Greening of Government - Waste Management
Implementing a Waste Management System
Getting Started
In order for State government to contribute to waste targets as set out in South Australia’s Strategic Plan and South Australia’s Waste Strategy, agencies are to undertake the following actions:
Action 1 - Establish Baseline
Conduct an agency-wide assessment to establish baseline measurements of:
- total waste generated and associated costs
- materials recycled by type and quantity, and associated costs
Ensure that waste and recycling contracts incorporate requirements for the contractors to provide data on waste sent to landfill and/or material recycled on at least an annual basis.
Action 2 - Identify and Prioritise Impacts
In consultation with staff, identify the waste impacts of work operations, and prioritise their resource allocation to manage these impacts in order to:
- reduce the amount of waste to landfill and associated waste disposal costs
- increase the amount of materials recycled and recovered
- increase procurement of goods and services which support the waste hierarchy principles
Agencies should identify and establish specific management plans and processes for significant waste streams generated from their operations - those wastes identified as significant in terms of the amount generated, or the toxicity of the waste, or both.
Action 3 - Develop and Implement Resource and Waste Management Plan
In consultation with staff and other stakeholders as applicable (such as building management, cleaning contractors), develop a resource and waste management plan which addresses the impacts and priorities identified in Action 2.
The plan should assign responsibility for implementation of various aspects to relevant staff, along with a time frame within which such actions should be completed.
The plan should be linked to other relevant organisational plans, including corporate and business plans.
The plan should also incorporate provisions for staff awareness training to encourage participation in waste reduction and recycling programs.
Action 4 - Monitoring and Reporting
Monitor and include in annual reports and other relevant reporting processes details of:
- total waste generated and associated costs
- materials recycled by type and quantity, and associated costs
- waste management initiatives (including waste reduction, reuse and recycling)
top
Recyling System Guidelines
Although recycling is only part of the zero waste approach, it has an important role to play in minimising the consignment of materials to landfill.
For most staff, participation in recycling schemes is likely to be the major way in which they can work towards achieving waste targets in the work environment.
To establish and maintain any kind of recycling system, work sites need to:
- Liaise with asset/facility/accommodation managers, business services staff, building owners/managers, cleaners, waste contractors, other tenants where relevant
Action: find out who these people are in your work site and arrange a meeting to discuss the establishment and maintenance of recycling systems (e.g. logistics, costs).
- Identify sufficient, appropriate space for recycling receptacles and access to these collection points for recycling contractors
Action: investigate available space at your work site, and accessibility of this space for cleaners, recycling contractors (i.e. do they need an access card or key?).
- Promote the scheme to staff
Action: determine existing avenues for communicating this to staff, such as regular meetings and induction processes. Interpersonal contact is usually more effective than electronic means to introduce staff to the scheme, although electronic communication is useful for follow-up.
- Ensure arrangements are in place to measure the volume of material being intercepted and diverted from landfill.
Action: check with the service provider whether they can supply this information. Keep in mind that data is likely to be on a building basis i.e. data is provided for the building/work site - which may include other tenants - not a Departmental basis.
Key questions to ask any recycling service provider include:
- are they prepared to provide written guarantees that none of the recycled materials are sent to landfill or incinerated?
- do they provide collection bins (including desk boxes) or do these need to be purchased?
- is feedback about the amount of materials diverted from landfill able to be provided on a regular basis?
top
Resource Management Contracts
The most powerful way to drive your organisation’s activities towards minimising waste to landfill and maximising recycling (and reuse, and even waste prevention) is through contractual arrangements.
Resource Management (RM) Contracting upends the traditional concept of waste disposal contracts by creating an incentive for the waste contractor (and third party contractors such as cleaners) to achieve your organisational resource efficiency and waste management objectives, rather than rewarding them according to the amount of waste disposed of (or more accurately, the number of times a truck is sent to collect it):
Features |
Traditional Disposal Contracts |
RM Contracts |
| Contractor Compensation |
Unit price based on waste volume or number of pick-ups |
Capped fee for waste disposal service. Performance bonuses (or liquidated damages) based on value of resource efficiency savings |
| Incentive Structure |
Contractor has a profit incentive to maximise waste service and volume |
Contractor seeks profitable resource efficiency innovation |
| Waste Generator-Contractor Relationship |
Minimal generator-contractor interface |
Waste generator and contractor work together to derive value from resource efficiency |
| Scope of Service |
Container rental and maintenance, hauling, and disposal or processing. Contractor responsibilities begin at the skip/bin and end at landfill or processing site |
Services addressed in waste disposal contracts plus services that influence waste generation (i.e., product/process design, material purchase, internal storage, material use, material handling, reporting) |
In 1997, General Motors in Detroit, US began implementing RM contracts, which are now in place at over two thirds of its North American facilities. Plants with RM in place for over a year or more realised a 20% reduction in waste in the first year, a 60% decrease in waste disposal and a 30% decrease in waste management costs (Resource Recycling Journal, March 2001 www.epa.gov/wastewise/pubs/rr_rm.pdf).
Resource Management Contracting principles and tips include:
- requiring separate bid prices for collection of rubbish and recyclable materials, to make bids as transparent as possible and to aid evaluation of contractor bid prices
- provide financial incentive/performance bonus for recyclable material collected over a specified tonnage (funded by waste disposal costs saved)
- requiring contractors to achieve minimum recycling levels or pay liquidated damages (minimum recycling levels could be increased over each year of the contract period)
Contractors work for YOU to deliver YOUR organisational objectives and requirements.
Those objectives include recovery of material (and the associated embodied energy/C02) as well as disposal of non-recyclable waste.
Are your contracts structured to drive the processes needed to meet these objectives?
Are there any contracts coming up for renewal which could be reinvented as Resource Management Contracts?
Further information:
www.epa.gov/wastewise/wrr/rm.htm
Waste Wise Resource Management, US EPA
www.epa.gov/wastewise/pubs/rmpaper.pdf  (60kb)
From Waste to Resource Management: Reinventing Waste Contracts and Services (article)
www.epa.gov/wastewise/pubs/insidepages.pdf
Resource Management: Innovative Solid Waste Contracting Methods, Waste Wise Resource Management, US EPA (RM Contract Manual), includes model contract language for C&I sector
top
Resources
Waste & Sustainable Commercial Buildings - Your Building
This comprehensive site includes a specific section on waste, but also a wider range of building sustainability issues, including building sustainability principles into commercial leases, green buildings from an occupiers perspective and facilities management.
Green Lease Guide for Commercial Office Tenants (1.54MB)
Investa Property Group's guide to negotiating a Green Lease explains how a green lease will benefit both building owners and tenants, and offers guidance on:
- what a green lease is and why its of interest to your organisation
- what to look for when choosing a building
- important aspects to consider when designing your office fitout, and explains the benefits of implementing each of these aspects
- valuable tips on designing your office fitout and choosing equipment
Benefits associated with each element of the guide are rated using three criteria and a rating system from 1-3, with one icon representing some benefit, and three representing a high benefit for that particular criteria.
top
|
