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THE NUMBATIS FACINGEXTINCTION.WESTERN AUSTRALIA’SMAMMAL EMBLEMNEEDS YOUR HELP!

JOIN US TODAY.

www.numbat.org.au

3214

910J

TAL

0601

2016

IMAGE CREDITLUC HOOGENSTEIN

32 • FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016 THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

ENVIRONMENT DAYFriday June 3, 2016

ADVERTISING FEATURE

WORLD

Editor: Louise Allan Writer: Kaitlin Shawcross Design: Jennifer Bullock Advertising: Raj Kulkarni, 9482 3567

Martin Biopower is a waste-to-energy (WtE) company that converts embodied energy from non-recyclable waste into green power.

Its partner company, Martin GmbH in Munich, Germany, has provided more than 430 WtE systems in 33 countries worldwide.

For more than 90 years it has specialised in a system known as the Reverse Acting Grate Vario, which has now been released in Australia and New Zealand.

WtE plants are used to avoid landfi ll and produce energy, off setting use of fossil fuel.

The process captures and neutralises the harmful substances already contained in waste, such as mercury, lead, toxic chemicals and other materials harmful to air, land and water if left for landfi ll.

According to Martin Biopower CEO and Professor Dr Gerhard Janssen, emissions from these plants are well below strict European standards.

“Put in perspective, a plant serving a community of half a million people will emit less carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in a day than 10 minutes of freeway traffi c measured at one point,” Dr Janssen said.

“Landfi lls can produce methane from decomposing material for up to 30

years and methane has more than 21 times the negative impact to the atmosphere than CO2 emissions from a WtE plant.

“Our energy is captured as steam and can be used for heating, cooling industrial processes or converted for grid electricity supply.

“Our company supports reduction, reuse and recycling, but when there is residual waste after those eff orts, WtE processing can continue to extract value from waste for feedback to the local community and the wider economy.”

There are more than 1000 plants throughout the world serving communities by disposing of harmful waste and producing useful, non-fossil fuel energy.

WtE is an important component of the waste management process, off ering

effi ciency and economy with a small environmental footprint.

Martin Biopower also off ers a solution for green sorted waste and agricultural waste. Together with the Martin GmbH and Thöni/Austria an anaerobic digestion technology (AD) is brought to the Australian market, which received signifi cant interest from local governments and private organisations to convert green waste into compost, fertiliser and energy.

The proven technology will help ‘end of grid’ solutions in communities and farms to make use of valuable resources.

“Prosperity means product production, consumption and waste,” Dr Janssen said.

“Our mission is to improve the environment by converting energy in end-of-life products to useful purpose and to do so by capturing and neutralising for safe disposal the harmful components of waste that could be a continuing hazard for human health and natural ecosystems.”

Martin Biopower is making fossil fuel history

World Environment Day is an

annual event aimed at being

the biggest and most widely

celebrated global day for

positive environmental action.

Activities take place all year

round, culminating on the

offi cial global day of June 5.

World Environment Day is the United Nations’ most signifi cant event for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the global environment. Each WED is organised around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern and this

year is themed on the illegal trade in wildlife under the slogan ‘Go Wild for Life’.

Locally, World Environment Day is a time for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.

Everyone counts in this initiative – whether it’s organising a neighbourhood clean-up, avoiding plastic bags when shopping, stopping food waste, walking or cycling to work, starting a recycling drive or simply not littering, the list is endless.

EVeRyOnE cOuNtSEVeRyOnE cOuNtS

“Put in perspective, a plant serving a community of half

a million people

wIlL eMiT lEsS cArBoNdIoXiDe tO tHe aTmOsPhErE

in a day than 10 minutes of freeway traffi c measured

at one point.”

Martin Biopower will off er

information sessions on its

products throughout Australia.

For more information, visit

www.martinbiopower.com.

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016 • 65

ENVIRONMENT DAYFriday June 3, 2016

WORLD

It takes two things to spot a numbat in the wild: lots of patience and a good dose of luck.

Tamara Wilkes-Jones has both. As President of Project Numbat, all of her spare time is dedicated to saving the numbat from extinction.

The numbat was proclaimed Western Australia’s mammal state emblem in 1973. Once widely spread all over the southern part of Australia, the only two remaining wild populations today are in Perup Reserve near Manjimup and Dryandra Woodland near Narrogin.

It is here Ms Wilkes-Jones goes to spot numbats, armed with her camera and lots of patience.

“There are only about 1000 numbats left in the wild – fewer than the giant panda,” she said.

“Sometimes I spend the whole

weekend here without seeing anything. And then when I’m about to pack up, out comes a numbat straight in front of the camera. That’s just magic.”

In 2006, while numbers were dwindling, some Perth Zoo staff aided by other numbat enthusiasts, established a not- for-profi t committee.

Since then, Project Numbat has been supporting the numbat breeding program at Perth Zoo and has been raising awareness about the numbat through the delivery of presentations and by hosting events, such as the annual National Threatened Species Day in Fremantle in September and the inaugural World Numbat Day in November 2015.

The Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) has a vision of ‘Winning Back Waste’, recognising that waste has value as a resource.

Its value is in keeping waste out of landfi ll and using it somewhere benefi cial, where it can be a good result for the environment.

Operating the Tamala Park waste facility, the MRC actively recovers material disposed of at the site.

Metals, timber, green waste, mattresses and electronic waste are some of the items recovered for recycling.

Landfi ll gas produced through the decomposition of waste at the landfi ll is captured and used to generate electricity.

Household goods like furniture, bikes, toys and building supplies are sold at reuses centres (or tip shops), giving items new life.

Every year the Resource Recovery Facility in Neerabup processes over 100,000 tonnes of general household waste collected from the cities of Joondalup, Vincent, Wanneroo and Victoria Park.

Here, the organic part (food scraps, lawn clippings, garden prunings, paper etc) is removed from the other waste and turned into a composted

soil conditioner (compost that can be used to improve WA’s soils).

Unfortunately, glass deposited into the green-top general waste bins is not only unusable to make compost with, but it also fi nds its way through the process and contaminates the compost produced, limiting its use.

To reduce this glass contamination and to improve recycling outcomes, the MRC and its member councils, supported by the Waste Authority, is running a ‘No Glass’ campaign to encourage residents to make use

of their yellow-top recycling bins to dispose of bottles and jars.

A simple thing like placing glass into the recycling bin instead of the general waste bin can make a signifi cant diff erence.

Diverting waste from landfi ll, improved recycling and the composting of organic waste are good for the environment.

Giving waste and old items a ‘second lease on life’

PRoTeCtInG oUr sTaTe mAmMaL eMbLeM: THe nUmBaT

For more information, visit www.mrc.wa.gov.au.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

For more information, visit www.numbat.org.au.

Photo: Tamara Wilkes-Jones.

NO GLASSn your GREEN top bin

TThe organic waste (kitchen scraps, paper, lawnclippings, leaves, prunings etc.) from your green

top bin is used to make compost.Itt’s really important to keep glass out of this bin.

If there’s glass in this bin, itcan contaminate the compost.

For more infoff rmation contact Mindarie Regional Council.Call 9306 6303 or visit our website www.mrc.wa.gov.au

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