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Global RenewablesTransforming household waste into reusable resources

Global RenewablesTransforming household waste into reusable resources

Established in 2000, following two years of research and development, Global Renewables Australia (GRL) is an innovative leader in the Australian waste

recovery sector. The company which became private in 2009 had processed over 1,000,000 tonnes of household waste by 2011 and saved more than 750,000 tonnes of waste from landfill in its first 13 years. The ownership of the company changed in November 2013 when Ironbridge sold its investment to Palisade Investment Partners; an independent, infrastructure manager. Palisade provides dedicated and professional asset management, currently handling around $1 billion in Australian infrastructure equity investments.

Alternative Waste Treatment The company’s key objective is to divert household waste away from disposal at landfills. Global Renewables achieve this by developing Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) technologies. Process engineering expertise is used to recover resources from the waste stream to separate and clean organic fractions of the waste and recover recyclables. This strategy has enabled Global Renewables to become the frontrunner in

developing this approach in Australia. With the largest AWT facility in the southern hemisphere, the company process 220,000 tonnes of household waste every year at the Eastern Creek Urban Resource – Reduction, Recovery and Recycle (UR-3R) operation in Sydney.

Established in 2004, the $100million Eastern Creek UR-3R facility employs 80 people and has a 25 year contract, creating long term value for both the environment and its customers. Global Renewables recovers recyclables like plastic, paper and metals from household waste. Whilst also responsibly recovering hazardous or dangerous materials such as lead acid batteries or gas cylinders for either recycling or appropriate disposal.

Waste to wealthGlobal Renewables is continuously striving for improvement

and is aiming to ultimately increase its diversion rate to 100% by directing recovered resources to sustainable reusable markets. Alongside developing new processes, the company is refining its ‘Reduce, Recover, Recycle’ philosophy. Accomplishing this involves initiatives such as investing in an automatic optical sorter machine, which has enabled Global Renewables to separate some items without requiring manual sorting.

After both reducing the waste and recovering resources, the company aims to complete the cycle by recycling. Working with its recycling partners, plastic is turned into commodities such as pellets or used to produce new products such as plastic film, industrial pipes and even garden furniture or construction products.

With 8000 tonnes of plastic saved from ending its journey in a landfill, recovered materials can be salvaged instead of lost.

Metals and paper are also recovered, with approximately 3000 tonnes of steel and 3500 tonnes of paper retrieved annually. Through preventing so much waste going to landfill, Global Renewables is creating both a wealthier and healthier future for the environment. The company is able to avoid emissions of over 100,000 t CO2-e annually – the equivalent to taking more than 23,000 cars off the road, as the prevented landfill waste would have eventually broken down, producing the potent greenhouse gas, methane.

UR-3R – Urban Resource: Reduce, Recover, RecycleThe company continues to lead the industry through global research and independent analysis. Following its findings, Global Renewables was able to create a patented sorting plant, the ResourceSort. With the capability of sorting household waste items into categories of plastic containers, film plastic, paper, metals and organic materials, Global Renewables had taken the first step towards developing the patented UR-3R.

Used at the Eastern Creek Facility, the unique UR-3R process sorts municipal waste using inherent properties of the materials such as size, shape and density. Once sorted and cleaned, the organised materials are either sold as recyclables or processed further into high quality compost. Helping the company create a full life cycle of produce > rubbish > compost > produce, the UR-3R facility produces around 60,000 tonnes of compost, known as organic growth matter (OGM) annually.

Global Renewables is the largest mixed waste compost producer in New South Wales. The industry leading compost product, OGM is a pasteurised, high organic matter product that receives its nutrients from household waste elements infiltrated on the way to a landfill. Benefiting

from up to three times the nutrient value of compost produced from garden organics alone, it is used to rehabilitate land that has been modified by mining or to improve depleted soil and improve agricultural production.

Purpose built to provide the most effective and environmentally friendly waste treatments available; the UR-3R facility is able to create a mature organic growth medium from materials that would otherwise be in harmful landfills

releasing methane. Through closing the life cycle loop, Global Renewables is able to transfer the nutrients back into the soil in a healthy, chemical-free way. With 66% of the waste processed avoiding landfills, Global Renewables is on a mission towards achieving a waste-less society.

Leading the wayDirector and Chief Executive Officer, David Singh led the early investigations and development of the UR-3R Process and has been closely involved in the development of Global Renewables. After overseeing the opening of the Eastern Creek Project in Sydney, Singh relocated to the UK in 2004 to lead the negotiations to secure Global Renewables as the appointed preferred bidder in the US$4B Lancashire Waste PFI Contract.

In 2009, Singh returned to his home country, Australia, and has since directed the Eastern Creek UR-3R facility expansion: bringing its waste processing capabilities up to 220,000

tonnes per annum and achieving a landfill diversion rate of 66%. Singh holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Western Australia as well as a Graduate Diploma in Finance from the Australian Securities Institute.

While it’s clear Singh is successful at converting waste to wealth, he is also passionate about treating waste as a resource. Singh is involved in a range of organisations that are dedicated to achieving similar sustainability goals and supports those helping Australia gain a resource efficient future.

Oliver Moy PublisherFor enquiries emailokm@aubusinesscoverage.com