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Safeguarding pharmaceutical waste from cradle to grave

Our Services

May 13, 2019

Tags: Diversion

Highlights

Pharmaceutical waste is a regulated waste stream, with strict guidelines to minimise harm to practitioners, patients, local communities and the environment.

EPA requirements in Australia mandate all pharmaceutical waste must be clearly identified as a dedicated stream and be destroyed by high temperature incineration.

Types of pharmaceutical waste include:

Unused medication
Unwanted or out-of-date pharmaceuticals
Items contaminated by pharmaceutical substances and their residues, such as sharps, packages, containers and equipment
Pharmaceutical substances rejected by the manufacturer due to quality control considerations

This includes residual medication which may be contained in partly empty glass vials, hard capsules or tablet medication, broken ampoules and drawing up needles.

Safeguarding pharmaceutical waste

All pharmaceutical waste must be destroyed by high temperature incineration. Proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste minimises the potential of tampering, pillaging and misappropriation while mitigating unnecessary risk for healthcare practitioners and the public.

We ensure that pharmaceutical waste is protected at all times during containment, disposal, transport and destruction.

Our end-to-end security features

Each container is individually barcoded
Each of our facilities meets EPA approval for storage and handling of high-risk wastes
CCTV security active 24 hours a day to safeguard against tampering or malpractice
EPA-compliant waste tracking
Clear colour-coded labelling to aid waste segregation, with operational instructions
On-site training and security risk audit

Cleanaway Daniels Pharmasmart – The world’s safest Pharmaceutical Management System

Our P22 and P64 Pharmasmart devices are safety-engineered with in-built tamper locks to prevent unauthorised access on-site and while in transit to our EPA-approved facilities.

The safety-engineered features of the P22 make it the safest pharmaceutical waste collection unit in Australia.

Cleanaway Daniels Clinismart P64

Designed for higher volume areas such as drug dispensary areas and pharmacies, the P64 is best in class for pharmaceutical waste disposal in secure environments.

Ideally suited for pharmacies catering for the disposal of bulk expired pharmaceuticals, the P64 gives increased volume capacity without sacrificing security.

Semester of sustainability: Partnering with JCU in its War on Waste

Our Services

May 2, 2019

Tags: Education

Highlights

Cleanaway recently collaborated with James Cook University’s (JCU) TropEco team for an audit of the campus’ commingled recycling stream in Townsville.

Led by Territory Sales Managers David Mccarron and Daniel McCall, the team spent two days gathering insights on how JCU could improve their recycling to meet targets set in their War on Waste campaign.

How does a waste audit work?

22 bags of recycling and 29 bags of general waste were collected from bins around the campus. They were brought to a designated area, emptied and sorted into nearly 20 buckets all labeled with different waste streams such as paper, plastic, cans, bottles and cardboard. The buckets were then weighed, and results recorded in a spreadsheet.

What did we discover?

At the end of the audit, the team discovered three main insights:

10% of the general waste bin was recyclable material
40% of the recycling bin consisted of cardboard material, making the case for a dedicated cardboard recycling bin
Large amounts of beverage containers found in the recycling bin could potentially be diverted to the in-campus container return scheme

According to JCU TropEco’s Environment Manager Adam Connell, the waste audit was an effective way to get everyone involved in the sustainability process.

“I am confident that JCU are on track to hit sustainability goals and even exceed them this year. 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.”

Plans for the future

JCU’s in-campus container return scheme is currently in its early stages. Educating students to return bottles and cans through the scheme will be the focus in the coming months.

Cleanaway will continue to support JCU with education programs and waste audits to ensure proper disposal habits, decrease recycling contamination and increase sustainability rates.

Cleanaway’s David Mccarron said, “We will be working very closely with JCU to ensure we have the right waste stream in the right areas. We are already working with staff and students on what can and can’t go in the bins and we look forward to supporting JCU to meet and exceed its sustainability targets.”

Contact us to learn more about our how we’re making a sustainable future possible through our tailored programs for schools and universities across Australia.

The management of hazardous and problematic wastes by Dr Karl Baltpurvins

Our Services

May 1, 2019

Tags: Hazardous waste

Highlights

Dr Karl Baltpurvins is Cleanaway’s General Manager of Technical and Environment Services. This division operates 14 hazardous and regulated waste treatment facilities located throughout Australia employing over 250 staff. Karl will join other Cleanaway experts at the Coffs Harbour Waste Conference 2019, 14 to 16 May 2019 for three days of knowledge, experience, case studies and insight into the waste industry.

