Brisbane 2032 – a catalyst for transformationIs it possible to achieve a zero waste Games?

Q: What is your earliest memory of a sporting event experience?

Danette: I grew up in the bush in a small country town, and we didn't have any entertainment precincts. So, my earliest memories are coming to Lang Park, when it was Lang Park, and just being so overwhelmed by all the people. We’d never seen so many people. My whole town could fit within Lang Park. And then I particularly remember just the rubbish as we were leaving, how much rubbish was left behind – all over the seats, all over the hills.

Q: Since then, you've been working on lots of projects in your professional life particularly around waste management. Can you tell me a bit about that?

Danette: After that, I moved to Brisbane, I got to hang out in the city a lot more and I spent a lot more time in small communities, working on waste management, looking at how much waste we produce: Is there a way that we can reduce the amount from the start? And then what do we do with the amount of waste that we have at the end? Can we remove that from landfill and stop it being waste?

We worked with a small community in the Torres Strait – a sand island, with no room for landfill. We worked with them first to see if we could reduce the amount of waste that was coming onto the island. Obviously, all their food comes packaged on the barge, so we worked with the suppliers: Was there a way that we could reduce the amount of packaging coming in? And then we worked with the community to be able to divert that waste. We set up a composting system and a recycling system, and with that compost, we turned it into a community garden. Then they had fresh food and then they didn't need to bring as much onto the island. We ended up diverting about 70 to 80 per cent of the waste from the landfill, which was a great outcome for the community.

Q: That’s obviously about a small community, but how do you take those insights into larger developments?

Danette: It's quite easy in a small community – you know everyone; the education message is much easier. But there are definitely learnings that we can take everywhere. Do we need to bring in that waste in the first place? Do I really need that new product? Do I really need that packaging? Is there some other way that we could get the same outcome? And then if we do have to bring those things in, what can we do with it once it is used? Is there a re-use option or is there a recycling option before we get down to just putting it in the bin and taking it to the landfill?

Q: What about if we think right back to the design and construction of infrastructure – where can we make some changes there to reduce waste?

Danette: We can really think about our construction methodology: Have we minimised the amount of construction that we need to do? It's very easy to just oversize a beam because then you can have all the same size. But perhaps we didn't need that sizing after all? A bit more design could have reduced the materials within the building to start with. And then, are there other products that we can use?

We are in our beautiful timber building here (at 25 King St, Brisbane) and you see that has a lot less impact than using more concrete. So, are there are other materials that we could be using? And then if we are going to use them, just bring in the minimum amount that we need. We always like to over order – just in case. But then what happens with those extra tiles at the end of the job? We just throw them away. We should focus on getting the most efficient amount of material on site and then if we do have leftovers, can they be repurposed for another project? Could they be given away to something else rather than putting them into landfill?

Q: How important is it to think about waste management right at the beginning of the project?

Danette: It's the most important thing. Too often we get brought in at the end and asked – can you size me a waste room? Well, could we start at the beginning and work out how we could have less waste and then work our way down to what size the waste room is? Think about those reduce and re-use options upfront, well before we've put pen to paper. Then we get a better outcome at the end.

Q: Thinking about the Olympics, as an opportunity as well as a challenge, what are some of the things that you have learned through these projects that we can take into Games infrastructure projects?

Danette: It’s really in the early planning: What are the outcomes that we want, and can we do that upfront? A small change while we're still coming up with ideas is so much easier to implement than when it's already all designed and we're on site and suddenly we want to use less materials. So, bringing up those conversations early about reducing and re-using our materials in terms of construction and then particularly for the Olympics, thinking about how we're going to use it for those two weeks, but also in that legacy period. Who's going to come every day? Are they going to bring their own food? Are they going to buy food? What packaging will there be? And how can we best support them to reduce the amount of waste, and re-use what we do have?

Q: It seems to make so much sense, what are the blockers?

Danette: We like to do things the way we've always done them - it's much quicker and easier. As this is really a change to the supply chain as well, there are lots of touch points that need to change and that makes it a lot more difficult.

Q: What are the benefits of a zero-waste community?

Danette: A zero waste community would be fantastic. Landfills take up a lot of room that could be used for other things. They create environmental issues with their water run-off, and smell, noise and odour, if you happen to live next to one. The more we throw in there, that is a resource that we can't use elsewhere. We’ve taken a lot of time to dig a material out of the ground or to grow a crop and then to destroy that in landfill is such a waste of a resource. The benefit is a more efficient use of our resources and less landfill space being taken up.

Q: How likely will it be for the Games to reach its aspirations?

Danette: It's a hard one, and I'm naturally an optimist. I want to say that, yes, we can get there, but I know that it will be a hard slog. It's less than ten years away to the Olympics now, and real change takes many, many years. So, I think if everyone is committed and wanting to move towards this, then, yes, we could do it by then. But it means everyone needs to start thinking about it now, not the week before the Olympics starts or after the venues are constructed. We need to bring that thinking to the ‘now’.

Q: How can we educate people to commit to less waste?

Danette: We need people to be thinking about what their impact is in terms of the products that they buy; but then it's the industry, as well as construction industries: Is there a better way to build? Is there a more efficient way? And if it's more efficient, it's probably cheaper. So overall, it's probably better.

Q: How important is to have a catalyst like the Games to change thinking and behaviours?

Danette: It’s fantastic as it creates a goal to aim for. We will be on the world stage. It's Brisbane and Queensland's time to say: “This is possible, and this is how we got here.”