Australian businesses are generating an average of 1.7 tonnes of waste per employee yet only recycling half that amount. 80% of employees would like to see more recycling in their workplace.
To spur recycling, NSW Environment Protection Authority is offering a rebate of up to $25,000 for money invested in recycling equipment. Businesses can apply for a rebate for up to half the value of small scale recycling equipment such as compressors, organics processors, shredders, grinders and dehydrators, worth between $4,000 and $50,000. These rebates apply until 2016.
“It’s great to see that NSW EPA is committed to helping businesses manage their waste more effectively and reduce the cost burden for waste management,” said Shaun Scallan, recycling programs manager Planet Ark.
To qualify, businesses must undertake a free BinTrim audit prior to applying for a rebate. The project is supported by the Environmental Trust as part of the NSW EPA’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, funded from the state waste levy.
To help businesses obtain all the information they might need for recycling, Planet Ark’s BusinessRecycling.com.au is an online directory and hotline specifically designed to make it easy for Australian businesses to find local recycling services for more than ninety different materials. It also hosts details on the BinTrim program.
The Recycling Equipment Catalogue contains information on a wide range of machinery to help businesses make fully informed decisions when choosing their recycling equipment.
Suppliers of recycling equipment are encouraged to list their products on the site, which has been designed for direct entry by suppliers and allows on-line editing, modification and additions to be made by each supplier for their respective equipment listings.
New suppliers can register here.
BusinessRecycling.com.au is made possible through the support of Foundation Partner, the NSW Environment Protection Authority, and Major Partner, the Victorian Government. It is also supported by Promotion Partners Zero Waste South Australia and MobileMuster, the Australian mobile phone industry's official product stewardship program.
