Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre

Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Case Study

The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre’s goal was to bring its waste management up to world-class standards.

Through our GreenStep™ Business Solutions, we helped the Centre achieve significant reductions in the amount of waste going to landfill, increased recycling rates, cost savings, a more engaged and aware workforce, and a reputation as a leader in environmental management.  

The Challenge
As a thriving event venue in a prime Sydney location, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre generates high volumes of cardboard and light construction waste, as well as food waste from catering.

In the public eye and in business 365 days a year, the Centre wanted a cost- effective, integrated solution to reduce the amount of waste going into its bins and on to landfill. Sustainability reporting was another requirement, for stakeholder feedback, and to help ongoing identification of areas for future improvement.

Our Solution
The GreenStep™ Business Solutions team worked closely with the Centre to understand its operations and needs. From this, a broad-ranging program was agreed and implemented. It addressed requirements from on site presentation – with new bins and signage – to specific processes and procedures, right through to staff training. The recommended solution used world-class technologies and processes. And with an unmatched network of 12 waste recycling facilities operating 365 days of the year, we were able to devise an integrated approach to complement the Centre’s own seven-day-a-week operations.

Results

• A significant amount of waste is now recovered for other uses.
• Far fewer bulk bin movements, together with higher average bin weights have enabled cost savings in collection.
• The paper and cardboard diverted from landfill and recycled into new products is providing a new revenue stream.
• Plastics, glass, aluminum are also recycled into new products.
• Most food waste is now converted into fertiliser and green electricity instead of going to landfill.
• Staff are more engaged in sustainability issues, driving further cultural change and waste initiatives that help improve business performance.
• As landfill costs rise, and the Centre continues to divert more waste into recovery and reuse, further efficiencies will be achieved.