Get smart and reduce waste

Following success overseas, smart waste compacting bins and balers that communicate are now saving Australian businesses time, space and money.

With 55 million passengers a year, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world. But it’s not just a place where you wait until your next flight takes off, it also has a wide variety of shops and restaurants.

HMSHost operates more than 70 food and beverage venues at the airport and after thorough testing, it chose Orwak TOM Waste Compacting Bins as a solution to efficiently reduce the waste streams from its operations in the terminals.

“We have chosen to use TOM after intensive testing,” HMSHost Schiphol Airport Facility Project Manager Patrick van Geerenstein said. “The main reason was to improve our logistics and to reduce the waste flows at the terminals, primarily at locations where we use a lot of disposables.”

The bins incorporate Orwak Connect, a modem-based communication service that enables the bin or baler to send a message when they it is full, or if the machine requires maintenance.

Through the Orwak Connect web portal, users can monitor one machine or a fleet of balers and compactors. They can also keep track of how many bales each machine generates for a specific period of time, and email the collector automatically. With Orwak Connect Plus, a built-in scale can also measure the bale weight and report it through the portal.

Naturally, order and cleanliness are essential factors for creating an inviting and comfortable environment for the guests at the airport and HMSHost has installed TOM at many locations at Schiphol and more units are on order.

Another advantage is that less space is required in the back office due to the significant volume reduction — from 6–7 waste bags to only 1 per day. Geerenstein said the use of TOM also frees time for other activities for the operational staff. Furthermore, it contributes to fulfilling HMSHost’s and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s sustainability targets.

The TOM waste compacting bins are not only suitable for airports but also other quick service outlets such as the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. The park has a range of rides, games, entertainment on the stage and a beautiful flower park, attracting 3 million visitors per year.

Liseberg Restaurants AB runs all restaurants, snack bars and ice-cream parlours within the park. In preparation for the summer season, it has invested in a new restaurant complex called Bergs Salonger, which seats 360 guests.

Fredrik Löfgren, manager of the fast food division at Liseberg, anticipates up to 4000 visitors per day in peak season in July/August when the restaurant opens 12 hours a day.

To be able to handle the waste from all of these guests efficiently, four TOM units have been strategically located in the sitting area indoors and one on the outdoor terrace.

“The best thing about TOM is the volume reduction that results in less frequent bag switches,” said Löfgren. “Before we had to change bags every 30 minutes and now it is sufficient to do it every two hours. That gives our staff more time for other duties and most importantly, when [fewer] bags are hauled through the restaurant, our guests get to enjoy their meals in peace and quiet.”

The five units in Bergs Salonger are not the only TOMs at Liseberg. At a different fast food location and in its neighbouring ice-cream parlour, there are another five.

Compared with traditional waste receptacles, TOM reduces the volume of the waste in the full bags on-site, which is a great advantage as there is no need to compact the bags elsewhere afterwards.

The volume reduction is of particular benefit at the other fast food location up on a hill where the space in the waste storage is very limited. Löfgren commented that no baler would fit in the storage and there is no room for voluminous bags of loose waste.

Orwak waste handling solutions are now installed at shopping centres and railway stations around Australia.

Orwak develops solutions for sorting and recycling waste materials that are designed to improve business efficiency, and contribute to a cleaner working and natural environment to provide the best total waste handling economy. The company has a range of products that promotes sorting at source and makes waste management more economical.

For more information: ORWAK Compactors Pty Ltd, www.OrwakCompactors.com.au.