A Coles store in Sydney has become the first Australian supermarket to trial zero waste to landfill. This is one of several initiatives to help Coles meet its commitment to become Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.
Coles in Wentworth Point is sending zero waste to landfill, preventing the equivalent of 6 ½ shopping trolleys going to landfill each day. The purpose of the trial is to change in-store processes, put greater focus on source separation, and to partner with new facilities to use waste as a resource. As a result, more packaged and unpackaged food, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, wax boxes, polystyrene and timber will be diverted from landfill.
The zero waste to landfill trial store will find new ways to recover residual dry waste such as mixed plastic and timber, which historically has been the most difficult to divert from landfill.
Coles is partnering with Cleanaway to recover energy from this waste through the Cleanaway ResourceCo Recovery Facility (RRF) in Wetherill Park. The facility uses dry waste to produce Process Engineered Fuel (PEF), which is then used to offset the demands of heavy industry for fossil fuels.
The trial comes as Coles Group released its first Sustainability Report, which sets out Coles’ commitment to reducing its environmental impact, including working towards diverting 90% of waste from landfill by 2022.
