The Western Australian hospitality industry is moving towards more sustainable waste management in their operations, with the introduction of glass crushing technology to a number of venues around Perth.
The Western Australian hospitality industry is moving towards more sustainable waste management in their operations, with the introduction of glass crushing technology to a number of venues around Perth.
The WA-grown glass crushing technology reduces the volume and cost of glass waste management.
It was developed by the environmental technology, research and development firm Spartel Pty Ltd and has already been adopted by several local businesses as well as national and international ventures.
The Hilton, Little Creatures Brewery, Fly By Night Club and more recently Kate Lamont's latest venture, Lamont's Cottesloe, have implemented the Spartel Glass Crushers in their operations.
Spartel will be supplying the new Melbourne Convention Centre, a Macau casino and the Hong Kong Environment Department.
Spartel managing director Harrie Hofstede said the company was recently granted $60,000 by the Waste Management Board of WA for a consulting project of waste management in the hospitality industry.
"We are going to look at opportunities to increase recycling. The sector has been in a position where it hasn't been able to do a lot of recycling," he said.
"The five star-hotels were the first sector we researched and we found a lot of potential."
An APC Environmental Management report found there were about 85,000 tonnes of bottles and jars used in the state a year, of which about 20,000 are recycled.
Harrie Hofstede said that some hospitality businesses have been facing up to $20,000 bills to recycle their glass waste since WA's last recycling plant closed down in December 2003.
"Now all the glass collected in Perth to be recycled has to be sent to Adelaide or Melbourne," he said.
Mr Hofstede said although the recycling plant shut down because of the declining use of glass, the increase of imported beers and wine consumption has led to use of glass rising in recent years.
"I thought that was bad enough that the beers have to come from Melbourne all the way to Perth but to send the empty bottles back, you can't claim any environmental benefit because you're basically transporting bottled air."
"We have a large client in the hospitality industry who used to have 60 to 65 full bins a week, now that they use the Glass Crusher they only have 18 bins."
Mr Hofstede said the technology fitted with the efficiency criteria driving the hospitality industry, and brought other beneficial aspects for his customers.
"The volume reduction gives immediate economic benefit back to a venue and they eliminate the noise at night when bottles are emptied in the bin," he said.
"Under work safe staff have to wear earplugs when they empty bottles in the bin so imagine what the residents go through, community relations with venues is a big issue so it ends up being a very beneficial situation for them."
