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Footprint 2025: 2020 and beyond

Our Services

August 12, 2019

Tags: Footprint 2025

Highlights

Three years ago, Cleanaway launched our Footprint 2025 roadmap to ensure Australia has the right infrastructure in place to support communities in managing their waste while continuing to improve resource recovery.

As we head into FY2020, Cleanaway remain committed to our battle plan to fight the war on waste.

Cleanaway continue to invest in our future footprint through a network of prized assets strategically located across Australia. These fully-licensed facilities are designed to provide the right solution in the right location to increase resource recovery and support the needs of local communities.

Since our last update in 2019, we expanded our network to include innovative treatment and processing capabilities that ensure as little residual material as possible is left to be disposed of. We are also in the process of trialling emissionless electric vehicles that improve our impact and service capabilities.

What's new in Cleanaway

Over the past three years, we have been upgrading our existing assets into highly prized infrastructure assets while acquiring new capabilities through strategic investments

Food depackaging unit, Dandenong

Cleanaway’s new food depackaging unit processes large volumes of food waste packaged in aluminium, plastic, liquid paperboard or cardboard so that the nutritious organic material can be recovered and reused to produce high-quality mulch and soil conditioners. Located in Dandenong, Victoria, the unit is capable of processing up to 10 tonnes of packaged food waste every hour, with a potential of recovering up to 99%.

South East Organics Facility, Dandenong South

Recovering up to 100,000 tonnes of food organics, garden organics (FOGO) waste from kerbside FOGO collections across South East Melbourne. Decontaminated and shredded FOGO waste will be repurposed into nutrient-rich compost, to be beneficially reused.

Erskine Park Transfer Station

Launched at the end of 2018, our cutting-edge Erskine Park facility has the capacity to process more than 300,000 tonnes of waste each year and divert up to 40% recyclable materials from landfill. The transfer station is perfectly positioned just minutes from the site of Sydney’s second airport at Badgery’s Creek, and close to the Cleanaway ResourceCo Resource Recovery Facility to recover the dry waste.

Cleanaway ResourceCo Resource Recovery Facility, Wetherill Park

The largest waste-to-processed engineered fuel facility in Australia, our Wetherill Park facility is licensed to receive up to 250,000 tonnes per annum of dry commercial and industrial and mixed construction and demolition waste. The plant recovers commodities like metal, clean timber and inert materials, and uses the residual waste to produce process engineered fuel (PEF), which is an alternative to fossil fuels like coal and gas.

Fully electric collection vehicles trial in Melbourne, Victoria

Cleanaway’s electric vehicle trial in Victoria are an exciting step forward as we work towards our mission to make a sustainable future possible. With zero emissions, the vehicles are expected to run for 180-200 kilometres before needing to recharge. The brakes also regenerate – reducing repair and maintenance costs, and the consumption of other parts like brake pads. Learnings from the trial will allow Cleanaway to introduce more electric and combination fuel vehicles to the permanent fleet in the future.

Group photo - Cleanaway’s electric vehicle trial in Victoria

Perry Road super site

The massive site brings together operations from three other sites to be in close proximity to major arterials within Dandenong’s industrial area, which enables us to provide better service to our customers.

Daniels Health Robotic Washline

The fully automated, robotic Washsmart technology enables us to offer our customers reusable collectors for clinical waste while providing the highest level of safety and decontamination.

Eastern Creek Container Sorting Facility

Automated optical sorting line capable of sorting, baling and distributing up to eight tonnes an hour of high-quality recyclables from NSW’s Container Deposit Scheme.

For a complete list of all our recent investments in resource recovery infrastructure, read our Footprint 2025 FY2018 update and FY2019 update.

Contact us to find out more about Footprint 2025 and how we help make a sustainable future possible for communities and businesses across Australia.

Digital first: data for a sustainable future

Our Services

August 8, 2019

Tags: Cleanaview

Highlights

You’d be surprised by how closely Cleanaway look at the contents of your bins. We use cameras, scales, audits and resource recovery officers to lift the lid on what’s going in our customers’ bins, and more importantly provide that information back to the customer to maximise recovery and improve service efficiency.

