How to transform your workplace into a Sustainability Hub

Landfill might be perceived as the place you bury unwanted stuff, but if not properly separated perfectly good resources can end up underground. Some countries are reclaiming materials through a process called landfill mining due to a lack of space to expand their dumpsites and to recover a high concentration of valuable recyclable resources buried.

The team at Teach Starter is committed to minimising its impact on the environment. One of the actions we have taken in working towards a green future is to implement a thorough waste management system at our Brisbane, Australia office to ensure resources are properly separated. It’s been a long journey and we still have room for improvement but we are well on the way to implementing a sustainable approach to waste minimisation.

In 2017–18, business across Queensland generated approximately 2.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste, with less than 50% of this recovered.

A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Recycling and Waste in QLD 2018 report highlights that in 2017–18, business across Queensland generated approximately 2.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste, with less than 50% of this recovered. To avoid unnecessary resources being sent to landfill, Teach Starter implemented a series of positive actions at our Brisbane office, where we have 36 employees. Initiatives include implementing an industrial compost collection, separating soft plastic, providing reusable cups and food containers, battery collection, office supplies collection and an education program.

Compost

Food waste and compostable material if sent to landfill will generate greenhouse gases through anaerobic decomposition. In partnership with BioPak and Suez, we have started a compost collection, which avoids heat-trapping gases being released to the atmosphere and also generates recycled organics that can be used in horticulture, landscaping, garden centres and more. All the office employees are welcome to bring their household composts to the office compost bin, helping to take the pressure off community composting hubs, which are maintained by the community with the Brisbane council support.

A sustainability poster set to use when explaining why food scraps being sent to landfills can be damaging to our environment. This primary school resource is available at Teach Starter website.

Soft plastic

All our soft plastic is separated and taken to our local Coles supermarket to be recycled on their REDcycle program. To reduce the amount of soft plastic we generate we try our best to purchase office supplies, snacks and event catering with minimum packaging possible.

Batteries

Batteries are a common hazardous waste that is often overlooked. They can leach toxic chemicals if not properly disposed and should not be sent to landfill. As it’s not an easy task to find a proper channel to dispose of batteries we ask our staff to bring their batteries into work so we can collectively send them to a Council Resource Recovery Centre.

TerraCycle

TerraCycle is a great option to tackle hard-to-recycle items. We use their Zero Waste Box program to recycle our office supplies, like markers, pens, staples, labels and more. They also provide a variety of service that might suit your specific business need.

Educational program

For some staff, it can be a bit overwhelming to choose which of the four bins to dispose of the rest of their lunch or cereal bar packaging. To help, we provide informative posters near the bins in the kitchen and the printing area. These explain in detail which bins the most common materials should go in to. In addition to printed communication, Brisbane City Council Business Recycling Support Program Officer, Regan McHugh, addressed all Teach Starter employees at an information session on waste management. At this session, the staff had the chance to clear doubts about what can and can’t be recycled, gathered tips on waste minimisation, and listened to an overview of how the waste management system works in Brisbane. To find out more about how Brisbane City Council can help your business to minimise waste follow this link.

This poster shows the recycling process so primary students are aware of the importance of recycling. Teach Starter not only recycle its workplace waste but also helps educate future generations through its resources.

While Teach Starter is a step closer to becoming a sustainability hub we intend to improve our present initiatives and implement new ones to help our team act sustainably at the workplace and outside of it.

We hope that this information will facilitate your business journey through waste minimisation. Some of the services and links in this article are related to Brisbane only.