Green Cities 22-24 March 2016

Time to get serious about managing waste in our buildingsGreen Cities 22-24 March 2016A new best practice standard from Australia’s leading property owners at the Better Buildings Partnership, aimed at transforming the quality of recycling data and waste management practices, will be showcased at Green Cities in March.Esther Bailey (pictured), the driving force behind the City of Sydney’s Better Buildings Partnership, agrees that the cost-effective management of operational waste is a challenge for every facility and asset manager.”Tenants and owners place great importance on the need for high quality waste management but traditional industry practices lack transparency and consistency,” she says.Bailey argues that this has three major impacts: comparing generation and recovery rates between buildings is challenging; highly variable data hinders informed business decision-making; and building owners and tenants can pay too much due as a result of inappropriate or inefficient systems. As Bailey points out, different methodologies for recording and reporting waste and recycling data can result in vastly different outcomes. “Reporting on a weight-based recovery rate versus a volume-based recovery rate, for instance, can paint very different pictures. “This has implications for how we measure and compare performance, but also demonstrates how the veracity of the data becomes critical in order to make informed strategic decisions, resulting in performance gains and cost savings.”As landfill levies increase and sustainability practice matures, the impetus for greater efficiency and better outcomes increases. “This is why the Better Buildings Partnership is leading a change in the way we manage and report on waste in commercial assets,” Bailey explains.After substantial industry consultation with owners, occupants, waste contractors and cleaners, the Better Buildings Partnership has produced and is implementing a new set of best practice Operational Waste Guidelines. “The guidelines do not assume that all buildings are the same or have the same resource recovery streams, targets, aspirations or available recovery facilities. Instead, this resource creates a pathway to transparent and accountable reporting, and provides a framework against which to calculate your current practices, choose your method and understand how to calculate your results,” Bailey explains.The work also forms one of the key inputs in the design of a new NABERS Waste tool currently in development.Better Buildings Partnership members are already implementing the guidelines, and are seeing increased recycling rates and reduced costs. The Better Buildings Partnership’s masterclass at Green Cities 2016 will take a closer look at new NABERS tool prototypes, share insights from early adopters and provide a practical hands-on approach to analysing operational practices and setting up a pathway to excellence. Find out more