It’s official - 101 Collins has achieved a 6-Star NABERS Waste rating, making us one of only 14 buildings in Australia and two in Victoria to achieve the highest rating possible, for the most recognisable accreditation for landfill diversion. There is no denying the impact of the built environment on the climate, and 101 Collins is proud to do its part in creating a better future.
But what does this actually mean? Explore more about NABERS Waste here, and read on as we explore 6 things you might not know about what achieving a 6-star NABERS Waste rating entails.
First – here is a word from Claudia Zimaris, Cleaning Account Manager, who leads the charge for the 101 Collins waste program:
“This has been an amazing team effort. I have been here for over 17 years and have been working on our waste programs since day one. This rating is not a one-off achievement, it’s ongoing over a long period of time. It’s about working together – from our cleaning team to Building Management and the tenants who come here each day. We work as one team with a shared goal, and this is proof of that.”
How we got here:
These achievements don’t happen overnight. We spoke with Claudia to unveil the 6 integral initiatives that helped 101 Collins achieve this 6-Star Waste rating:
1. Teamwork and time: It takes over 270 people to run 101 Collins Street, including our dedicated team of over 40 cleaners who work across 24 hours a day to help implement the waste program at 101 Collins. Some members of the cleaning team have been operating at 101 Collins for close to 30 years - including Ahmad Taha, who is responsible for managing and removing waste from all levels each day, and Safet Dzaferovic who manages everything from ordering stock and any client concerns.
2. Recycling Streams: 101 Collins is proud to offer tenancies 15 waste streams – helping to divert approximately 9 tonnes per month away from landfill. These streams include mixed recycling, organics, paper and cardboard, coffee cardboard, eWaste, paper towel, secure paper, container deposit scheme, soft plastics, batteries, polystyrene, printer cartridges, fluorescent tubes, coffee grounds, and landfill.
3. Chain of Custody Integrity: Importantly - all streams of waste are tracked to verify their end destination. This component of the rating is called Integrity – explore more via NABERS here.
4. Reporting and auditing: Claudia explains, “people would be surprised at how much auditing, verification and reporting is involved – daily, monthly - to ensure we’re staying on track.” For example - every bag of waste that leaves each tenancy, is weighed and data uploaded live to our NABERS Waste assessor, every single day.
5. Sustainability Committee: Every six months, we take a deep dive into our building’s waste through the Bi-Annual Waste Audit. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at what’s ending up in landfill, what’s being recycled correctly, and where we have opportunities to do better. This data is then shared with our Sustainability Committee.
6. Bi-Annual recycling collection: 101 Collins also offers tenancies free large recycling collections twice a year to promote correct disposal.
Find out more here via NABERS. Thank you to our incredible team and partners for making this milestone possible, including BIC Consolidated and Ausnviro.
