
Jean Aquinde
Hi Mahadi,
Please check this existing thread with links to relevant resources.
Regards,
Jean

Jean Aquinde
Hi Anparasan,
Please check this existing thread with links to relevant resources.
Regards,
Jean

Jean Aquinde
Hi Dzaky,
There’s an existing thread that answers your inquiry. Here’s the link: https://ewbchallenge.org/forums/search/waste+data/
I hope that helps!
Regards,
Jean

Anthony Brady
Hi Wardah,
There is an image of the rubbish collection vehicle that services the Saibai community in the Waste Management Gallery (last image).
Domestic waste is collected twice per week with a rubbish truck free of charge for residential properties and with an annual levy applied for commercial properties. If you’re after operating costs, this is not publicly available but you can make some reasonable assumptions based on the collection service. Note that the waste is processed centrally on the island and containerised for shipping to the mainland via Sea Swift – you’ll need to factor this in to your costings.
In terms of the average amount of plastic waste produced per household, we don’t have the exact number (partly because there is no recycling facility on Saibai so everything is sent to the landfill). However, you can make some reasonable assumptions based on data for Queensland. Have a look at this Recycling and waste in Queensland report which gives you a make up of waste in the state, from there you can deduce it for Saibai by taking into account the population, as well as the facilities available.
It might also be helpful to consider the limited options for consumer goods (they only have 1 grocery store on the island) and there is a predominance of single-use plastics in such contexts. So, plastics bags, food packaging, and beverage containers might contribute to it.
Here are some additional links which you may find helpful
Cheers,
Anthony
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This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by
Anthony Brady.

Jean Aquinde
Hi Maximilian,
Sorry for the delay in response. Unfortunately, there’s no data specific for Saibai island. I’d best refer to the Recycling and waste in Queensland report to get your food waste estimates. Some references and open data sources are available to download from that page.
I hope this helps!
Regards,
Jean

Sai Rupa Dev
Hi Christian,
While we cannot provide the exact answer, you can make reasonable assumptions. Considering the limited options for consumer goods (they only have 1 grocery store on the island), there is a predominance of single-use plastics in such contexts. So, plastics bags, food packaging, and beverage containers might contribute to it.
But if you look at the photos and interactives of the fenced waste area, you can see what other waste is on the island.
This report from Queensland, gives you a make up of waste in the state, from there you can deduce it for Saibai by taking into account the population, as well as the facilities available. Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Sai

Jean Aquinde
Hi Vanessa,
Just an update to your first set of queries,
> Saibai Islanders currently doesn’t have any greywater collection system in place.
> The community honours its cultural and custodial relationships with the land and sea. Check this resource: Respecting country: A sustainable waste strategy for First Nation communities to gain more understanding in this topic.
Regards,
Jean
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
Jean Aquinde.

Jean Aquinde
Hi Darcy,
Based on our recent chat with a TSIRC staff, we have confirmed that there’s no greywater management system in place in Saibai island.
I encourage you to research the pros and cons of installing above ground vs. below ground greywater systems and evaluate what’s most suitable based on Saibai’s geology, topography and other design considerations. This handbook on Urban Greywater Design and Installation is a must read!
Respecting country: A sustainable waste strategy for First Nation communities is a great resource that covers the shared strategy of waste management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander councils and their communities.
I hope this helps!
Regards,
Jean
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
Jean Aquinde.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
Jean Aquinde.

Jean Aquinde
Hi William,
FYI, we just updated the Gallery section of Design Area 1. I added a photo of the rubbish truck that goes around the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, we don’t have waste characterisation data specific to Saibai Island. However, I found this great resource to help you in your design and future estimations:
Recycling and Waste in Queensland Interactive Data Visualisations (2016 to present)
According to the website, the data is:
> collected from councils and businesses through the annual survey and monthly waste levy reporting
> used by government and industry to measure Queensland’s recovery, recycling and disposal performance and inform planning and decision-making
> used in the annual Recycling and Waste in Queensland report, which summarises Queensland’s recovery, recycling and disposal performance.
As a recent update regarding burning of waste, they no longer do this anymore due to health and safety reasons.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Jean
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
Jean Aquinde.

Bin Tang
1) I found a pdf(Saibai Sustainable Land Use Plan part2 https://www.tsra.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/2038/14-saibai-slup.pdf) said the original wastewater treatment plant was designed for 600 people and at that time the population is 300-400, I want to know what is the population in 2023?
2) Also in that pdf, it said “the treated effluent is pumped from the original original wastewater treatment plant to an ocean outfall at the north of the island.” Is this means all the water discharge to the ocean or some of them have been reused for other purposes like irrigation? And is there any intermediate products can be reused, because the introduction of the wastewater treatment plant said it use rotating bio contactors to treat sewage water to secondary level, didn’t mention other information.
Thank you in advance.

Jean Aquinde
Hi Seunghyun,
It’s great that you’re looking at biomass’ potential as a renewable energy source for the community. Are you trying to assess the supply of waste to feed into the biomass power plant you plan to design? Unfortunately, we don’t have specific data about the production volume of agricultural residues. However, there are other ways to assess the feasibility and sustainability of your proposed project.
Agricultural waste, including plant and animal waste, are excellent fuel sources for biomass power plant, and the community has a constant supply of this as this is their main livelihood. Therefore, this is a feasible idea. Another benefit is that this could offset their behaviour of doing open burning.
Regarding assessing sustainability, what opportunities do you see so the community can easily maintain the biomass power plant? (while at the same time reducing the negative impact on the environment)
I suggest you check our Design Considerations page to continue to guide your team in your design.
All the best,
Jean
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This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by
Jean Aquinde.

Seunghyun Park
The amount of electricity used annually in the village, the amount of rice straw produced, and the amount of incinerable waste discharged are needed.

Luke Barbagallo
Hey Nigel,
Thanks for the great questions. I’ve answered in the same order as asked below.
1. The two that you’ve located are the only ones on the Cape York Peninsula.
2. Unfortunately, we can’t answer that question as we do not have the access to the data. These sites are government owner, hence the inability to gain that info. We’d recommend seeking out that info from companies that supply small scale wash down facilities, like the ones located on some agricultural properties.
3. Currently, they are activated by the car owner. You could investigate either a staffed station, or an automated station, however you will need to explain and justify this decision based on factors that range from wages, to maintenance, to whether a staffed wash station is more likely to be used than an automated one/self activated one.
4 & 5. The larger wash down facilities that are located closer to major centres or towns are on mains water (including waste water), however, beyond immediate town boundaries, that supply will not reach stations.
6. Not that we have access to directly, key considerations are highlighted in the brief. We’d also recommend doing some review of the washdown facilities images in the project brief, and also looking into the operations of washdown stations in agricultural biosecurity settings.
Hope this helps, reach out if you’ve got further questions.
Luke