CSR Sustainability Report 2008

WASTE

Each of CSR’s businesses has specific environmental performance measures for waste and has plans in place to reduce waste and resource use.

Building Products

A total of 59,062 tonnes of solid waste was produced within Building Products in YEM08 (excluding Viridian). This comprised 71% by Performance Systems and 19% and 10% by Lightweight Systems and Bricks and Roofing respectively.

The operations team at the Bradford Insulation plant in Clayton, Victoria have undertaken a project to recycle more than 80% of the waste generated during the manufacture of Rockwool Insulation.

Case Study

RECYCLING WASTE FROM THE MANUFACTURE OF ROCKWOOL AT CLAYTON, VICTORIA

The operations team at the Bradford Insulation plant in Clayton Victoria have undertaken a project to recycle more than 80% of the waste generated during the manufacture of Rockwool Insulation. The operations team developed a process where waste from the manufacturing process is processed into a briquette and reused in the manufacturing process. The Rockwool waste briquetting project is supported by the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, managed by Sustainability Victoria.

The benefits from the waste recycling project are significant and include:

Landfill waste is reduced by 80%
Raw material requirements are reduced by 1,500 tonnes per annum. As this raw material is purchased interstate, energy and greenhouse gas emissions from transport are also reduced
The rock melting process efficiency is improved, reducing energy requirements

The first phase of the briquetting project has been successfully commissioned. During YEM08 the most technically difficult waste stream was converted to briquettes, melted and processed into insulation. This reduced the waste transported to landfill by almost 1,000 tonnes during the year.

Converting the remainder of the waste from the manufacturing process into briquettes has been successfully trialled. When this process is optimised and successfully commissioned, land fill waste will be reduced by more than 2000 tonnes each year.

Once the waste recycling project is fully commissioned, the technology will be transferred to other CSR Rockwool Insulation plants, enabling further reductions in landfill waste to be achieved. The project team have also begun exploring the potential of recycling other waste streams to reuse in the rockwool Insulation manufacturing process.

Sugar

A total of 18,299 tonnes of solid waste was produced by the Sugar division during YEM08, the bulk of which, over 90%, was produced by the Sugar mills.

For the Sugar division, the breakdown by kilogram per tonne of saleable product is highlighted below.

CSR is reducing waste across its Sugar division.

For example, in 2005, Sugar Australia signed the National Packaging Covenant, demonstrating its commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its retail branded packaging by reducing the overall weight of packaging material used and the proportion of packaging material that is recyclable.

As part of the covenant, Sugar Australia has a 5 year action plan detailing measures that it will take to meet the objectives and commitments of the National Packaging Covenant.

The weight of packaging for industrial bags of sugar has been reduced by 30% (double the target of 15%), by changing suppliers and packaging materials. Industrial bags of sugar contribute 47% of Sugar Australia’s non-recyclable packaging material. This non-recyclable component cannot be changed, so reducing the weight of the bag reduces the amount of packaging going to landfill.

Overall, the proportion of Sugar Australia’s packaging material that is recyclable has increased from 64.8% to 66.9%, since the Covenant was signed.

THE WEIGHT OF PACKAGING FOR INDUSTRIAL BAGS OF SUGAR HAS BEEN REDUCED BY 30% (DOUBLE THE TARGET OF 15%), BY CHANGING SUPPLIERS AND PACKAGING MATERIALS. INDUSTRIAL BAGS OF SUGAR CONTRIBUTE 47% OF SUGAR AUSTRALIA’S NON-RECYCLABLE PACKAGING MATERIAL.

Total solid waste produced sugar & waste sugar

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