Office recycling systems were not all created equal. Simple strategies like re-designing the location of bins can significantly cut waste volumes, writes Garth Lamb.

The average employee generates 173 kg of waste a year, according to an audit conducted on nine office buildings in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle by the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). Waste reduction is one of the biggest issues in sustainable office management.

Paper is far and away the biggest component of the total stream, making up 55 per cent of the volume. Cardboard accounts for another 10 per cent, drink containers five per cent along with reusable stationery items, leaving just 25 per cent of typical office tower waste as garbage.

Getting office paper recycling up and running can not only benefit corporate image and staff morale, but the bottom line as well, since source-separated recyclables are cheaper to dispose of than mixed waste.

Although there are several waste management options, the DEC’s first tip is to have someone in the office stand up and become the recycling champion, taking responsibility for implementing programs.

“We’re talking the talk with clients [so] we’d better walk the walk,” said Simon Carter, project manager with major realtor, Colliers International. As the coordinator of the 150-employee office in the Sydney CBD, Carter oversaw a two-phase operation to reduce office waste.

Separate general rubbish and paper bins were initially placed at each worker’s desk and then, after letting workers get used to recycling for about 18 months, they removed seven out of the eight general waste bins at each desk module.

While there are no hard figures on the first stage, Carter says the two bin system was “a solid scheme” in terms of waste reduction. Making it that much harder to toss material into a general waste bin lifted the bar higher, sparking a further 47 per cent reduction in general waste.

Colliers has well-defined champions in each of its 10 major Australian offices, with green office coordinators changed with improving internal sustainability.

Centralised paper recycling
The DEC audit found most buildings had paper recycling systems in place, however less than half the paper was actually finding its way into the recycling stream. Office recycling systems were not all created equal and different set-ups will be useful in different situations.

A central recycling bin is the simplest, particularly when funds are limited or the system is being introduced in the middle of an inflexible cleaning contract. The big advantage is low contamination rates as workers need to make a dedicated trip to deposit material at the recycling station. Cleaners are also unlikely to mix the paper with the garbage as different systems are used to remove the wastes.

The obvious disadvantage is inconvenience for the staff, meaning more recyclables will end up in the general waste stream. While a single central bin is undoubtedly better than nothing, overall waste reduction will be smaller with this method than others.

Keeping the cleaners happy
Providing each worker with a bin for paper and another for general waste is the most convenient option and will increase recycling volumes. However, consulting cleaners about such proposed changes is critical. Unless they use trolleys with more than one bag they will have to visit each desk twice, doubling their workload and probably increasing contam-ination as separated material may well end up back in the same bin.

The DEC’s ultimate system for high volume paper recycling is the Colliers’ model, a paper recycling bin at each desk with staff getting
up to put items in the general waste.

Colliers found the volume of paper recycled increases dramatically and it keeps the cleaners happy as there is less garbage to collect, fewer liners to change and paper bins can often be emptied less regularly.

Carter says the cleaners were initially concerned that the new system would be more complex, but all it took was “one good meeting to their head around it” and they have been happy about it since.

While Colliers got no financial rewards by changing systems, convenience was improved through changes in the collection contract. Under the two bin system, workers had to empty their own paper bins but with less general waste to handle under the new regime the cleaners agreed to collect the paper bins too.

Contamination can become a problem when staff find it harder to access general waste disposal, but Carter is yet to field any complaints from the cleaners or building management.
“It’s a discipline thing,” he says. “Some people misbehave but an overwhelming majority of the staff do the right thing.”

More at www.resource.nsw.gov.au/officebuildings