Why we love data

We all know that data is the key to increasing business efficiency and it’s no different when it comes to waste management. Cleanaview, Cleanaway’s online portal puts customers in control of their sustainability journey by giving them access to live waste stream data, the ability to make service requests and a range of reporting options.

The online dashboard presents live collection information so that operations and sustainability managers can understand the volume coming through their service streams, address issues as they happen and track trends over time.

Cleanaway work with our customers to develop waste management strategies and specific sustainability targets. The data provided by Cleanaview indicates how different sites, states and the overall business is tracking and how we can further support the stated objectives.

Cleanaway online dashboard diversion

Knowledge is power

Armed with data from Cleanaview, organisations have a much clearer understanding of what processes and behaviours are driving waste stream volumes – and impacting their sustainability goals. Contamination continues to be one of the biggest issues impacting recycling and sustainability and Cleanaview’s live data dashboard is critical to flagging contamination instances. Previously, managers may not have been aware of contamination issues until the monthly report was received but now, Cleanaway drivers can flag contamination through Cleanaview instantly. This allows operations or sustainability managers to react quickly, understand the cause of contamination and make changes to processes or re-educate work force for improvement.

By closely tracking the volume of waste being collected, customers can find opportunities to improve service schedules or introduce waste streams that encourage recovery. Some customers have found that moving to smaller general waste bins encourages recycling, as staff can’t just dispose of everything in the big general bin. Other customers use collection data to inform strategy development – like diverting heavy, wet waste from the general bin with an organics service.

Waste Generated by Month and Waste Stream

Everyone is CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer)

We know that for businesses to achieve their sustainability goals, there needs to be buy-in at every level. Management can sign off on a sustainability strategy but if team members using the service don’t understand the approach, the numbers won’t budge. Similarly, individuals can initiate recycling programs but if business leaders aren’t on board then it’s difficult to cause real change.

Cleanaway’s provides a way to get everyone on the same page. Linked through Cleanaview, or available as standalone modules for the existing Learning Management System (LMS), Greenius is designed to engage teams on why sustainability is important, and modules are tailored to educate about the waste streams and contamination issues that impact that business specifically.

Working with our customers at the very top of the food recovery hierarchy

Our Services

July 29, 2019

Highlights

Five years ago, I was intrigued by an idea presented at Waste Expo. An organisation was using its existing fleet of general waste trucks to collect food organics in heavy duty bags to be sent for recovery at its waste facility.

Tags: Food waste

Highlights

Is it possible for food manufacturers to save on the cost of doing business and increase sustainability rates at the same time?

We tested an idea with a customer who was sending a large amount of bakery products to landfill – we wanted to use an existing fleet of general waste trucks to collect food organics for recycling.

What started as a way to recycle more organic product, turned into a top to bottom review that ultimately led to more stock recovery, and reduced operational and recycling costs for our customer.

Unexpected challenges when upscaling

Initially, we started with a pilot program at six of their stores and got the economics to work at those volumes. A year later, we were ready to roll the solution out to the wider business but scaling up produced an unexpected challenge – the amount of organics we were collecting was rapidly decreasing.

Lower volumes meant that compactors storing bakery products took more time to fill which in turn resulted in reduced truck collection frequency. The bread sitting in the compactors became mouldy, making it unsuitable for repurposed recovery.

The unexpected drop in volume made it challenging for us to continue to deliver an organics diversion service in a way that was economically and operationally feasible.

food recovery hierarchy

The waste hierarchy always wins

So why was this happening? A year earlier, our customer was sending most of their surplus bakery products to landfill. Through our collection and recovery service, we helped them move up to the middle of the waste hierarchy with food waste being diverted from landfill and recycled to make nutrient-rich compost for soil and scraps for animal feed.

But at the same time, our customer was improving their inventory management, optimising baking plans, extending the shelf life of produce and capturing opportunity cost. They were knocking it out of the park by working at the very top of the waste hierarchy and minimising the waste produced in the first place.

It become apparent to us that working at the higher levels of the waste hierarchy always trumps every other option. It’s less expensive for businesses to invest the time and effort to optimise their supply chain than it is to operate at sub-optimal rates and having the pay for the disposal and recovery of the waste further down the chain. The opportunity cost related to operations are practically eliminated when less waste is produced.

The waste hierarchy

As sustainability partners, we were proud to support our customers’ efforts to achieve the best possible outcome for their sustainability goals.

We sought to investigate more ways to help our customer further reduce their volumes, which on the surface is counter-intuitive to a waste management service, as more volume means more recycling.

By doing so, we were helping our customer deliver the obvious environmental benefit but also social and economic benefits, through reduced operational and recycling costs.

Your sustainability partner

Good waste management is not only about recycling, it’s also implementing sustainability best practices throughout the organisation – from the supply chain to design, manufacture and disposal.

As your sustainability partner, Cleanaway works with our customers to analyse the actual waste generated, and then working with you to minimise that waste and maximise resource recovery.

Our end-to-end approach to waste management includes:

Waste audit and assessments

Analysing waste streams to identify opportunities for landfill diversion. This means knowing exactly what’s going in your bin, where it comes from and how to better manage the whole process.

Fit for industry

Understanding the unique requirements of your industry including the regulatory environment and the best treatment of each waste type.

Tailored business solutions

Maximising resource recovery by implementing bespoke waste management strategies customised for your business and in compliance with regulations.

Continuous improvement and education

Reinforcing positive practices with regular audits, reporting, waste management education and training sessions.

Providing safe disposal of household hazardous waste in Kwinana

Our Services

July 18, 2019

Highlights

For four consecutive Saturdays during the month of June, Cleanaway's Technical and Environmental Services team participated in the Waste Authority-funded Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program, collecting aerosols, paint, batteries and other unwanted or expired products deemed too hazardous for the general or recycling bins.

Tags: Paint

Highlights

Cleanaway is the chosen partner for hazardous waste transport, disposal and recycling services in Kwinana.

hazardous waste collection cleanaway

Standing left to right: Amila Ranasinghe; Tangimetua Tutai, Kelly Smith, Dianne Winter, Donna James, Jamaneter George
Second row: Andrew Hilton, Junior George; Bart Kurukulasuriyage, Sujith Nikagoda

For four consecutive Saturdays during the month of June, Cleanaway’s Technical and Environmental Services team participated in the Waste Authority-funded Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program, collecting aerosols, paint, batteries and other unwanted or expired products deemed too hazardous for the general or recycling bins.

kwinana cleanaway

The hazardous waste items were collected, segregated and brought to the Cleanaway Kwinana Beach facility for safe processing and disposal.

Household Hazardous Waste Program

The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program provides Local Governments with funding to assist with the safe collection, storage and disposal of HHW. The Program is administered by the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) and funded by the Waste Authority through the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Levy. The Program began in 2008 and is currently funded until 2023.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) are household products that are no longer needed or have reached their end-of-life, which contain chemicals or substances that can be harmful to you, your children, your pets, or the environment. This may include a broad range of products that are flammable, toxic, reactive or corrosive.

Cleanaway has worked across different councils around the Perth metropolitan region collecting approximately 65 tonnes of hazardous waste to date.

Working towards zero waste with Officeworks

Our Services

June 7, 2019

Highlights

"We needed to work with a waste and resource recovery partner that understood what we were trying to achieve, that had the strategic capability to help us get there and was able to be responsive to our changing needs” Ryan Swenson, Officeworks Head of Sustainable Development.

Tags: Waste audits

Highlights

Updated 10 October 2019

In October 2019, Officeworks was named as a Banksia Sustainability Award finalist for improving recycling rates across the WA region.

The Banksia Sustainability Awards are the longest-running sustainability awards in Australia aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of global goals to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and protect the planet. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney, on Tuesday, 3 December 2019.

Learn more about the award here.

