As the market looks for more sustainable ways to manage operational waste in Aotearoa, the New Zealand Green Building Council has released a calculator and guide to help the industry move the needle towards a more low-waste circular economy.
The Operational Waste Calculator has been designed to be used for Green Star Buildings, to support new buildings to effectively allocate space for waste infrastructure, maximising resource recovery throughout the building’s lifecycle.
“It’s a fantastic tool that makes planning for operational waste really straightforward, helping building owners and managers to plan their waste and recycling requirements and work out how much space they’ll need to do so”, says Brad Crowley, Senior Manager – Buildings and Communities, NZGBC.
In addition to the calculator, we’re excited to introduce A New Zealand Guide to Operational Waste for Buildings – the first version of a New Zealand-based guide for sustainable management of operational waste.
“It’s something the market has been asking for, specifically for Aotearoa, because previously we’ve only had access to Australian waste management guidelines. So, it’s great to be able to provide a NZ-based guide to the industry”, says Crowley.
The NZGBC sought the help of WM New Zealand, and worked closely with Tyron Hartle from their WM Sustainability Services team to create the guide, with the intention of providing guidance for NZGBC Green Star operational waste related credits, and for the wider New Zealand community.
“New Zealand has a ‘clean and green’ reputation globally, but we are one of the highest generators of waste per capita in the OECD. This means we are not utilising Aotearoa’s resources sustainably”, says Tyron Hartle, Lead Sustainability Partner, WM New Zealand.
“I was really pleased that the NZGBC reached out to WM New Zealand to assist with the guide because we’re at a critical point now, and it’s important we take a structured approach to minimise operational waste generation and maximise the recovery of materials, whether it be proactively within the design phase of a new development, or retrospectively on an existing building”, says Hartle.