Hazardous and problematic wastes are often not considered in the context of local communities but have an increasing prevalence in Australian society. This includes common household materials such as Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), paint, oil, batteries, e-waste and asbestos. There are also a range of emerging contaminants such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), lithium batteries and solar panels that pose significant risks to communities if not effectively managed.

We have also seen a number of major incidents in recent times involving hazardous and problematic wastes which have resulted on both impacts to human health and the environment. Most recently there was a major factory fire in Melbourne involving flammable solvents that resulted in two workers sustaining significant injuries along with other major community impacts including the closure of several schools and other evacuations.

PFAS has rapidly become a mainstream issue due to its potential toxicity, bioaccumulation potential, prevalence and mobility. PFAS has obtained extensive media coverage about its direct impact on local communities and governments.

For local government to provide effective services to local communities there is a need to understand the nature of these hazardous and problematic wastes and the current and future schemes available.

There are several community schemes including NSW EPA Community Recycling Centres (CRC) and Sustainability Victoria’s Detox your Home which provide communities with access to safe and cost-effective disposal options.

In addition, there are several outstanding product stewardship schemes including NTRS for e-waste, Paintback for paint and Agsafe for agricultural chemicals, that provide funding mechanisms for the sustainable management of these problematic and hazardous wastes.

There is a significant role for government in assisting with the management of hazardous and problematic wastes. Some key government drivers include:
1) landfill acceptance criteria
2) product stewardship schemes
3) co-funding arrangements for infrastructure
4) regulatory consent

At the upcoming Coffs Harbour Waste 2019 Conference I will be presenting a paper that will explore best practice in terms of management of these hazardous and problematic wastes with a focus on how local governments can provide best support their local communities.

This presentation will also explore the national trends and specifically discuss risk areas including groundwater and soil contamination as well as emerging areas such as landfill leachate and biosolids management.

The management of hazardous and problematic wastes
By Dr Karl Baltpurvins

Coffs Harbour Waste Conference 2019
Opal Cove Resort, Coffs Harbour
Thursday 16 May 2019
11.30AM – 11.50AM

About the author:
Karl is the General Manager of Cleanaway’s Technical and Environmental Services Business Unit which is the largest hazardous waste management company in Australia. Karl holds a PhD in environmental chemistry from the University of Newcastle and has over 20 years of experience in the environmental services sector in Australia and abroad. Karl is a chartered chemist with the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute and has published an array of papers in the fields of contaminated soil treatment, hazardous waste management, geochemical exploration, wastewater treatment and environmental chemistry.

Five things you should know before choosing your waste services

Our Services

March 27, 2019

Tags: Waste audits

Highlights

A great waste management provider does more than just empty your bins. They’re a service and material expert. From coordinating the right schedule for your business and budget to recommending a set-up that minimises waste production and maximises recovery – your waste management provider should be looking for solutions that increase sustainability from the supply chain to design, manufacturing and disposal.

Here’s what you should be looking for:

One-stop-shop for all waste solutions
Keeping track of multiple waste management providers for individual waste streams can be exhausting and you’re unlikely to get the best price on any one service. General waste, recycling and grease trap servicing, bathroom and hygiene and even specialised waste disposal for hazardous or medical waste – hire a waste management provider who can do the lot with one account manager, one invoice, and consistent, reliable services.
Transparency from collection to recovery
Do you know where your waste is going? These days waste producers have an obligation to make sure their waste is being disposed of appropriately and some waste types even need to be tracked through transportation, treatment and disposal. For peace of mind, make sure you’re working with a reputable waste provider that would be trust to do the right thing by the environment and your business.
Regular waste audits
Waste audits are key to unlocking efficiencies and diversion opportunities for your business. A waste audit can identify your volume and hard to manage waste materials to reduce the weight and cost of your general waste bin, recommend improved bin types and sizes and sometimes even improve the saleability of your merchandise.
Education and training
Sometimes the trick to being more sustainable is simply learning how to use your services correctly. For businesses with a large number of employees or high turnover it can be hard to embed good recycling behaviours. Cleanaway customers are supported by our industry-leading sustainability and recycling programs including our online education portal, Greenius; instructional bin signage and targeted videos.
Fair and flexible contracts
Cleanaway’s updated service agreements for SMEs were written with choice and flexibility in mind. There’ll be no surprises because we work with you to determine the right service level and pricing for your business while providing transparency on obligations and market updates.
Blue sky thinking with true blue action
We are constantly finding new ways to transform the collected waste into new products, from re-refining used lube oil to transforming grease trap waste into new raw material and material and recovering construction and demolition and dry commercial and industrial waste to produce Process Engineered Fuel (PEF). Cleanaway has the scale and expertise to invest in real sustainability solutions but with local teams who live in the communities where they work.

