The UNSW Waste Management Hierarchy

…avoiding inefficiencies, reducing bureaucracy, recovering priorities

and disposing of mythsPaul Osmond and Angus Campbell

Waste management strategies from the EMP

• Maximise resource recovery (i.e. the proportion of solid waste stream recovered for high resource value use)

• Continually improve delivery of waste management services and related UNSW infrastructure / facilities

• Reduce toxicity of products and wastes • Prefer use of environmentally superior products/services • Collect and maintain waste and recycling data to support

environmental reporting and continual improvement • Gain recognition for UNSW as an environment leader

and engage the UNSW community in environmental management

Waste management objectives and targets from the EMP

• Objective: – Achieve continuous increase in proportion of solid

waste stream recovered for high resource value use p.a.

• Targets (by 2010):– Construction & demolition (C&D) 76% Commercial &

industrial (C&I) 63%– Domestic sector, including colleges (MSW) 66%– Organics 66%

• Equivalent to the NSW Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy targets for 2014

Making it happen

• Plethora of waste streams…

• Characterisation study– To evaluate existing

waste management practices

– To identify gaps

– To inform development of additional systems for avoidance, reuse and recovery

New systems

• Streaming based on principle of targeting scarce resources to– Maximise environmental benefits

– Minimise inefficiencies

– Cost effective service delivery

– Integrated services to recover highest resource value

• Recognition that environmentally preferred procurement is a major factor in avoiding waste generation and associated costs

Getting the message across

• Focus– On the customer (staff and students)– On the environment (best practice)

• Requires– Accountability– Transparency– Engagement

• System must be as convenient to use than the alternative of throwing things “away”…

• Because THERE IS NO “AWAY”!

©Salemi, www.cartoonbase.com/en/

Convenience

• Time is greatest constraint for staff

• Readily accessible (“just in time” access to information & services)

• Administratively efficient:– Forms

– Approvals

• Comparable cost to user

• If garbage bin is cheaper and more time efficient for the user – what are we encouraging?

If the system is too complicated – it won’t be used!

Cost effective

• Access to services restricted to the University community

• Balancing convenience with exclusion of external waste

• Providing general public with access to information

• Diverting web enquiries – efficient use of staff time

NO

PUBLIC

ACCESS

“Towards Zero Waste”

• Dedicated website and headline branding– One-stop-shop for accessing internal services– Information about materials and their fate once they

leave the campus– Restricting access to drop off services via www

diversion of non UNSW IP addresses– Providing information for the wider community and

external parties on available service providers (University’s outreach role + diversion of enquiries)

• Launch – bin stickers, brochures, web, internal publications…

www.recycling.unsw.edu.au• Directs to Facilities Management resource

recovery and waste services page:– Hazardous substances – management and disposal– Paper reuse and recycling– Food organics reprocessing– Garden organics reprocessing– Container recycling and general garbage collection– End-of-life computer reuse– Electronic equipment (e-waste) recycling scheme– Stationery reuse centre– Furniture reuse centre– Laboratory equipment reuse– Hard waste collection– Contractors and trades: building refurbishments and office relocations– Battery recycling– Polystyrene– Environmentally preferred procurement

Key waste streams

• Hazardous substances – regulatory compliance– Policies and procedures, compliance framework– Online disposal forms, centralised management via OHS unit– “Green Lab” audit program for environmental compliance &

management

• Paper and cardboard – self funding– In-house recycling collection by FM (> 600 tonnes p.a.)– Procurement systems give preference to real recycled paper– “Green Office” program – promotes and supports office behaviour

• Organics recovery – can be cost neutral– 60% of general waste stream is food waste– Food and garden organics collection and on-site reprocessing– Recycled organics products for on-site landscaping application– greenhouse stabilisation of organics

MSW and beverage containers• Historically: public space container recycling < 2% capture

of beverage containers, high infrastructure and ongoing education costs

• Recyclables now collected in same bin as general garbage*• Input to UR-3R® resource recovery facility

– Higher recovery rate than household kerbside recycling– Recovers wider range of materials for reprocessing– “Safety net” recovery of paper and organics– 100% of organics are greenhouse stabilised (to EU standards)– Less than 23% of deposited material by weight goes to landfill– Financial incentives for continuous improvement

• Reduced total bin numbers, lower cost, higher recovery*Launch postponed to November due to fire at recovery facility

UR-3R® process (www.globalrenewables.com.au)

• Materials recovered:– Cardboard – Mixed paper – Mixed plastic – Plastic containers (mainly PET and

HDPE) – Glass containers – Ferrous metals – Non ferrous metals

• Generates energy surplus to operational needs (biogas)

• Greenhouse gas abatement equivalent to taking 50,000 cars off the road annually

• Supply of composted products

Integrated recovery• End-of-life computer reuse

– UNSW units can donate functional older computers and peripherals– Computers are checked, reformatted, loaded with basic software– Made available to financially disadvantaged students through Equity and

Diversity Unit• Laboratory equipment reuse

– Internal exchange currently being explored with “TechNet” (University technical staff network)

– Augmented by listing of agents who buy, sell and exchange used laboratory equipment

• Electronic equipment (e-waste) recycling– Non-functional equipment– Complements computer re-use program – Contractor recovers metals, circuit boards, plastics, CRT glass

• Battery recycling– EU investigating recycling options and service providers – Collection containers in pedestrian “thoroughfares” for drop off

C&D resource recovery

• Hard waste collection– Construction and demolition waste– By special arrangement– Minimises illegal dumping

• Contractors and trades– Major building projects: builders contractually

responsible for own waste management– Minor works: tradespeople responsible, skip bin can

be arranged through University

• Construction site audit program– For compliance with waste management plans

Other streams• Stationery reuse centre

– Established by Environment Unit– Now managed by Student Guild– Saves students $15,000 p.a. on cost of new

stationery• Furniture reuse centre

– Run by Facilities Management– Free office furniture for UNSW offices

• Toner cartridges– Used cartridges and toner bottles collected for

recycling– Remanufactured toner cartridges purchased for

resale through Green Office program

Other streams (cont.)

• Polystyrene– EU investigating recycling options and service

providers– Opportunity to address through environmentally

preferred procurement• Environmentally preferred procurement

– EU working with Finance and other units– Development of purchasing policy and

implementation framework– Preference for products which minimise life cycle

environmental impacts, meet ethical and OHS criteria and provide value for money

Performance and efficiency

• Targeting scarce resources:– Focus on service delivery

and user convenience– Efficient use of staff time– Streaming for environmental

performance and cost efficiencies– Avoiding inefficiencies

• Enables focus on higher resource value – least environmental impact options at the top of waste hierarchy