IWM Supports Green Building Day
17 May 2019
Green Building Day returned to Perth this week. The event was a huge success, with a jam-packed agenda exploring the collective action we need to take in order to achieve our sustainability targets.
The day provided a great opportunity for Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) members, sustainability leaders and innovators, and the wider industry to share key insights into Green Star projects.
Instant Waste Management (IWM)’s State Resource Development Manager, Jake Hickey, attended the event, citing ‘waste and recycling’ as a key theme this year. “Over half of the event’s presentations and break-out sessions covered the topic of waste management,” Jake said.
Jake also contributed to the panel discussion on a topic the IWM team are passionate about: ‘Construction and demolition waste: recycling and circular solutions, what are the opportunities in WA?’
Resource recovery is our core focus at IWM. Diverting 80-90% of the construction and demolition waste we collect away from landfill, we work with both residential and commercial building companies to help them minimise their environmental footprint and reduce their waste disposal costs.
Prior to the event, GBCA interviewed Jake to find out more about WA’s green building industry and what the future holds for waste – please find below a copy of the transcript:
Blandine Vallée, GBCA: What project are you working on at the moment that most excites you?
Jake Hickey, IWM: It’ is the range of people I work together with on projects that really excites me. I have been lucky to work on GBCA award-winning projects. We are no longer preaching to the converted, but engaging with a broad demographic of staff and stakeholders within these businesses. Waste and recycling has become part of their conversation.
Blandine: What is driving the development of green buildings in WA?
Jake: In Western Australia, we see a 10% difference in the vacancy rates of Green Star projects compared to older and non-accredited stock in the CBD. Money talks and although the initial outlay of accreditation can sway some projects towards tick box compliance, the leaders in our industry stand out from the pack, driving innovation.
Blandine: Where do you see WA by 2050?
Jake: A state government report on the 2050 targets of waste diversion away from landfill, based on different scenarios & recycling systems, gave us a firm idea of where we need to be with new infrastructure types.
Even with best practice recycling, demand for landfill airspace is still up around 20 to 60 million tonnes capacity by 2050. Our commitment to Paris and the wider world on emissions, leads us to Waste-to-Energy technology. We need to capture our resources in closed loops, rather than landfilling them, only burning what can’t be recycled effectively.
For more information on our construction & demolition waste services, please contact us today.
