Edge Environment continues to forge new relationships and explore new markets through its work under the NSW EPA’s Industrial Ecology Grant program. In a three-pillared approach toward diverting 12,000t of waste from landfill, Edge Environment has identified the following focus areas:
1. Building Fitout Churn
2. Manufacturing
3. Food Supply Chain
In the Building Defit Space, Edge has forged ahead with progress, developing a case study around the ongoing defit of Governor Macquarie Tower. The case study will focus on the creation of a set of industry best practice guidelines for future defit operations while telling the story of the project and recording material recovery. Through interventions to usual processes, Edge facilitated the recovery of an estimated 100t of glass able to be reprocessed as a useful manufacturing input in addition to furthering knowledge and experience around the possibility and effectiveness of using social enterprise to recover furniture prior to demolition. To keep track of Edge’s ongoing work in the building defit space follow ‘The Defit Blog’ on the Fifth Estate.
In the Manufacturing space, Edge has already diverted a substantial tonnage of reusable wooden pallets from landfill through a trial program with Australia Post. Efforts here have been targeting behavioural change in the organisation and also the implementation of new collection and processing channels. Discussions continue around the recycling of other packaging and solid waste materials!
In the food supply chain, Edge Environment recently conducted a practical workshop involving re-processors and waste generators in the food supply chain and has developed a number of industrial ecology processes recovering further materials from packaging and production. These projects, aside from reducing waste to landfill will also reduce waste disposal costs for participants.
If you have any waste products you find difficult to dispose of (or are incurring significant costs to do so), get in touch with Tom or Blake and be part of the industry leaders making real industry change! Contact Blake on [email protected] or (02) 9438 0100.