Cleanaway offers a complete range of solutions for all your waste management needs. More than just a service provider, we partner with Australian businesses and communities to create and deliver custom solutions for all your sustainability goals.

Tasmania, you now have a choice.

For the first time, Cleanaway is proud to provide the people of Tasmania with the option to work with Australia’s leading waste management provider.

Book a Cleanaway service in Tasmania today.

For enquiries and bookings outside of Tasmania, contact us to learn more or click the request a quote button on this page.

Energy Australia – Turning bottles to cash for a good cause

Our Services

March 25, 2019

Tags: CDS

Highlights

Cleanaway provides waste management services to Energy Australia at the Mt Piper Power Station where Cleanaway Business Unit Manager, Shane Tildesley recently identified an opportunity to optimise resource recovery and fundraise for a good cause through Return and Earn.

The power station were doing a great job recycling large amounts of plastic bottles through the commingled recycling stream. Shane saw the opportunity to take these clean, uncontaminated containers to Bathurst Recycling – the local Return and Earn automated depot, instead.

Refunds collected from recycling these containers with the scheme were then donated to a chosen donation partner – Lifeline Central West.

Since August, close to $2000 has been donated to the local Lifeline Central West. The power station will continue to send containers to Bathurst Recycling and donate funds to this community service.

Return and Earn is NSW’s container deposit scheme that provides the option to donate refunds from recycling containers to a donation partner of choice.

Lifeline Central West offers free counselling and crisis support to the NSW community and recently hosted workshops for those impacted by the drought across Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo.

Unpacking our food waste depackaging technology

Our Services

March 21, 2019

Tags: food depackaging

Highlights

Expired, damaged or mislabelled food products were previously destined for landfill because extracting the organic waste from the packaging was too difficult or inefficient. Cleanaway’s new depackaging unit allows us to take large volumes of food or liquid packaged in aluminium, plastic, liquid paperboard or cardboard and separate the organic material to be recycled.

For food manufacturers and supermarkets where food waste is inevitable and often in bulk, the depackaging function is a leap forward for reducing waste to landfill and achieving sustainability goals.

What can the depackaging unit process?

Cleanaway’s depackaging unit located in Dandenong, Victoria is capable of processing up to 10 tonnes of packaged food waste every hour with remarkable efficiency – up to 99% of materials are recovered in the process.

The depackaging unit can separate a range of packaging and containers from their contents including:

Tin cans and trays
Plastic bottles and containers
Blister packs
Sachets and pouches
Paper bags
Tetra packs
Polymer bags
Cardboard boxes and containers
Steel and plastic drums

*Glass cannot be processed through the unit.

food waste depackaging technology

This includes everyday packaged liquid and solid food waste such as:

Bakery items
Fruit and vegetables
Dairy
Pet food
Meat, poultry and fish
Beverages
Pasta, cereals and grains
Tea and coffee
Confectionary, biscuits and chips

How the depackaging unit works

Packaged materials are loaded into a separation chamber where a variety of durable and adjustable paddles open up the packaging. These paddles cause a squeezing effect which separates packaging from its contents without damage to the packaging.

The recovered food and liquids are sent to our South East Organics Facility (SEOF) to be repurposed into nutrient-rich compost which will be used on broadacre farms and crops, creating a closed loop solution for food waste. The packaging material is taken to South East Melbourne Transfer Station to be recovered for recycling where possible.

Our food and organics recovery services

Recycling organic waste creates a closed loop for businesses looking to deliver on the triple bottom line of sustainability – social, economic and environmental. We work with our customers to not only dispose of food waste safely and efficiently, but also maximise sustainability.

