Hobart’s Aquatic Centre minimises waste

Published on 04 September 2018

The City of Hobart has implemented a new waste minimisation system at the Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre (DKHAC). 

The system was developed following a review of the volume of waste passing through the Aquatic Centre and several compostable packaging trials carried out in late 2017 and early 2018. 

To reduce waste, the DKHAC cafe is transitioning to compostable takeaway packaging which includes coffee cups and coffee cup lids, straws, cutlery, , hot chip packets, noodle boxes, sandwich wedges, bioplastic fruit or yoghurt tubs and napkins. 

The new packaging abides by the US, the Australian and the European industrial composting standards of ASTM D6400, AS4736, and EN13432. All items will break down effectively in the McRobies Gully Waste Management Centre’s composting facility, achieving at least 60 per cent decomposition in 180 days. 

To dispose of takeaway packaging, the Aquatic Centre has also installed five new waste stations in the pool area. Each station has three 120 l bins for waste, recycling and organic streams.

The new waste system is anticipated to increase recycling from current 40 per cent up to 70 per cent. 

The project is part of the City’s Waste Management Strategy 2015-2030 which aims to achieve zero waste to the Hobart Landfill by 2030 through over 90 actions across a range of areas such as organic waste, education and litter.

To learn more about the new waste system, visit the Towards Zero Waste to Landfill page.