Words: Varun Godinho
A new program focused on sustainable practices provides education on waste avoidance and material flow, aiming to help tenant businesses reduce waste, pollution and resource loss to landfills.
The program, funded by Sustainability Australia, goes beyond recycling to focus on reducing waste at the source, keeping materials circulating for longer and avoiding unnecessary costs.
More than 100 businesses based in Moonee Ponds Central, Gateway (Geelong), Kallo Town Centre (Hume), Box Hill Central and Eltham Village are expected to benefit from this program and gain additional know-how on waste management, resource recovery and operational efficiency.
The project offers tailored waste audits, tenant engagement and end-to end capability building, helping the shopping centres in general divert resources from landfill and create long term efficiencies.
By way of this program, shopping centres will also be supported by social enterprise, Reground, which helps organisations and individuals build a circular economy through innovative waste collection and sustainable waste management initiatives, focusing on coffee grounds waste and beyond.
“Currently, many shopping centres operate with basic one or two-stream waste systems, leading to significant resource loss to landfill and higher costs for management and businesses,” Reground founding director Ninna Larsen says.
Reground surveyed traders on its existing waste habits and knowledge to provide a baseline. They also conducted a waste audit to observe and report on the volumes of materials found in the bin.
“By increasing awareness and capacity for sustainability, we aim to empower businesses within shopping centres to step into the circular economy,” Larsen says.
The Shopping Centre Circular Economy Capability Building project is one of 32 initiatives supported by the Circular Economy Innovation Fund, which has invested $4.3 million in pioneering Victorian projects since launch.
“Through the Circular Economy Innovation Fund, we’ve been able to improve the environmental outcomes of Victorian businesses,” Sustainability Victoria CEO Matt Genever says.
