Ascend Waste and Environment Pty Ltd was formed in 2014 as a waste and environmental consulting company specialising in the regulatory interface governing hazardous waste, environmental chemicals and emissions management in Australia and the Pacific region, from a compliance (private sector) and development (government) perspective.
Our key service areas include:
Over the last four years, Ascend Waste and Environment has worked on a number of significant projects that have utilised our unique, expert knowledge of the Australian hazardous waste market, key players in the industry and the types of infrastructure that deal with (predominantly) chemical hazards.
These projects range from market studies that inform industry decision-making, to infrastructural capability and capacity assessments, that assist both governments and industry in their planning for future needs.
National data on hazardous waste is required for several purposes, including annual reporting under the Basel Convention and periodic domestic reporting. There is a need for a consistent Australian-wide understanding of the sources, classification types and fates of hazardous wastes, and of the availability of infrastructure to deal with them.
For national reporting purposes, the Australian Government relies on data collected and submitted by the states and territories, which have legislative responsibilities for wastes generated in their jurisdiction.
Ascend Waste and Environment, in cooperation with regular partners Blue Environment and Randell Environmental Consulting, together offer market-leading knowledge and experience in the area of hazardous and non-hazardous waste data and its compilation.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are hazardous and environmentally persistent substances which can be transported between countries by the earth's oceans and atmosphere. POPs accumulate in living organisms. Many have been traced in the fatty tissues of humans and other animals, and most are confirmed endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). There is general international agreement that they require global action to reduce their impact on humans and the environment.
POPs include brominated flame retardant chemicals, pesticides and, perhaps the most pressing concern amongst them, PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid), a chemical used historically in fire-fighting foams and surface coating applications, which is the most problematic member of the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) groups of chemicals.
POPs are specifically the domain of the Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, of which Australia is a party. POPs are part of a broader range of chemical pollutants that have properties of environmental persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity (PBTs). Chemical product manufacturers and regulators are only beginning to understand unintended environmental consequences of PBTs that arise from human use of pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones, personal care and cleaning products and industrial use of organic chemicals.
Electronic waste or e-waste, known as waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) in Europe, has been reported as the fastest growing waste in the world. Its chemical hazards vary by device type, but they can be grouped into two main categories:
1. Metals, including 'heavy metals' such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and antimony, as well as others of lower hazard such as copper, zinc and nickel. These are found mostly in printed circuit boards of electronic devices.
2. Brominated flame retardant chemicals (BFRs), typically found in hard plastic casings and printed circuit board plastics to protect against risk of fire.
Both types of hazardous chemicals are environmentally persistent, have the potential to bioaccumulate and exhibit toxic characteristics, and environmental and human health risk is increased at end of life, where the components dismantled or broken away from their protective housing.
Ascend's Managing Director Geoff Latimer has operated in a State and Federal environmental legislative context, from both the regulator’s and regulated’s perspective, for over 20 years, This has provided him with an intimate understanding of waste and environmental regulation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region, as well as the networks required to get results.
On behalf of the private sector, Ascend has conducted numerous company regulatory reviews, works approvals/ impact assessments and licence compliance projects with respect to environmental and waste management.
Ascend uses its unique understanding of the regulatory interface governing hazardous waste, environmental chemicals and emissions management to help the private sector improve, through better understanding of its environmental risks, achieving environmental regulatory compliance and beyond.
This same understanding enables us to improve the way governments regulate, coordinate and facilitate aspects of hazardous waste and chemicals, through more modern regulatory frameworks, better data and information sharing, and a stronger awareness of emerging challenges and how to tackle them.
