Words: Mark Piwkowski

The Australian cleaning industry can adopt innovative waste, resource recovery and waste management measures — such as those currently being implemented throughout Europe and the United Kingdom — and become leaders in the battle to combat climate change.

This was the key observation I, and other senior leaders from Quayclean Australia, reached during a recent two-week European Sustainability study tour where we visited a number of large-scale venues, including Munich Olympic Stadium, Wimbledon and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and attended the IFAT trade fair and the Interclean Congress.

The purpose of the tour was to observe, learn and develop knowledge, as well as obtain experience from relatable venues and public facilities, regarding recycling, resource recovery, waste management and sustainability from a European and UK perspective.

The impacts of climate change and global warming are widely acknowledged throughout Europe, and steps being undertaken by northern hemisphere venues and governments to mitigate these effects are further advanced compared to the current Australian market.

In Europe and the UK, there is common agreement on these issues between businesses, communities and governments, and a broad understanding that the continued use of fossil fuel from oil and gas must stop, and renewable sources must be identified instead. 

There is limited general waste permitted in Germany or France. France recycled 45.1% of municipal waste in 2022, whereas an incredible 71.1% of general waste was recycled in Germany. New laws brought into place this year in France require mandatory organic waste recycling, which sees household scraps converted into compost or biogas to replace chemical fertilisers.

Venues have created micro-circular economies with food waste turned into biogas and compostable materials either at site or at a regulated facility. Venues have also eliminated single-use plastics, adopted reusable cups or provided drinks in aluminium cans, and food is served in recyclable paper or cardboard trays. At the IFAT conference, all food was served on ceramic plates.

The Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam is one of the most sustainable stadiums in the world, with 4200 roof solar panels and an offsite wind farm. A second onsite battery is currently under construction to store energy, while local residents can place food organics in the onsite waste digester to generate clean energy.

The small dam outside the ArenA is used to heat and cool changing rooms and offices. Grass clippings are transferred to an Amsterdam farm where goats produce milk, which is turned into cheese and made available on cheese boards in the stadium’s sky boxes, restaurants and selected shops.

By comparison, Australia is still coming to terms with being the highest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita in the world and has no definitive plan to address it. Instead, we appear to be making excuses to accept this as inevitable. 

We currently lack a cohesive approach to tackling the causes of climate change and more investment and collaboration is required between governments, the waste industry and communities.

Frustratingly, our governments and opposition parties are often at odds with the direction of change rather than using their combined strength to accelerate transformational initiatives.

From a waste and recycling perspective, Australian capital cities — never mind regional areas — do not have at their disposal the scale of infrastructure for waste-to-energy conversion or the creation of compostable materials on a large scale. 

Some facilities do exist, but they are very few. More investment and collaboration between government, the waste industry and wider communities needs to occur. 

There are some individual entities making advancements, but major corporations in Australia still have no clear plan or timeframe to reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels for alternative renewable sources. 

The fact that each state government has a different approach to reuse, recycling and waste management is just one part of the story.

Cleaning businesses must work in partnership with our clients to achieve sustainable waste management practices, provide sustainable consumables, update technologies and practices to reduce the use of chemicals, energy and water, and work internally towards becoming a carbon-neutral business.

At Quayclean, we have seen great results coming out of venues such as Marvel Stadium, Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Oval, Australian Turf Club racecourses, Venues Canberra sites and leading private schools, with tonnes of separated e-waste, glass and food waste influencing high recycling rates.

More needs to be done, however. And quickly.

Public sites and venues are more than just places for recreational enjoyment.

Tens of millions of Australians attend venues and public sites every year and the cleaning industry, in partnership with operators, onsite suppliers and stakeholders, can stand united and become a trailblazing educational catalyst for meaningful change in arresting the impacts of climate change.

Apart from venue stakeholders implementing sustainability practices, we can better educate attending patrons with signage and other educational measures on how their actions can make a significant difference.

By adopting broad sustainability measures, we can, collectively, make the world a better place and leave a positive legacy for future generations.

About the author:

Mark Piwkowski is CEO of Quayclean Australia, the biggest provider of cleaning, waste management and hygiene services to major stadia and public sites in Australia. 

Photo by Jilbert Ebrahimi on Unsplash.