General waste from Sydney’s newest shopping centre, Top Ryde City, is scheduled to be recovered and re-used to create renewable electricity, thanks to a waste management process implemented by Veolia Environmental Services. It is looking to recover up to 60-65% of all general waste and recyclable materials, once the centre launches in November.

MidCoast Water (MCW) delivers water and sewage services to the Manning and Great Lakes communities of New South Wales, supplying 11 billion L of water per year to 35,000 households spread over 7000 km².

A conveyor belt allows food processors to cut water required for cleaning purposes.

A carpet tile recycling centre that separates PVC from nylon and reintroduces it as a raw material is now operating at Ontera Modular Carpets’ Northmead plant in NSW. The initiative is expected to save approximately 200 tonnes of waste from landfill each year. As well as the environmental benefits, it’s also providing cost savings for the company in terms of reducing the raw material consumption of PVC for its carpet manufacturing process.

SITA Environmental Solutions’ new fleet of kerbside collection vehicles, powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), has been officially commissioned in South Australia. The fleet of 23 vehicles will service the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA) council regions of Playford, Salisbury and Gawler with fortnightly recycling and garden and food organics collections, and a weekly general waste collection.

Black & Veatch has announced that Stage 1 of the Sembcorp Changi NEWater Plant (SCNP) in Singapore has started commercial operations. Black & Veatch provided full design engineering for the plant along with construction support and commissioning services.

KSB Germany is set to deliver a huge vertical tubular casing pump for an intake structure in Saudi Arabia.

“Sustainability in infrastructure is about both art and science. The art is in having the ability to recognise and enunciate what we value. The science is being able to adapt and innovate in our field of expertise,” said Dr James Mantle, Parsons Brinckerhoff’s (PB) Managing Director.

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has opened its new distribution centre at Eastern Creek, which is partly powered by nearly 700 solar panels on its roof.

Melbourne Water has completed the construction of six mini hydro-electricity plants at its various reservoirs.

Clothing wholesaler Gazal Apparel recently consolidated its warehousing operation to its distribution centre in Banksmeadow, NSW. In order to maximise space at the centre, high-density pallet racking and mezzanine flooring were installed. During the upgrade, consulting engineers Heggies highlighted to Gazal’s management the Building Code Association (BCA) Section J requirement for minimum energy efficiency standards.

Unit blocks, gated communities and other strata-titled properties could collect, manage and recycle water on site to take pressure off mains water, a Griffith University report has found.

In a national first, a new waste policy and recycling schemes for TVs, computers and tyres was endorsed by environment ministers at the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) meeting in Perth on 5 November.

Australian recreation vehicle manufacturer Jayco optimises production at its new Dandenong production plant, with the aid of a customised energy-efficient compressed air solution from Champion Compressors.

Two Pall mobile military water treatment systems, supplied to the Australian Army as part of a fleet of 18 systems, have been deployed as part of Operation Padang Assist, the Australian government’s humanitarian response to the recent earthquakes in Indonesia. Two water points established by the Australian Department of Defence on the beach of Padang are using the Pall-designed and -manufactured systems to convert seawater into potable water for up to 75,000 households. The water filtration systems are mobile, self-contained and can be transported by air, sea or land.