Cooleman Court’s Recycling Warriors helped reduce waste to landfill

The challenge

“Environmental sustainability is close to my heart, so I embraced the opportunity to make Cooleman Court a recycling leader and showcase what can be achieved by shopping centres around the country,” said centre manager, Irini.

“To make our business more environmentally sustainable, we needed to find a way to get all our retailers on board as well.

“We want them to feel like they’re part of the solution, so that they feel empowered and motivated when working with us to find ways to recycle their rubbish.

The action

“I contacted the ACT Government’s Business Sustainability team, and they explained how Cooleman Court could benefit from participating in the Business Recycling Program.

“The first thing they did was to assess our waste management systems. Then, they helped us develop a plan to improve our recycling. Based on their recommendations, we increased the number of waste collection streams for both customers and retailers.

“We now have rubbish and mixed recycling bins, as well as separate coffee cup bin, for customers. For retailers, there are also bins for cardboard, food organics and used cooking oil.

“To ensure that our retailers can make full use of our new waste management systems, we established the Coolo Recycling Warriors Program.

“The Coolo Recycling Warriors Program is a commitment between Cooleman Court's staff, retailers and contractors to responsibly recycle the maximum amount of waste possible.

“Education and awareness are paramount to the success of the Coolo Recycling Warriors Program, so waste management is an ongoing part of my conversations with retailers.

“As well as educating retailers and staff, the Recycling Warriors program includes tailor-made waste management plans that ensure that everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities. We review performance monthly to make sure everyone is on track to achieve their recycling goals.

The benefit

“With the help of retailers and customers, we now divert 88% of waste from landfill, including an average of 55 tonnes of organics, 5 tonnes of cardboard and 1.6 tonnes of mixed recycling each month.

“The Business Recycling Program was instrumental in achieving this result. Amazingly, the insight and support the program provided was all free of charge.

“They encouraged us to apply for a business award, and we were really pleased to win in the Biggest Recycler category.

“We really value what our retailers have done to reduce our shopping centre’s waste, and also value our customer’s commitment to recycling as they partner with us. We’re looking forward to implementing even more sustainability measures in the future.”