By Casey Neill
The waste industry has changed a lot in the 35 years that Ward Petherbridge’s family has been involved with it.
Long gone are the days of digging a hole, pushing the waste in and covering it up he told the SEBN industry breakfast at the Dandenong Civic Centre on Thursday 30 March.
The event featured three speakers on the future of energy in Australia and the impact on business.
Greater Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti presented two Greater Dandenong Sustainability Awards.
Mr Petherbridge took home the Sustainable Business Award on behalf of Dandenong South’s Smart Recycling Australia.
Neighbour Biofuel Innovations was highly commended in the category.
Smart Recycling Australia employs 50 staff and diverts 50,000 tonnes from landfill each year.
Mr Petherbridge said he tried to think of ways to recycle items into things people needed, and could take by-products to other businesses in Greater Dandenong.
The Quarter in Springvale won the Sustainable Development Award ahead of Intrapac’s Somerfield estate in Keysborough, which was highly commended.
The 98 townhouses have an average energy rating of six stars, 2700 litre rainwater tanks, five-star air-conditioning systems, LED lights, solar hot water, natural ventilation and north-facing windows.
Kate Griffiths from the Grattan Institute spoke about the energy ‘trilemma’ – affordability, reliability and sustainability.
She said unclear climate change policy had created uncertainty in the national energy market, which made long-term decisions difficult.
“It’s up to the government to make that clear signal. It’s mixed messages at the moment,” she said.
Sustainability Victoria CEO Stan Krpan spoke about grants available for energy assessments and implementation.
He urged businesses to think about how they could save energy before they turned to alternative supplies.
Sustainability Melbourne Fund CEO Scott Bocskay explained environmental upgrade agreements and announced that the loans were coming to Dandenong in July.
He said businesses could tap into loans for projects that would deliver environmental and productivity benefits, and repay via council rates.
