RUNDLE MALL: Launches Australia’s Largest Green Bin Trial in a Retail Precinct

In collaboration with Green Industries SA and the City Council of Adelaide, Rundle Mall is the first retail precinct to trial a new multi-bin system to encourage the mall’s visitors to sort their food waste, compostable packaging, and cans and bottles.

Six three-bin systems for food scraps and compostable waste were installed in critical locations near mall food outlets. This endeavour was launched by Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor and Environment Minister Susan Close in Adelaide’s premier shopping district.

“With an increasing number of hospitality operators using compostable packaging, there is now an opportunity to recover more resources which previously couldn’t go in the green bin,” a council spokesperson said.

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor believes this 12-month trial program will ultimately contribute to Adelaide’s vision of becoming the first zero-waste city in Australia.

“Adelaide is already the first South Australian Council to be entirely powered by renewable energy and now we are leading the nation with these new bin systems, designed to encourage the thousands of people who visit Rundle Mall every day to separate their waste,” said the Mayor.

The City of Adelaide is spending $143,000 and Green Industries are pledging another $72,000 to ensure the success of the program.

In a move to further support this program, The City of Adelaide has now invited eligible cafes to join the Business Incentives Program which motivates businesses to switch from single-use packaging to more environmentally-sustainable options. So far, the Program has already helped replace 20,000 single-use plastics with certified compostable products. (Source).

We are very excited about his trial which will see compostable packaging collected from public places. Watch this space!

The 12-month trial aims to educate customers about recycling and composting, encourage vendors to switch from single-use packaging to more sustainable options like BioPak, and become a model for other Food Waste and Compostable Recycling Zones in the city.