‘Tis The Season To Be Waste Wise!

While the benefits of being Waste Wise are evident all year around, the extra waste stream produced as part of the festive season spending certainly reinforces the need for all businesses to be involved in the Waste Wise Geelong Network!

Waste Wise Geelong, which was launched during Zero Waste Week in October last year, is an exciting new business-partnership program between EcoRecycle Victoria, Barwon Regional Waste Management Group and the City Council and was established to assist Geelong businesses to reduce their waste and environmental impact and support the sustainability of recycling and reprocessing services.

Since then, Waste Wise Geelong has brought businesses together as a network to learn how to be Waste Wise as well as acting as a catalyst to share information, knowledge and skills with other environmentally committed businesses. The program is voluntary, free and allows businesses to set their own pace and objectives with waste. Its overall aim is to create a viable environmental movement in the region that will lead to a more sustainable and “low waste” Geelong.

Waste Wise Geelong has a range of support materials and businesses are given assistance in conducting audits and preparing action plans together with in-house training and team development to help them change how they deal with waste through waste reduction plans which are designed to cut waste and save costs and improve efficiency.

A Waste Wise survey of 155 Geelong businesses carried out last August showed that, while the message was “getting out there” and businesses are responding to the invitation to become involved once they learn about it, a lot more has to be done by the Network before it can claim real success despite a number of positive outcomes having been achieved.

Typically, once businesses are told about the program, they become interested and want to participate. Apart from helping businesses to control their waste more efficiently and reducing their costs, the Waste Wise program promotes staff achievement and has been shown to strengthen relationships.

Network members can go through a certification and accreditation process which recognises the advances that they have made with their waste control and reduction. A number of members have already been accredited as Waste Wise including GMHBA, Quicksilver, Waste Werks, Cleanaway, Third Ecology, Geelong Otway Tourism and the Chamber.

The Geelong Network has developed support tools to engage businesses in the Waste Wise program and lead them through the first steps of their certification process. But the real value for businesses involved in the Network is the opportunity to learn about what other businesses are doing to resolve their waste issues and to share their own success stories on waste management.

All businesses are encouraged to become Waste Wise and be a part of the Waste Wise Geelong Network. More details are available from the Project Manager, Simone Budd, at 0428 810 345. Email: simonebudd@iprimus.com.au.

Lawrie Miller
Executive Director