The Facility Management Association (FMA) has released a Good Practice Guide on Waste Management, which the association says will provide key stakeholders with detailed, objective and independent advice on managing waste within buildings.
The guide was developed by the FMA with support from Knight Facilities Management Australia, Scentre Group, Veolia Environmental Solutions, Sustainability Victoria, the National Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) and the FMA Victoria Branch.
It has been designed to give facilities management professionals in Australia and New Zealand the tools to assess their current outcomes, develop and implement waste mitigation measures, and evaluate the costs and benefits of waste management initiatives.
FMA CEO Nicholas Burt believes the good practice guide will deliver wide-ranging benefits to facility managers and the wider community.
“Poorly managed waste has a huge impact on our health, economy, and local and global environments. This guide will help FM professionals improve their waste management practices, leading to more sustainable outcomes across the industry.”
Some of the specific benefits which the guide aims to deliver include:
- Reduced waste in landfill through improved processes for waste minimisation, segregation and collection
- Reduced levels of carbon emissions generated through waste
- Buildings more adept at managing waste through the adoption of good practices in the building design process
- Reduced costs for waste management through good practices and increased demand for sustainable services.
While the guide was developed in the context of facilities operations, it has been structured to support the requirements of a wide range of users. It can be read as a comprehensive report or used as a reference tool for its standalone elements.
