One bin at a time

Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) is working to reduce waste sent to landfill by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050. The One Bin at a Time Project replaced individual office desk bins with centralised source separation bins—red for general waste and yellow-lidded for co-mingled recycling. 14 high occupancy, non-clinical office departments at Gosford and Wyong hospitals took part in the project.

This initiative has diverted approximately 70,000 single-use plastic bin liners from landfill. It saves environmental services staff time, reduced manual handling and bin liner costs. It also improved recycling separation. The project encouraged staff to be actively involved in environmental sustainability initiatives in the office and encouraged more standing and walking throughout the working day, which has positive health benefits.

One bin at a time

The project team consulted with key groups including the Waste Department, Environmental Services, Facility Management and office staff to ensure project support. They developed partnerships with the Bin Trim assessment team and the Environmental Protection Authority for co-contribution grant funding.

On behalf of the project team, the Waste Management team conducted a needs assessment to evaluate existing practices, identify areas for improvement and determine the appropriate number and placement of source separation bins, with approximately 1-2 sets per 50 desks.

Project implementation included:

• Resource development and education: The project team collaborated with the CCLHD design team to create e-posters for staff engagement and awareness. The Waste Department partnered with waste services company Veolia to develop co-mingled recycling bin posters for staff education and supported education for Environmental Services staff.
• Communication: The project team sent emails to staff and conducted in-person visits to explain bin collection dates and processes. The project team consulted with department leads to ensure open communication was encouraged, to promptly address concerns and encourage ongoing participation and ownership of the change process.
• Pilot testing: In 2023, the model was successfully tested by three departments including Capital Works and Finance. The 2024 district-roll-out included one Administration Department pilot site. This site provided an effective comparison for engagement and implementation when the project was rolled out to other sites.
• Data: The team used desk spaces to calculate the total number of bins removed. Three departments had removed individual bins in 2023, and the project backdated this data and implemented centralised bins across all fourteen sites.

Staff feel empowered to engage in sustainable practices

From 2023 to 2025, the project has:

• saved an average of 582 hours each financial year in environmental services time and manual handling
• empowered office staff to engage in sustainability and move around the office more, which has  health benefits
• stopped 70,320 bin liners from ending up in landfill each financial year, saving 1.23 tonnes of Co2e
• saved $16,279 each financial year in staff time and wages, (which can be diverted back into patient care)
• saved $10,351 in bin liner costs each financial year.

The project team has shared outcomes and highlighted successes and challenges with stakeholders via forums, internal meetings, and executive communications. To reduce unnecessary individual bin purchases, the project team aims to embed centralised general waste and recycling bin processes into standard operating procedures, CCLHD processes and staff onboarding education.

The project team found that addressing staff resistance required acknowledging concerns early on and providing consistent education on the environmental and health benefits, using pilot sites as an example. In person engagement and involving staff in the decision-making process and offering support throughout the transition helped build trust and foster positive attitudes towards the change.

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