Two years ago Officeworks began working with Cleanaway for recycling and general waste services for 170 sites, including retail stores, distribution centres and support offices. Officeworks already had recycling services in place, however in 2017 only 64% of all waste generated was being recycled. In just two years, through tailored waste profiling informed by waste audits and close engagement with Officeworks’ management, staff and Cleanaway resource recovery specialists, Officeworks increased their recycling rates to 88% in the WA region, and at the same time decreased the amount of waste sent to landfill by 16.3%.

How did Officeworks get to 88% diversion?

Underpinning Officeworks’ progress is their commitment to working towards zero waste to landfill, which is part of their Positive Difference Plan 2020 that was launched in 2015. Recycling rates have formed part of the company’s strategic objectives each year, including achieving 85% recycling rate by June 30, 2019.

In order to achieve the long-term target, finding a strategic partner was crucial. “We needed to work with a waste and resource recovery partner that understood what we were trying to achieve, that had the strategic capability to help us get there and was able to be responsive to our changing needs” said Ryan Swenson, Head of Sustainable Development.

Back in 2017 when the partnership began, Cleanaway Resource Recovery Specialist, Manny Manatakis, worked with the Officeworks team to learn as much about Officeworks’ waste profile as possible. This included store walk-throughs, interviews with store managers and staff, and visual bin assessments to identify waste sources, disposal behaviours and opportunities for better waste management.

After the initial site assessments, Manny worked with the Officeworks team to implement changes that were able to quickly shift behaviour practices resulting in improved outcomes.

“After analysing store data and profiles provided by Cleanaway, we made the decision to reduce the collection frequency of general waste bins across a number of stores. This had the immediate impact of driving better choices about waste disposal as our team had less opportunity to fill the general waste bin. Our teams quickly saw their recycling rates lift 12 percentage points, into the 80%.” Swenson explained.

The Cleanaway customer service team played a role in facilitating all service schedule changes, which is an ongoing process as stores continue to reduce their general waste services as recycling rates increase. Likewise, stores are now reviewing their general waste bin size to reduce it to sizes that better reflect the needs of the stores.

“We have some stores now that are considering moving to a 240lt general waste bin, as they are recycling well into the 90%. We are constantly assessing and reviewing the service schedule profile and bin infrastructure to execute this efficiently, and we need a waste provider that can support this level of service and change.” Swenson says.

Cleanaway Resource Recovery Specialist Manny Manatakis with National Account Manager Ryan Chhajed and Officeworks’ Head of Sustainable Development Ryan Swenson

The journey towards zero waste

Following the service schedule changes, Cleanaway and Officeworks set about developing a waste and recycling workshop, which involved Officeworks team members spending a day at a Cleanaway facility. The objectives of the workshop were to:

– Obtain insight into store waste and potential for improving diversion
– Position teams to achieve 90% diversion in 2019
– Build knowledge among employees to help stores align with Officeworks strategic goals

Cleanaway Resource Recovery Specialist Manny Manatakis, and National Account Manager Ryan Chhajed, worked with staff and regional managers from Officeworks stores around Perth to sort through eight general waste bins. While some Officeworks stores in WA were already recycling above 80%, the workshop was designed to show teams how diversion of 90% and above was easily within reach.

The teams were asked to evaluate results, including reasons why recyclable material like cardboard, white and shredded paper, polystyrene, clear LDPE plastic film, commingled waste, stationery and furniture were found in the general waste bin, and what should be done differently in the future to improve recycling.

The employees demonstrated great enthusiasm during the workshop and many were surprised to discover how much waste could actually be recycled. In one example, an audit of a 3m general waste bin resulted in only three 60L tubs of waste collected and everything else was recyclable.

The team now plan to move to 1.5m general waste bins to increase recycling and better match their service to their requirements.

Phil, Officeworks Joondalup Store Business Manager said, “It was great to attend the recent Cleanaway workshop, it further opened my eyes up to recycling.”

