FREMANTLE’S maritime waste services are set to be buoyed by international talent after one of its environmental officers won a scholarship to explore how the world’s ports do recycling. 

Rebecca James is an environmental officer at Fremantle Ports and was recently awarded a Fellowship from the Churchill Trust, which will fund her international research. 

Over the next two months Ms James will be visiting ports around the globe including Singapore, London, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, to name a few. 

• Rebecca James won a Churchill Fellowship to study maritime waste around the world. Photo courtesy Churchill Trust

Broad spectrum

“All of these jurisdictions operate a little differently, so that’s why I’m going to a broad spectrum of places,” Ms James said. 

“From what I’ve been able to see where they’ve got some really good policies and practices in place. 

“I want to see what’s working, what the barriers are, and perhaps try and help as a port industry to get a bit of consistency across this space for the cruise ships, so that they can be doing similar things in ports.”

Ms James says she will be meeting with a “cross section” of the port waste management industry, including port authorities and waste service providers

“It sounds like a glamorous holiday being on cruise ships, but I’ll be down amongst it in the waste management end, looking at the nuts and bolts of what’s working when they bring the waste off, and how they make those logistics work,” Ms James said. 

“I’m also then speaking to some of the policy makers and regulators and groups like the International Maritime Organization and the European Commission and others to have a look at their regulatory mechanisms.”

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Department of Agriculture are currently conducting a maritime recycling risk assessment trial at ports nationwide, including Fremantle. 

Fremantle Ports are participating in the trial, alongside port authorities from New South Wales and Queensland, and will be focusing on recyclables such as plastic cups and bottles, glass bottles, paper, cardboard, aluminium, and tin. 

Cruise industry

Ms James says the Fellowship will allow her to “shine a light” on the issue of waste management in the cruise industry, which she hopes she will be able to help revolutionise when she gets back to Perth. 

“There’s some really important biosecurity laws and regulations, but I guess they’ve been there for a long time, and I’m challenging that status quo of how we manage that,” Ms James said. 

“I’m hoping we look to make sure that we’re managing biosecurity risks, but also taking advantage of recycling and resources that are coming off these ships and use those in a better way.

“All of the agencies are really actively wanting to work together on this, so there’ll be a receptive audience to what I bring back home.”

Ms James will be setting off this week.

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER