Improvingthewastemanagementofyourbuilding
Whatarethewastestreamsinyourbuilding?Theobviousanswersof‘generalwaste’and ‘recycling’mayjumptomind.Fornewerbuildings,thelistmightbelongerandinclude waste’.Andformany,theanswermightbe,“what’sawaste
Whatarethewastestreamsinyourbuilding? ‘recycling’mayjumptomind.Fornewerbuildings,thelistmightbelongerandinclude ‘flattenedcardboard’or‘foodwaste’.Andformany,theanswermightbe,“what’sawaste stream?”
Effectivelymanagingthewasteproducedbyamulti buildingisoneofthemosteffective(andeasy,iftackledcorrectly)waystoreducethe environmentalimpactoftheproperty.
Effectivelymanagingthewasteproducedbyamulti-unitdwellingsuchasanapartment buildingisoneofthemosteffective(andeasy,iftackledcorrectly)waystoreducethe alimpactoftheproperty.
CaseStudy–Potentialtoreducegeneralwasteby95%.
Potentialtoreducegeneralwasteby95%.
Theobviousanswersof‘generalwaste’and waste’.Andformany,theanswermightbe,“what’sawaste unitdwellingsuchasanapartment wasteintheGeneralWastebinwas
Arecentvisualwasteauditundertakenatoneofourpropertiesbytheteam atRegroundrevealedthat,inonebuilding, missedrecyclables.
Arecentvisualwasteauditundertakenatoneofourpropertiesbytheteam 95%ofthewasteintheGeneralWastebinwas
Inotherwords,only5%oftheweretruegeneralwaste,whiletheremaining95%couldhave beenrecycledanddivertedfromland
Inotherwords,only5%oftheweretruegeneralwaste,whiletheremaining95%couldhave beenrecycledanddivertedfromlandfill.
Thisrepresentsahugeopportunitytopotentially:
Thisrepresentsahugeopportunitytopotentially:
Decrease the amount of waste sent to landfill, reducing the overall environmental impact
Reduce the frequency of general waste collections, resulting in cost savings for the OC
This article explores the different waste streams available and how your Owners Corporation can make the most of them. Learn how to boost resource recovery and why choosing the right waste management partners is key to success.
Understanding Waste Streams.
In order to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and improve recyclables the Victorian Government is standardising household waste and recycling services across Victoria – with all councils to move to a four-binsystem which includes:
General Waste
Foodand Garden Organics(FOGO)
Mixed Recycling
GlassRecycling
Many apartment buildings may also be familiar with a dedicated bin for flattened cardboard, or a collectionpointfor soft plastics.
Let’s briefly break down the mostcommon types of waste streams.
General Waste
General waste is sent to landfill and should be used only for materials that cannot be recycled or recovered through other streams. However, this is often not the case. Many
recoverable resources, such as soft plastics, food waste and eWaste are often found in general waste streams.
Didyouknow?
Thecost of taking general waste to landfill locations is increasing across Victoria from 1 July 2025. This cost will likely be passed on by your waste contractor and will increase the cost to your OCof disposing of generalwaste.
This represents a great opportunity to gain support from your community to implement additional waste streams at your building, reducing your overall volume of general waste and potentially save on costs. Readmore