“In store this morning, I did exactly what we did at the workshop. The cleaner had five large bags of rubbish to be disposed of, so I donned the gloves and eyeglasses and went through each bag. At the end of the exercise there was only half a bag that went into the general waste bin, the rest was recycled.”

The future

The staff that participated in the workshop felt inspired to make a change in their stores and personal lives. More than just sorting waste, it was also a great team building exercise. Participants took back what they learnt to their own stores and reflected on opportunities to do better in their recycling efforts.

Cleanaway will continue to work with Officeworks to identify opportunities to increase diversion, improve recycling behaviours and optimise services, working towards the zero waste target for 2021.

“Involving our team in the waste audits help them to understand the opportunity for us to continue to reduce our environmental impact, which is supported with a target which all of us can work towards” Swenson says.

Is your business reaching its diversion targets? Contact us to learn how your business can make a sustainable future possible. Or read how we help our customers look at food waste in a different way.

Engaging employees for sustainability

Our Services

Tags: Waste audits

Highlights

Most people think waste should be out of sight, out of mind and that once it goes in the bin, it’s not their problem any more. Our waste audits and education workshops are an opportunity to show just how much recycling could be going to waste.

Pictured: Team members from Officeworks stores in Western Australia, on site for a waste audit and workshop. The region is currently recycling 84% of all waste.

Why do people put the wrong thing in the bin?

The waste we collect from your back dock and bins has been disposed of by employees and cleaners throughout the day but they’re busy, have other priorities and sometimes it just seems too hard to find the right bin or compact cardboard before it goes in the bin. Confusion between home and workplace recycling is another common reason why services aren’t used effectively, or sometimes the bin they need is just too full and they go to the next one available – leading to contamination or lost recycling.

But the cost of a heavy general waste bin, fees from contaminating a recycling bin or lost rebate from incorrect cardboard recycling can add up – not to mention the hit to your diversion rate and environmental footprint.

How to engage employees with sustainability

Waste audits and workshops are an effective way to get everyone involved in the sustainability process, providing visual evidence that connects action with outcome. James Cook University’s Environment Manager Adam Connell said, “With the release of the waste audit data, we can see which waste streams need tweaking. This will potentially increase our efficiency, save us management costs while increasing our diversion rates.”

Pictured: Waste audit preparation at James Cook University

A typical waste workshop done by Cleanaway includes:

Safety first
Cleanaway resource recovery specialists conduct a briefing and explain how the waste audit works – reminding everyone to wear gloves at all times and let the group leader know if they find any dangerous, sharp or unusual item.
Sorting the waste
Several general waste bins from the customer’s site are emptied and teams sort the waste into categories. As a result, they discovered up to 75% of the general waste bin’s content could be recycled with over half of the waste being recyclable forms of paper and cardboard.
Identifying why the waste was in the bin
After sorting, workshop participants discuss the reasons why material ended up in general waste. Is it because they didn’t know which bin it belonged in, they didn’t have time to find the right bin or the correct bin was full?
Suggest corrective measures
In teams, employees are asked to suggest corrective measures to for the future. What will they do to minimise contamination and maximise recycling? Would clearer signage help? How will they pass the message on to other staff?
Agree an action plan
Teams are encouraged to come up with a plan for waste management that considers other stakeholders like casual staff and cleaning contractors.

Pictured: Getting down to business at a waste audit in Darwin

Success stories

Regular audits also help identify measures to minimise wastage and improve business efficiency. During a supermarket waste audit, we discovered multiple 25-kilograms bags of flour were being binned regularly when the packaging was damaged in transit. Once that was corrected, the issue never surfaced again.

Working with Central Park Mall, we identified several measures to increase recycling rates after an initial waste audit, which resulted in their recycling rates doubling from 28% to 56% in just one year.

For large organisations looking to drive through sustainability targets, these workshops are an invaluable tool for nurturing in-house ambassadors who champion sustainability best practices to their co-workers and teams.

Pictured: Waste audit with Officeworks in WA identified further recycling opportunities

Employees who participate in our workshops often find huge value that they can take back to their site to share with other team members. Others are inspired by their learnings to make a difference in their everyday lives and their communities as well.