Cleanaway offers comprehensive food waste management and recovery solutions to a variety of industries such as:

Supermarkets
Hotels, restaurants and cafes
Events and community activities
Food processing industries

We also offer a fully certified secure product destruction service, giving you peace of mind that sensitive or branded food products are disposed of effectively and responsibly.

Read more about how we work with our customers to reduce waste in the food and beverage industry.

Investing in Australia’s resource recovery infrastructure

Cleanaway’s investment in the depackaging unit as part of our recent South East Organics facility development is an important part of our Footprint 2025 strategy – a roadmap to ensure Australia has the right infrastructure in place to support communities to manage their waste while maximising resource recovery.

Read more about our state-of-the-art facilities opened recently and in previous years.

Contact us to find out how we make a sustainable future possible through our partnerships with government, industry and the community.

Zero waste recycling from used oil filters

Our Services

March 20, 2019

Tags: Resource Recovery

Highlights

Waste oil and oil filters are an unavoidable part of the process for mechanics and auto workshops but all that used oil doesn’t need to go to waste. The waste oil we collect is recycled and re-refined to create high quality fuel oil and base oils, effectively closing the loop on oil usage.

A challenging component of waste oil recovery and engine oil recycling is residual waste left on equipment parts like oil filters. Automotive workshops build up large amounts of used oil filters each year, each of them filled with highly recoverable used engine oil and contaminated materials like sludge.

Previously, it was almost impossible to remove the residual oil left in a used oil filter. Typically, the filter would be crushed and the oil lost. With our technologically-advanced machines, Cleanaway can provide a cleaner, more serviceable metal recyclable product by extracting up to 95% of the residual oil that is absorbed in the oil filter paper.

How we recover clean metals and used oil for recycling

Cleanaway has a dedicated division called Cleanaway Equipment Services (CES) which provides all workshop waste services, including the collection and recycling of used oil filters.

In WA alone, we collect upwards of 150 tonnes of waste oil filters per year from workshops throughout the metropolitan and regional centres. These are collected in dedicated storage bins supplied by Cleanaway for source separation and next stage recycling.

The used oil filters are processed at Cleanaway’s Bentley facility by a purpose-built filter press machine. This enables us to provide a cleaner, more usable metal recyclable product. No part of the oil filter goes to landfill.

The filter press machine conveys the used oil filters along a sorting line to remove contaminants before being fed to a press that forces the waste oil out for separate collection and processing. The now-empty used filter metal blocks are then compacted and cleaned by Cleanaway’s turbowasher machines to ensure they meet recycling standards, before being sent to recyclers to be reprocessed into next life products such as storage tins and household appliances.

Waste oil captured from this process is consolidated and transported to Cleanaway’s own waste oil refineries for processing and recycling. The recovered oil can be used as an alternative to virgin fuels for energy generation such as hot house boilers and mining operations.

From optically sorting commingled recycling in our state-of-the-art Material Recovery Facilities to turning construction and demolition, and dry commercial and industrial waste into process-engineered fuel at our Cleanaway ResourceCo plant, Cleanaway is committed to our Footprint 2025 roadmap – investing in Australia’s infrastructure to support communities to manage their waste and improve resource recovery.

Cleanaway is the largest waste oil collector in the country – we collect used oil from over 35,000 workshops and businesses around Australia and process over 150 million litres each year. Contact us today to learn how you can turn your waste oil into new base oil and fuel oil products.

Editorial: Sustainability masterclass – Clean Up Australia

Our Services

Tags: Clean Up Australia

Highlights

Clean Up Australia continue to demonstrate what a progressive and innovative contributor they are to the sustainability agenda despite their relative size. This month the community-based environmental charity celebrated 30 years since their first event with 680,000 volunteers cleaning up over 6,830 sites around the country – but did you know Clean Up Australia have been critical to recent policy changes on drink containers, plastic bags and single-use plastic? Their approach is to keep it simple. One message at a time, across multiple levels from government to community, in a way that’s relatable and engaging.

Hearts and minds matter

In the larger scheme of sustainability, we may have bigger challenges than plastic bags or single-use plastic bottles, but they are a visible threat to marine life that makes the environmental impact real and tangible. Clean Up Australia understand that having a single icon provides a point of focus for individuals to visualise their action can contribute to large-scale environmental change. People can imagine the difference they can make when the item is a relatable part of everyday life.

Campaigns like Ban the Bag and the ABC’s War on Waste coffee cup stunt are both examples of how creating an icon for certain issues or waste types can capture the imagination of not just consumers but the government and media to mobilise real change.

