Amount of incinerated waste from Australian Antarctic Stations

Full description

INDICATOR DEFINITION
This indicator identifies the total weight of material incinerated, and the weights of the major components on Casey, Davis, Mawson and Macquarie Island stations. The figures are reported monthly, in the station plumbers' reports to the Building Services Supervisor in Kingston, and to the Operations Environment Officer.

TYPE OF INDICATOR
There are three types of indicators used in this report:
1.Describes the CONDITION of important elements of a system;
2.Show the extent of the major PRESSURES exerted on a system;
3.Determine RESPONSES to either condition or changes in the condition of a system.

This indicator is one of: PRESSURE

RATIONALE FOR INDICATOR SELECTION
Waste minimization is an important element of Australia's Antarctic program, so the total weight of waste produced, and any trends, provide an important management tool. Approximately 10% of waste is incinerated, so incineration statistics are an important part of this assessment.

A separate aim of Australia's program is reduction in the amount of material incinerated on the stations, either reduction in the amounts of certain materials sent to the stations or by diverting materials from incineration to reuse or recycling. In either case it will be necessary to target individual materials incinerated, as different materials are likely to respond to different management practices. To properly target these materials it is important to know the amounts of each of the materials incinerated, and trends over time.

DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR INDICATOR MONITORING PROGRAM
Spatial scale: Australian Antarctic continental stations and Macquarie Island station.

Frequency: Weights are recorded each time materials are incinerated, which is every few days in winter and daily in summer and reported monthly.

Measurement technique: Weights are recorded for the following categories: (1) food scraps, (2) spoiled fruit and vegetables, (3) wood and wood products (not treated wood), (4) cardboard, (5) paper products (poor quality paper, books and magazines), (6) medical waste, (7) science waste, (8) hydroponics waste, (9) human waste from the field and (10) miscellaneous. In addition, weights of specific materials may be recorded separately, if burnt in unusually large amounts, for example if large amounts of particular types of fruit and vegetables have been spoiled.

RESEARCH ISSUES
Chemical analysis of emissions as a pollution index and also to assess the efficiency of the burn. This information could be used to indicate the need to change the components of burns or to adjust the equipment. It may also highlight the release of toxic materials into the atmosphere which may be overcome by eliminating certain materials from incineration.

A major audit of total waste production, leading to recommendations on how to achieve maximum waste reduction.

LINKS TO OTHER INDICATORS
SOE Indicator 47 - Number and nature of incidents resulting in environmental impact
SOE Indicator 48 - Station and ship person days
SOE Indicator 49 - Medical consultations per 1000 person years
SOE Indicator 53 - Recycled and quarantine waste returned to Australia
SOE Indicator 57 - Monthly total of fuel used by station incinerators
SOE Indicator 69 - Resources committed to environmental issues

Lineage

Progress Code: onGoing

Statement: Total weights, and any changes in these will be analysed, together with the weights of the major groups of materials incinerated. Comparisons will be made on annual figures, and also for successive summers or winters, the latter as there may be different usage patterns with low winter compared with high summer populations. This information will be used to target particular materials for reduction, reuse or recycling programs and to determine the success of these programs. This will involve initiatives such as changing purchasing policies and implementing education and awareness programs to ensure that changes are effected on the stations. Examples of this are the selection of packaging materials and methods, the procurement of fresh fruit and vegetables, programs to re-use certain materials on the station rather than burning them eg cardboard and of diverting materials from incineration to the recycling stream.