SITA Clean Site wins grant

SITA Environmental Solutions secured an infrastructure grant valued at $200,000 from Eco-Recycle Victoria to develop a commercial and industrial waste sorting facility at SITA's Hallam Road resource recovery park.

The sorting facility supports SITA's 'Clean Site Builders Bin' program to innovatively manage waste and promote increased environmental awareness at Melbourne's residential building sites.

Daniel Fyfe, SITA's General Manager Victoria, said, "The grant will establish a sorting facility to help us recover over 60% of collected building materials for reuse. The sorting line will be manned by staff from Outlook Environmental, a not-for-profit organisation involved in training and developing people with intellectual disabilities."

SITA received further recognition for the Clean Site Builders Bin program when presented with a certificate by Deputy Premier John Thwaites as a Finalist in the Large Business Category of the Victorian Premier's Business Sustainability Awards.

The SITA Clean Site Builders Bin program was launched on 30 August 2004 with partners Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria (KABV) and Bluescope Steel to increase environmental awareness and im-prove practices on residential building sites throughout Melbourne.

The SITA Clean Site Program aims to significantly reduce the environmental impacts flowing from residential building activities, such as stormwater run-off, general litter and air pollutants. As the construction industry currently contributes up to 40% of solid waste sent to landfill, this project also dramatically reduces waste to landfill through increased recycling and product reuse.

SITA's involvement in the project includes provision of front lift bins placed on the nature strip for each participating site.

"The SITA bins increase site safety, decrease wind-blown litter, reduce public dumping and increase recycling by keeping materials dry," explained Fyfe. "The success of the program is a credit to the cooperation and strong support of industry, builders and local government."