Solve one problem at a time

One in ten items found on Clean Up Australia Day is a beverage container. By identifying beverage containers as the most littered material type and providing research that identified the sources and behaviours that relate to that litter type, Clean Up Australia was able to influence recycling policy like the NSW container deposit scheme.

Like combatting litter, recycling is most effective when we target by material type. Understand the major waste sources in your bin, target by volume and focus on one material. What is it made from? How can it be recycled most effectively? What behaviours do users display? What are the risks to recycling? Home, office, business or community, once you have identified the number one material you can start figuring out how to reduce the waste and maximise recyclability.

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it

If you’ve ever participated in a Clean Up event you know that once you’ve bent down hundreds of times to pick up all the cigarette butts and bottle caps you never really stop seeing them. It’s an interesting effect and it’s one of the reasons that volunteers for Clean Up Australia come back year after year. Participating in an environmental or sustainability event helps people see the impact that small actions can make – from both sides. Suddenly, sustainability is personal. You realise the flow-on effect of your own waste disposal decisions as well as the difference you can make when you get involved.

For businesses looking to increase momentum on their own sustainability mission, events like Clean Up Australia can be a great way to kick start engagement from employees. Organise an event at your office or in the local area to make the issue local and personal – and then explain what it means for your organisation’s sustainability goals.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for the latest sustainability news for industries, businesses and communities. Click the Sustainable Future Newsletter button at the bottom of this page.

Taronga Unwrapped: Helping businesses break up with plastic

Our Services

December 6, 2018

Tags: Plastics

Highlights

The Taronga Unwrapped event organised by Taronga Zoo in NSW was a networking and information night to help Sydney businesses find solutions to achieve their sustainability goals.

Evelyn Hwang and Andrew Snedden from our NSW Education team were on hand to provide information about the Return and Earn scheme, Bin Trim program and general Cleanaway recycling services available to businesses.

Curing concrete cancer in a bridge

Our Services

November 27, 2018

Tags: Ultra high pressure

Highlights

Seven piers on Fennel Bay bridge were showing signs of concrete deterioration and required remediation. The issue was discovered early, and we were able to assist in the safe removal of the deteriorated concrete, so the areas could be treated to ensure the long term serviceability of the bridge.

The water surrounding the pylons created a challenge for our team, which was solved by using platoons for the operators to stand on. The platoons were provided by the client and placed around the piers with mesh fencing to ensure the operators working on the pylons were safe. The operators were transported to the platoons on boats and the equipment was run along the bridge and down the side to the platoon.

Ultra-high pressure water blasting was used on the pylons to remove the compromised concrete and the by-product was removed with vacuum trucks.

Each individual pylon required 20 hours of high pressure water blasting and 8 hours of vacuum loading to complete. In total, 140 hours of high pressure work and 56 hours of vacuum loading were required to complete seven pier pylons.

Sustainable Categories: Our Services

Safeguarding pharmaceutical waste from cradle to grave

Safeguarding pharmaceutical waste from cradle to grave

Safeguarding pharmaceutical waste

Cleanaway Daniels Pharmasmart – The world’s safest Pharmaceutical Management System

Semester of sustainability: Partnering with JCU in its War on Waste

Semester of sustainability: Partnering with JCU in its War on Waste

How does a waste audit work?

What did we discover?

Plans for the future

The management of hazardous and problematic wastes by Dr Karl Baltpurvins

The management of hazardous and problematic wastes by Dr Karl Baltpurvins

Five things you should know before choosing your waste services

Five things you should know before choosing your waste services

Energy Australia – Turning bottles to cash for a good cause

Energy Australia – Turning bottles to cash for a good cause

Unpacking our food waste depackaging technology

Unpacking our food waste depackaging technology

What can the depackaging unit process?

How the depackaging unit works

Our food and organics recovery services

Investing in Australia’s resource recovery infrastructure

Zero waste recycling from used oil filters

Zero waste recycling from used oil filters

How we recover clean metals and used oil for recycling

Editorial: Sustainability masterclass – Clean Up Australia

Editorial: Sustainability masterclass - Clean Up Australia

Taronga Unwrapped: Helping businesses break up with plastic

Taronga Unwrapped: Helping businesses break up with plastic

Curing concrete cancer in a bridge

Curing concrete cancer in a bridge