USC waste management system wins council award
The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), which has begun rolling out a new waste management system, has won its category of the Sunshine Coast Council’s inaugural Good Recycler awards, held recently at the council’s launch of a recycle market at the Buderim Resource Recovery Centre.
USC won the Institution category of the awards for its multiple bin system across the Sippy Downs campus and the introduction of a large composting machine for organic materials. USC Pro Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) Bernard Lillis said the waste management system is set to reduce its waste to landfill by about 75% by the time rollout is complete in mid-2014.
The ‘recycling from the desktop’ program started recently in four of USC’s 16 buildings, including simple measures such as smaller desk bins and communal recycling stations in offices. In addition, the university has installed an on-site composting apparatus (OSCA) which can process up to a tonne of biodegradable waste each week.
Paul Camilleri, operations and project officer, said USC adopted a system used by Sunshine Coast Council, then adapted it to suit the university environment, in particular by introducing organic waste recycling to the system.
The other Good Recycler award winners were as follows:
- School: Pacific Paradise State School, for reducing weekly general waste from 28 bins per week to 12 with most of the difference going into recycling and on-site composting.
- Event: Sunshine Coast Environment Council, (SCEC) for World Environment Day, introducing volunteer Waste Warriors during the day to ensure recycling and reduction of contamination.
- Shopping Centre: Sunshine Plaza, for the introduction of significant recycling actions within the plaza. This has improved recovery of recyclable material by 75%, with up to 42% of all centre waste now recycled.
- Small business: Hardcote, for the introduction of an expanded polystyrene melting machine to reduce the weekly waste volume from 20 m3 to 100 L.
Experts warn against health risks of plastic pollution
The World Health Organization estimates that around one-quarter of all deaths are...
City of Gosnells develops tree production nursery
The production nursery is set to produce 9500 trees for the City of Gosnells area and more than...
Quantum battery tests prove extended storage life
Researchers have found a method to extend the lifetime of quantum batteries — 1000 times...
