unsw - how we manage waste and recycling

UNSW Sustainability

What happens to our waste?ARTS 2243: Waste and Society > Recycling and Re-use at UNSW

What waste do we produce?Accumulative recovery report

24%

12%

4%

33%

27%Paper & cardboardMixed containersPlastic filmFood & organicsLandfill

1 month 125.2t1 year 82.2

Tonnage of

Recovered Waste

24%

12%4%

33%

27%

17%

Paper & cardboard

Mixed containers

Plastic film

Food & organics

Greenwaste

Landfill

What waste do we produce?Accumulative recovery report

April 198tJune 121.90tJuly 145.06t

Tonnage of

Recycling Streams

Waste reductionDisposable coffee cups

13,520,000 cups a year

3%39 Tonnes

per year

of our waste!

Waste reductionOne Simple Solution

Reusable Cups

Keep Cups Available from Bookshop & Arc Gift Shop

Public place recycling

Recycling can work with your help

Two bins:

Public place recycling

Red is for General waste

Yellow is for Beverage containers

Paper & cardboard

What happens to our paper and cardboard?

Paper & cardboard

Desk bins for recycling

Recycling 800 tonne/yearUNSW makes money from recycling paper & cardboard

Staff and student responsibility to empty paper into blue wheelie bins

Recycling makes money

Recycling boxes available from stationary re-use centre, ARC, FM Assist, room 224A Chancellery or on request.

Blue Bins in Library + corridors

AMCOR’s Botany Recycling Plant

Paper & cardboard

Plastic contamination separated

All paper and cardboard is processed and recycled within

72 hours from delivery

Fibrous film at one end, dry recycled paper out the other end

Fibrous sludgeFinal recycled product

Batteries & mobile phones

More than 800 mobile phones

collected each year

Recycled by Mobile

Muster for free

Batteries & mobile phones Mobile phones

Where?Lower Campus: ARC Reception

Upper Campus: FM AssistMid Campus: Contact

Batteries & mobile phones

Batteries contain toxic and hazardous heavy metals

Batteries

Battery World recycling station where all batteries are recycled at expense of UNSW

Printer toner cartridges

Successful staff volunteer

initiative

Printer toner cartridges

Sent to Close the Loop in Melbourne

Planet Ark

Some remanufactured with remainder of plastic and metal recycled

Printer toner cartridges

Over 5,788 reuses since UNSW service began

46%

Cara Toner

of cartridges collected from UNSW are reused

A successful staff volunteer initiative

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking. The Fun Theory

Reverse vending machines accept empty drink containers

Reverse vending machines

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking. The Fun Theory

Eliminates contamination = Material 100% recyclable

Reverse vending machines

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking. The Fun Theory

Reduces cleaning costs > An average bin holds 100-150 containers

Reverse vending machines

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking. The Fun Theory

Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers

Reverse vending machines

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking. The Fun Theory

Users are given vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle

Reverse vending machines

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking. The Fun Theory

Check out…

Reverse vending machines

www.thefuntheory.com

Reverse vending machines

The Fun Theory> Accept empty drink containers.

> Eliminate contamination. Material 100% recyclable.

> Reduces cleaning costs - An average wheelie bin holds between 100 & 150 containers. Reverse Vending Machines hold 3,000 crushed containers = to 25 wheelie bins.

> Give users vouchers & prizes as incentives to recycle.

> Check out www.thefuntheory.com.

Our experience to date> Expensive technology.

> Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations.

> Networked and vulnerable to hacking.

Our experience to date:Expensive technology

Footprint, power & IT requirement limit possible locations

Networked and vulnerable to hacking

Reverse vending machines

Garden waste

Bore water primarily used for

irrigation of the grounds

Garden waste

All tree pruning off-cuts and other green waste is processed on-site and mulch is used on garden beds.

All other lawn clippings, leaf material and garden organics collected and transported to Veolia waste station at Botany for processing.

UNSW uses organic fertilisers for gardens, lawns and sports fields.

