WRINT)
Number of pages63
Edition1
Publication statusPublished - 2022

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