“Thank you so much for the last two days. My team have loved it and they are all inspired to make the changes needed to make a difference. The fact that you pitch cost as an outcome so low on the reasons to recycle and focused more on “what’s right” got a lot of our people totally involved.”
– Marni, WA State Manager

Pictured: Marni, WA State Manager

“It was great to attend the recent Cleanaway workshop, it further opened my eyes up to recycling. In store this morning, I did exactly what we did at the workshop. The cleaner had five large bags of rubbish to be disposed of, so I donned the gloves and eye glasses and went through each bag. At the end of the exercise there was only half a bag that went into the general waste bin, the rest was recycled.”

– Phil, Officeworks Joondalup Store Business Manager

“First of all thank you for organising the waste workshop. It proved some great insight into our opportunities at store as to how we can do better in our recycling efforts. I will take these insights to my entire team to show them.”
– Charlie from Mandurah

Pictured: Charlie from Officeworks store in Mandurah

Want to know more about how we work with our customers to reduce the cost of general waste and increase recycling rates? Read more to find out.

Is your restaurant a grease fire trap?

Our Services

May 29, 2019

Tags: Grease traps

Highlights

Grease traps are an essential component of commercial kitchens and larger properties, capturing fats, food-grade oils, and water before it enters the sewage system. Regular grease trap servicing and cleaning is regulated by local water authorities, depending on location.

We work with many restaurants and cafés across Australia, and our experience has shown that waiting until something goes wrong with your grease traps can cost businesses even more time and money than if they were regularly maintained in the first place.

Regular grease trap inspection, servicing and cleaning can prevent a host of possible disasters, including:

Blocked pipes and backflow
This is the most common consequence of irregular grease trap servicing and maintenance. Overfull and blocked grease traps can lead to pipe backups and backflows that can spill directly into your restaurant or the surrounding areas. In some cases, the restaurant would not only need to pay for the cost to clear the grease trap but may also face additional fines.
Fatbergs
This congealed mass is made of discarded cooking oil, grease, wet wipes and other non-biodegradable matter. It usually occurs in sewage systems where it can cause massive blockages, costing cities and councils up to millions of dollars to clear. The most famous fatberg found was in England, where a 250 metre-long fatberg was formed in the sewers and took three weeks to remove. Closer to home, Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) reported that 4,000 blockages related to fatbergs have to be cleared every year across Brisbane, costing councils $1.5 million.
Grease fire
If your grease trap is located too close to your stove or other heated elements, irregular grease trap cleaning and servicing can cause a build-up of grease that’s highly combustible. This is one of the most common sources of kitchen fires in restaurants.
Interruption of vital services
A blocked grease trap was identified as the cause of a severe odour problem that prompted the evacuation of Royal Hobart’s Emergency department. A “code yellow” was called after the odour was reported, resulting in patients and staff being moved to other parts of the hospital and new patients redirected elsewhere.

Cleanaway’s grease trap cleaning and maintenance services ensures restaurants and property owners have the right servicing schedule to suit business needs – while staying compliant and environmentally sustainable.

Recovering resource from a state-of-the-art landfill

Our Services

May 16, 2019

Tags: Facilities

Highlights

The Banksia Road landfill is the only facility of its kind in Australia that can take titanium tailings, a by-product of mining titanium. Cleanaway found a bespoke solution to dispose of this hazardous waste while extracting titanium for recovery and reuse.

Here’s how it works.

A new cell is being built at the Banksia Road landfill as the old cell is approaching capacity. The new cell will be doubled-lined with Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane. These will help protect the ground, the surrounding environment and groundwater from leachate.

Our specialised hazardous waste trucks will transport titanium tailings, in the form of a slurry, to the site. This slurry will then be pumped into lined cells where a sophisticated extraction system will pump and drain the resulting leachate into a pond. Trucks leaving the landfill will collect this leachate to be delivered to processing facilities, where titanium will be further extracted.

