Newsletter for winter 2016. We are finding that interest in waste minimisation and better recycling in buildings continues to grow and this is a busy time for waste-related tours, conferences and speaking engagements. Read all about it
Newsletter for winter 2016. We are finding that interest in waste minimisation and better recycling in buildings continues to grow and this is a busy time for waste-related tours, conferences and speaking engagements. Read all about it
Jenny Campbell is proud to take over as Chair of the Property Council of Australia Sustainable Development Committee in WA. She has been on the committee for 8 years and is excited about being able to make contribution to the pressing issues for sustainability in the property sector. Read the PCA news article here
Encycle Consulting held a food waste workshop at ‘The Raw Kitchen’ in Fremantle as part of the Fest-a-Con One Planet Living festival. The workshop was aimed at generators of food waste primarily the food service industry such as hotels, restaurant and cafes.
The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness among attendees and guests on the importance of:
The workshop also included select representatives from the waste industry, including service providers, suppliers of technologies that treat food waste and representatives from commercial composting facilities.
Food waste is a major part of the general waste stream to landfill, particularly where food is prepared and served.
Food in landfill is far from benign, as it decomposes in the absence of air, the products include liquid leachate and methane gas. Leachate is a potential groundwater contaminant; rich in organic acids which can leach heavy metals from the surrounding fill. Methane is a greenhouse gas with over 20 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide.[1]
Benefits of segregating food waste include: reduced cost of general waste to landfill, removal of the heavy, odorous and vermin attraction proportion of the waste and driving better purchasing through better understanding of the food waste volume generated.
Removing food waste from the waste stream follows a hierarchy (Figure 1) similar to the better known ‘waste hierarchy’ which presents preferred options based on overall environmental impact. The best option is not to waste food in the first place as this means that the resources used to grow, process and transport the food is not wasted. There are a series of options where the food can be successfully used while disposal to landfill is the least desirable option.
Figure 1: The food waste hierarchy (Reference: www.mrw.co.uk)
The next steps to establishing a segregated organics collection service for the hospitality industry in the Fremantle area are:
[1] Methane (CH4) can be captured for electricity production at large landfills but the process is relatively inefficient (40%–60% lost on average). Maximum efficiency in Australia is up to 70% CH4 captured).
This year, National Recycling Week is 9-15 November. Check out the website for ideas for your workplace or chat to the Encycle team about what you could do.
Hon. Albert Jacob has announced $10 million funding as an incentive to private companies, Local Governments and State Government Agencies and to purchase materials made from recycled construction and demolition waste.
In addition to the implementation of the Green Star C&D Reporting Criteria, we expect to see an increase in effective use of construction resources in WA over the next few years.
Encycle Consulting Pty Ltd
T: Perth 08 9444 7668
Perth: Level 1, 76 Roberts Street
Osborne Park, WA 6017