Case Study

Objectives

The goal of the Erina Fair Shopping Centre case was to divert as much organic waste as possible from landfill sites for Erina Fair  Food Court and Restaurants food waste through the implementation of the Pulpmaster Organic Recycling System.

The objectives were:

1. To analyse the current organic waste stream
2. To identify the volume of organic waste
3. To implement the Pulpmaster Food Waste Recycling System
4. To reduce the use of plastic bin liners
5. To reduce waste to landfill
6. To reduce OH&S risks
7. To reduce waste managements costs
8. To enhance the environment

Results

After a 30 month period in which significant testing and analysis continued, results were listed according to three categories: environmental and social, occupational health and safety, and financial.

Environmental & Social

The benefits of the Pulpmaster Organic Recycling System were to be seen in the following:

• a reduction in black plastic bags to landfill, estimated at over 146,000 bags
• a reduction of organic food waste to landfill of 876 tonnes, with a corresponding reduction of approximately 1,861 tonnes of CO2
• the production of 43 tonnes of organic fertilizer produced from organic food waste

Occupational Health & Safety

The benefits of the Pulpmaster Organic Recycling System were to be seen in the following:

• reduced back strain risk through the reduction in carrying heavy food waste bags to the outside dumpster bin
• reduced slip/fall risk through the reduced risk of plastic bag spillage on the floors
• reduced vector attraction through improved hygiene and odour reduction in the back of house and outside waste storage facility
• the elimination of fruit fly activity from the back of house area

Financial

The benefits of the Pulpmaster Organic Recycling System were to be seen in the following:

• a reduction in waste disposal costs to landfill estimated at $105,000 per annum
• a reduction in the cost of black plastic bags estimated at more than $2,450 per annum