To learn more about the role of landfill in waste management systems, read this article.

Hazardous waste solutions

Cleanaway’s technical and environmental services offer safe, reliable, and legally-compliant hazardous waste disposal. We can manage all kinds of chemical and liquid hazardous waste, from sewerage to chemical waste disposal to e-waste, quarantine and medical waste.

Depending on the waste and complexity of removal, Cleanaway can also recover resources from the hazardous waste, creating a genuine closed loop. Liquid waste such as waste paint and solvents can be processed and treated for industrial applications, while the material from solid waste such as drums can be turned into new commodities.

Our Industrial Services team has the experience and expertise to handle any form of solid or liquid hazardous waste, backed by a specialist fleet of trucks and equipment. We can also provide consulting services on managing your chemical waste and other hazardous waste.

What is PFAS?

Our Services

Tags: Hazardous

Highlights

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a group of man-made chemicals that are resistant to heat, water, and oil.

Although manufacturers have since phased out the use of PFAS in many consumer products, they are still used in some industrial and speciality applications including:

certain types of fire-fighting foams
metal plating and plastics etching
photo-imaging applications
aviation hydraulic fluid
in the manufacture of some non-stick cookware
fabric, furniture and stain protection applications
some food packaging

(Source: Department of the Environment and Energy)

There are many types of PFAS, the best known examples are:

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS)

Why is PFAS a concern?

Australia’s Department of Health considers the release of PFAS into the environment as an emerging concern because PFAS:

is highly persistent
can move long distances in the environment
have been shown to be toxic to fish and some animals

PFAS compounds have the potential to accumulate in the bodies of fish, animals and people who come into contact with them. However, the Department of Health reports that there is currently no consistent evidence that exposure to PFAS causes adverse human health effects.

More recently, PFAS compounds have been found in sites where fire-fighting foams have been used. These chemicals have since contaminated the soil, surface and ground water, and moved into adjoining land areas.

PFAS treatment methods

Cleanaway offers a range of PFAS treatment methods for decontaminating and destroying PFAS in water, soil, and foam including:

PLASCON®
Thermal Oxidation
Thermal Desorption
PFAS Optimised Physio Chemical Water Treatment
Chemical Immobilisation and Solidification

Plasma arc destruction (PLASCON®)

The PLASCON® process is a patented plasma arc technology refined by Cleanaway for PFAS treatment. It can destroy chemical compounds at a rate of 35 to 40kg/h, with no harmful emissions.

There is no incineration involved in the PLASCON® process. Instead, it uses a process called pyrolysis to separate molecules into its component atoms and ions. Contaminants are eliminated at a rate of 99.99%, exceeding the most stringent standards set by global government agencies.

Thermal desorption

Thermal desorption is a physical separation process where heat is used to separate contaminants from solids. Evaporated contaminants are either converted to carbon dioxide and water, or condensed and collected for disposal.

PFAS treatment in action

Cleanaway’s services offered for PFAS include:

Concentrate handling
Concentrate treatment and disposal
Contaminated soil treatment
Groundwater treatment
Spill response

Key markets:

Oil and gas
Aviation
Defence fire
Fire protection

Ship fire at a port in NSW

Water and foam used to put out a ship fire were discovered to contain slight traces of PFOS. Acting on EPA’s regulations to have the material treated at a licensed facility, Cleanaway promptly arranged a tanker fleet to transport the 7ML contaminated liquid to be treated at our Homebush liquid treatment plant.

PFAS impacted liquids from an airline hangar in Brisbane

A faulty pressure gauge in a Brisbane hangar caused 22,000 litres of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF™) to leak. Authorities in charge of the hangar were not able to process the liquid containing contaminants such as glycol or caustic soda. Our Narangba team stepped in to treat the PFAS-impacted liquid waste through filtration and chemical fixation according to Queensland’s regulations.

PFAS decontamination and removal at Brisbane bus depots

Several bus depots at Eagle Farm and Sherwood required urgent removal and flushing of C8 foam from their foam deluge systems. Our PLASCON® solution was used to treat and fully decontaminate the PFAS-impacted liquids and equipment.