Glass recycling

Waste audit found glass is 3rd

largest in composition of our waste

Glass recyclingA limited but successful glass recycling stream at:

The Roundhouse Bar

Goldstein College

New College

Scientia Building

The Roundouse

Fluorescent tubes & light globes

Fluorescent tubes contain enough mercury to pollute 30,000 litres of water beyond the safe drinking level

Fluorescent tubes & light globes

ChemsalRecycling and disposal by Chemsal

Collect fluorescent, CFL, incandescent, halogen, High Intensity Discharge lamps (HIDs) discharge light bulbs/lamps including associated ballasts and transformers

SpotlessStored in the Spotless compound on Western Campus with periodic collection by Chemsal

Collected on request via FM Assist (Ext: 55111)

Biological & hazardous waste

Specialist contractors dispose of biological

and hazardous chemical waste

Biological & hazardous waste

ChemsalDangerous waste: organic solvents, oxidise, pesticides and “ionising radiation emitting materials not considered to be radioactive” (low level radioactive waste < 100 Becquerel/gram)

Hazardous waste generated from research

SterihealthBiological, clinical waste, ionising radiation emitting materials not considered to be radioactive, human tissue, biological chemicals and other toxic substances.

Construction & demolition

On-site separation of waste for re-use or recycling

Development of a Construction Site Waste Management Plan.

Construction Waste includes:

Capital works criteria includes:

Waste management conditions are available for Consultants and Contractors undertaking projects

Waste management conditions imposed under contract

Plaster board, Concrete, Bricks, Steel, Cables and Packaging.

What happens to our waste?

Waste contract with Doyle Bros Material Recycling Facility > 80% recycled

Recyclables market

Recycled aluminum reduces mining and smelting emissions

Recyclables market

Bales of dirty plastic are separated and can be recycled

Recycled baled paper & cardboard reduces deforestation and environmental impact

Recyclables market

Reducing waste

Water refill stations

= Refill not landfill

Reducing wasteA step toward reducing plastic water bottle waste

Stationery reuse

Stationery Re-use Centre at Level 2, Quad East Wing

Second-hand stationery free for students and staff

Stationery reuse

Stationery donated by UNSW staff and corporations

Operated by ARC volunteers

Stationery reuse

Estimated 4,000 items in last 12 months including approx 1,500 folders, envelopes, plastic sleeves, hanging files, in-trays, clipboards andother random things

Successful student initiative

Container Deposit Legislation

Ten cent refund on beverage containers

Container Deposit Legislation

Regulatory Impact statement underway

Container Deposit Legislation

Opposed by beverage companies & Packaging Stewardship Forum

Electronic waste TV & PC Product Stewardship Scheme

Product Stewardship Act 2011:

TV’s & computers first products to be regulated.

Responsibility for recycling passed back to manufacturer.

Eventually all devices with a power cord to be included.

Hopefully running by 2011/12.

Food waste & reuse

Excess food is distributed to charities

supporting the vulnerable

Food waste & reuse

Food rescueExcess food given

to OzHarvest

Food waste & reuse

Cooking OilUp to 800 litres

a week is collected from campus outlets

The carbon price & waste

190 of 500 facilities directly liable for

carbon tax are waste facilities

Carbon price $23 per tonne from 1/07/12

The carbon price & waste

1 tonne of methane = 23 tonne of CO2 equivalent

Waste produces methane

The carbon price & waste

Landfill more expensive and

recycling more cost effective

Emissions from landfill

The carbon price & waste

Fee to rise from $220/tonne now to $300/tonne from 1 July 2012

Landfill General Waste tip fee

Our commitment to reduce waste

There’s less than 10 years of landfill in the Sydney basin

UNSW: Environment Policy and Waste Management Plan

Rethink of waste as a valuable resource

Our commitment to reduce waste

Sustainable processing of materials based on fundamentals of high temperature

Our commitment to reduce waste

Professor Veena SahajwallaCentre of Sustainable Materials Research & Technology

Sustainable processing of materials based on fundamentals of high temperature

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UNSW Sustainability

Keep in touch www.recycling.edu.auwww.unsw.edu.au/sustainability

Twitter | @SustainUNSWFacebook | facebook.com/SustainUNSWSlideshare | slideshare.net/SustainUNSW

Aaron Magner UNSW Sustainability Director

LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/aaronmagner Twitter | @aaronmagnerSlideshare | slideshare.net/aaronmagner

Photo images | Maja Baska www.majabaska.com