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BINGO took over the waste and recycling services at Sydney Olympic Park in October 2021 with a target to achieve an 80% waste diversion rate from landfill by 2025 for the precinct, and help support Sydney Olympic Park Authority’s (SOPA) pathway to net zero by 2030. SOPA was looking to partner with a sustainability leader to achieve a 6-star Green Star rating for waste management in the public domain and its venues.
At the time, only 15% of all waste collected from the public precinct was diverted from landfill. The waste infrastructure was poor due to being a public domain with about 600 bins, and the signs on the bins were not informative enough to encourage correct disposal behaviours. The majority of the waste was taken directly from the site to transfer stations where some waste separation would occur, but most of the waste ended up in landfill.
While the public domain was a challenge, the venues in the precinct like the Aquatic Centre, Athletic Centre and Quay Centre were already achieving 55% diversion rates.
Opportunity
To improve waste management at the Sydney Olympic Park precinct and the waste diversion rates, SOPA’s onsite cleaning partner, Quayclean, designed and installed a material sorting station on site. This has enabled waste sorting before it is collected, allowing for better recycling opportunities.
An information campaign was also deployed to educate onsite workers on how to sort materials to achieve better waste recovery rates. The public was educated through new, clear signage and new bins, informing them of what to throw in what bin – both in the public domains and in venues.
This resulted in a significant reduction of contamination and more waste was diverted from landfill. Target-based performance management plans were also implemented, and a new focus on optimal bin placements was needed to reduce the frequency of unnecessary collections.
Results
As the waste infrastructure improved due to better placed bins, signage, new purpose-built bins and lids, and new equipment like compactors and sorting tables, so did the waste reporting.
The reporting is now able to detail waste streams and accurate weight-based reporting for all sites was established.
The precinct is now achieving a 79.8% waste diversion rate – with a continued focus on on-site separation at the compound by the Quayclean team, to further improve results.
The outcomes were achieved through BINGO working in close partnership with Quayclean and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority management team.
