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5 Environmental Report (continued)
Waste
Figure 1: Ministry for the Environment analysis of waste streams
NB: In previous years compostable waste to landfill and composted material was not included in the graph.
The total amount of waste, recycled and composted [The composted material was reported in litres and converted to kilograms by a conversion factor taken from the United States Environment Protection Agency guide for the average weight of a litre of food waste being 0.748 kilograms.] material generated by Ministry staff is estimated to have increased by 21 percent to 70.2 tonnes this year. This is a nine percent increase in total waste per staff member to 276 kg (253 kg for 2004–2005). This is partly contributed to by increased numbers of staff in the 2005–2006 year. The Ministry for the Environment also now has a tenant in Environment House. The contribution of the Kids Environment crèche to our waste stream is yet to be quantified.
There was a six percent increase in recycled and composted waste per staff member (261 kg recycled per staff member compared to 246 kg in 2004–2005). The bulk of recycled material was paper. This increase in the amount of material recycled is an indicator that recycling behaviour is well established among Ministry staff.
Waste to landfill amounted to five tonnes in total or 21 kg per full-time equivalent staff member (FTE). In previous years, this figure was not separated out from total waste generated so there are no comparable figures.
While all Ministry for the Environment offices recycle, there are presently no figures for the amount of recycled and composted waste for the South Island office.
Table 2: Benchmarking our performance: Waste generation
| 2005/06 |
2004/05 |
2003/04 |
Benchmark* |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste generated per staff member (kg) | 276 | 253 | 215 | 200 |
| Total waste recycled and composted per staff member (kg) | 261 | 246 | 206 | - |
| Total waste to landfill per staff member (kg) | 21 | - | - | - |
* UK Environmental Agency good practice benchmark
| Key targets and commitments | Progress at 30 June 2006 |
|---|---|
| Address issue of overall waste increasing | Revised commitment: Determine new waste reduction target and identify steps to achieve this. |
