Sustainability Report 2005-2006
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007
Canberra environmental performance
Waste
EN11: Total amount of waste by type and destination
Goals 2005-06
Increase the proportion of material being recycled by end June 2006, in particular personal printer toner cartridges- Reduce the amount of recyclable material going into ‘general waste’ bins, thereby reducing the amount of waste going to landfill
Conduct a follow-up waste audit- Reduce contamination of the three-bin system, in particular the placement of general and organic waste in the ‘recyclables’ bin
- Raise the awareness of staff to exercise more care when disposing of waste into the three-bin system
- Implement the key recommendations of the 2005 waste audit
Performance 2005-06 and trends
In 2005-06, staff at the JGB produced a per person total of 38.8kg of waste to landfill material. Only 23% of the total output went to landfill, while paper and cardboard recycling represented 59% of the total.
| Waste, by weight (kg) | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper & Cardboard * | 97 375 | 93 391 | 109 002 | 17% |
| Comingled | 22 225 | 21 805 | 18 585 | -15% |
| Organics | 22 060 | 18 679 | 15 756 | -16% |
| Toners | 171 | 250 | 670 | 168% |
| Fluorescent tubes | 173 | 200 | 266 | 33% |
| Waste to Landfill | 107 569 | 45 180 | 43 533 | -4% |
| Total | 249 573 | 179 505 | 187 812 | 5% |
| Total Recycled | 142 004 | 134 325 | 144 279 | 7% |
| % recycled | 56.9% | 74.8% | 76.8% | 2.7% |
* includes EBB and Fyshwick tenancies.
The increase in toner usage correlates with a slight rise in paper consumption, but also indicates previous under-reporting. Improved data capture methods have been implemented, and new collection processes facilitate personal toner cartridge recycling.
Commentary
The decomposition of organic materials in landfills results in emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Waste to landfill can also mean scarce or non-renewable resources being unavailable to reuse or recycling. Some wastes also contain potentially hazardous or toxic substances, such as the mercury in fluorescent tubes. Our data is primarily sourced from service provider invoices.
Goals 2006-07
- Conduct a follow-up waste audit by end June 2007
- Address overall waste volume by examining incoming waste sources for reduction opportunities
- Incorporate waste management and reporting clauses into service provider contracts, to enable effective data gathering on our broader performance in this area.
Related Indicators
Contents
- Sustainability Report 05-06
- Executive summary
- Vision and strategy
- Our organisation
- Governance
- Policy and influence
- Environmental performance
- Social performance
- Economic performance
- Report assurance statement
- Case studies
- GRI index
Key
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