Waste Station – How You Can Help the Environment at Work

Does the waste paper at your workplace get recycled?

Or do you wish you could improve the environmental impact that your office is having?

In 2018 Footprint Cleaning conducted a Reduce Reuse Recycle Trial.

We’ve decided to share the report below, in the hope that we can help each other to improve the environmental impact of more workplaces.

Reduce Reuse Recycle – 2018 Trial

It was identified that the Shire of Broome Administration building contains 125 rubbish bins at individual desks for each staff member and throughout common areas which were changed 5 days per week.

This equated to 1,640L of rubbish to landfill each week and 85,280L of rubbish per year.

Footprint Cleaning proposed to introduce central waste stations including an option for recycling.

The central waste stations are made from recycled products and a biodegradable liner would be used in the rubbish section only, as not required in the recycle section.

The trial comprised 12 desk bins producing 40L of waste per day (200L per week) with zero parts recycled.

After internal communication with the effected staff, the 12 desk bins were removed and replaced by 1 Rubbish / Recycle Station.

From the first day for the entire trial of 45 days the rubbish was reduced to 50L per week with 150L of recycling per week.

This means that 75% of waste went to recycling instead of landfill.

This substantial difference is viewed as a success and therefore Footprint Cleaning wish to propose rolling out the Reduce Reuse Recycle program to the remainder of the Shire of Broome’s Administration Building.

The entire Administration Building comprises 125 rubbish bins at individual desks which have been producing on average 400L of rubbish per day. This fills 1 dumpster each week at a cost of $110 + GST to empty, or $5,720 + GST per year.

Replicating the trial results, it’s estimated that the output would be converted to 100L rubbish per day and 300L recycling per day. Resulting in filling 1 dumpster every 2 weeks costing $2,860 + GST per year.

Removal of individual desk bins also eliminates the bin liners required, resulting in an additional saving of $1,115 per year.

Footprint Cleaning are happy to announce that this report was received well by the Shire of Broome, who have now fully integrated the Recycling Stations into the Administration Building. This has reduced their environmental impact and saved them money.

Interestingly, a side-effect has been an improvement in the mood of staff!

They feel better due to:

• knowing their waste is having less impact on the environment
• stretching their legs (better balance of sedentary time) when they visit the Recycling Station
• resting their eyes from the computer screen when they visit the Recycling Station
• mind reset before and after phone calls while visiting the Recycling Station

Satisfying the human need of social interaction while visiting the Recycling Station.