NZ's Waste Management launches first GRI Sustainability Report

New Zealand company Waste Management has launched its first sustainability report, meeting the standard of GRI (Global Reporting Initiative).

The report presents the company’s sustainability progress during 2019 across five key areas: Our Environment, Our Communities, Our Customers, Our People and Our Business.

In 2019, Waste Management became the first waste company in New Zealand to create a carbon footprint reduction plan to reduce impacts on climate change through the Toitū carbon reduce program.

Projects include ongoing expansion of a truck electrification program, installation of electric bin and truck washes at Waste Management’s new facility in East Tamaki, Auckland, and continued electrification of its light vehicle fleet.

Other 2019 initiatives include:

• collection of 1.14 million tonnes of waste, including 121,000 tonnes of recycling;
• 70% of plastics collected and processed sold within New Zealand;
• 11,500 tonnes of tyres recycled into alternative fuel;
• 122,000 tonnes of food and garden waste turned into compost;
• landfill capture of 95% of methane gas converted to energy sufficient to power 23,000 homes;
• nine electric trucks in the fleet, with 14 more to come in 2020; and
• 33% of light fleet converted to plug-in electric vehicles.
   

Managing Director Tom Nickels said Waste Management’s business decisions are always considered through a sustainability lens.

“We clearly laid out our vision in our sustainability strategy, For Future Generations, and in just over a year we have made great progress. For example, our entire management team is focused on achieving the reductions set out in our GHG Emissions Reductions Plan.

“I invite everyone to read our Sustainability Report, which shows how far we have come and sets out our goals for the next five years.”

Click here to read Waste Management’s 2019 GRI Sustainability Report.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Karen