As the 2009/10 financial year comes to a close, corporations are busy with their financial reporting requirements. The end of the fiscal year also signifies the approach of greenhouse gas and energy reporting deadlines under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (NGER Act), where corporations over a certain size are required to report their emissions and energy by 31 October.

The future ISO 50001 standard for energy management was recently approved as a Draft International Standard (DIS).

City of Melbourne conducted a trial of drain litter strainers between July 2009 and December 2009. The purpose of this trial was to survey the litter captured in each trap. A unique aspect of the trial was the use of filter cartridges that were placed at the bottom of each drain strainer to prevent smaller particles of litter and dissolved pollutants in the stormwater run-off from entering the waterways. The filter bags were filled with Reactive Filter Media Technology supplied by Star Water Solutions. These were described in a report on the findings by URS as ‘carbon pillows’.

Today’s emerging sustainability requirements in the building industry are creating new types of considerations, particularly when designing modern solutions for heritage-listed properties.

The Glass Packaging Forum recently released the latest data about New Zealand’s glass packaging production, consumption and recovery showing that New Zealanders recycled 166,575 tonnes of glass packaging last year and that two out of every three glass containers is now being recycled.

Applying a whole-of-catchment approach to water management is now possible thanks to Source Catchments, the first component of eWater’s integrated water modelling suite, eWater Source, to be publicly released.

Energy-efficiency legislation is powering up the government agenda but how should the government ensure any new schemes are widely adopted? Peter Garrett, Managing Director, mySmart CTI, comments.

A Cardia Bioplastics and Sulo MGB (Australia) collaboration is providing a household food waste recycling solution. Cardia will supply certified compostable bags enabling Sulo to provide a fully integrated organic waste diversion service to local governments.

The biggest wetland ever constructed in Victoria has been completed and will play a key role in improving the health of Melbourne’s waterways, particularly Dandenong Creek and Port Phillip Bay. Water Minister Tim Holding officially opened the 48-hectare Dandenong Valley Wetland in Scoresby, which is 24 times the size of the MCG.

Village Building Co (VBC) has been recognised by the ACT Commissioner of Sustainability and the Environment for taking the initiative to set up its own recycling plant to manage building waste on its Brindabella at Macgregor site for all of VBC’s housing developments.

Traditional methods of dust suppression proved ineffective for a building material recycling plant. Tecpro Australia collaborated with Jeff Hill Plumbing to create a solution that surpassed the site operator’s environmental obligations.

Ecotech Australia, in partnership with Envirotech India, has signed a contract to provide monitoring stations within Delhi to examine air quality during the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG), being held 3-14 October.

The upgraded Dalby Wastewater Recycling Plant in southern Queensland was opened in June and now delivers Class A+ recycled water to a nearby business, which previously used drinking water for its industrial processes.

A compact vertical screen has been installed by energy drinks manufacturer Frucor to remove the solid debris from factory wastewater before its discharge into the sewer.

The unique harmonic drive principle continues to open new applications in all areas of modern engineering. It is available in a wide selection of mechanical configurations and is used extensively in robots, machine tools, radars and any applications with a rotating shaft where positioning, tilting and panning is required because of its high accuracy and no backlash.