Contact us today to find out how we’re making a sustainable future possible with our specialised waste treatment technologies.

Don’t open your café before reading these 7 tips

Our Services

Tags: FOGO

Highlights

There are plenty of guides about what you need to do before opening a café or restaurant, but don’t miss this key step in your planning – waste management. And it’s not just whether you can recycle single-use coffee cups.

Here’s your checklist to get your business waste-ready:

Tip 1: Choose the right service provider early

A waste provider who can service all your business’s waste needs means one account manager, one invoice and consistent, reliable service. You shouldn’t need to worry about whether your grease traps are compliant, the bins are going to overflow or where your recycling is going.

Cleanaway offers a total waste management solution that can help cafes and restaurants focus on running their businesses without worrying about their waste.

Tip 2: Don’t get trapped with your traps

Regular grease trap maintenance is required by law to prevent grease, oil and solids from leaking into the sewerage system. How often your grease trap needs to be cleaned will be dependent on several factors, including:

The size and location of your grease trap
Grease removal volume
Grease trap type

It is recommended to service your grease traps about two to six times annually, depending on the size of your business. Learn more about grease traps maintenance or book a service with us here.

Tip 3: Stop wasting food

Food waste is one of the heaviest components in a general waste bin. Simply recycling your organic waste can reduce the weight and cost of your general waste bin and improve your sustainability rates dramatically, as this café in Adelaide discovered.

Food and organic waste recycling services can turn the waste into beneficial soil conditioners and mulch, creating a true organic closed loop.

Tip 4: Let your recyclables mingle

Glass bottles, newspapers, metal tins and other recyclables can go into a commingled recycling service. A commingled bin makes it easy for your café and restaurant to recycle – just remember to place them dry and loose in the bin.

Hint: Keep these contaminants out of your bin (unless otherwise instructed by your waste management provider).

Are you in NSW or Queensland? Ask us about dedicated containers services to benefit from the refund schemes in those states.

Tip 5: Is your bathroom clean?

The bathroom gets heavy foot traffic in any establishment so it’s important to keep customers comfortable with well-maintained facilities.

From sanitary bin systems to soap dispensers and air freshener services, toilet seat and washroom treatments and hand dryers, Cleanaway’s bathroom hygiene solutions are designed to improve and enhance any washroom environment.

Tip 6: Minimise general waste

We can help you save money by minimising the weight of your general waste bin and recovering more materials for recycling – and we’ll collect the rest.

Tip 7: Get a provider who can do it all

Selecting a single provider for your waste management gives you a single point of contact to manage all your waste and cleaning requirements, allowing you to focus on doing what you do best – running your café and restaurant.

Footprint 2025: 2020 and beyond

Digital first: data for a sustainable future

Using the food hierarchy to minimise waste

Unexpected challenges when upscaling

The waste hierarchy always wins

Your sustainability partner

Providing safe disposal of household hazardous waste in Kwinana

Working towards zero waste with Officeworks

Updated 10 October 2019

How did Officeworks get to 88% diversion?

The journey towards zero waste

The future

Engaging employees for sustainability

Why do people put the wrong thing in the bin?

How to engage employees with sustainability

Success stories

Is your restaurant a grease fire trap?

Recovering resource from a state-of-the-art landfill

Hazardous waste solutions

What is PFAS?

Why is PFAS a concern?

PFAS treatment methods

Plasma arc destruction (PLASCON®)

Thermal desorption

PFAS treatment in action

Ship fire at a port in NSW

PFAS impacted liquids from an airline hangar in Brisbane

PFAS decontamination and removal at Brisbane bus depots

Don’t open your café before reading these 7 tips

Tip 1: Choose the right service provider early

Tip 2: Don’t get trapped with your traps

Tip 3: Stop wasting food

Tip 4: Let your recyclables mingle

Tip 5: Is your bathroom clean?

Tip 6: Minimise general waste

Tip 7: Get a provider who can do it all