kcc achievements

The kcc project made contact with 250 companies and 11 schools, government agencies, catchment committees, politicians and a number of community groups in its planning and implementation. In addition, the kcc event was attended by over 300 people and received considerable media attention.

The event highlighted a number of changes in community attitudes to the catchment. To bring together local and state politician industry managers, school students, environmentalists and government agencies was a major achievement of the project, based on four years of work to get the water quality of our lagoons onto the community and political agenda.

It has not been possible to assess whether or not the industries that attended the event have changed their work practices. It is recommended that groups planning to develop similar projects consider, in the planning stage, how this could be incorporated as a follow-up step to project.

Since the first kcc event there has been considerable interest shown in the project from a number of organisations. Further kcc events are being organised for the Georges River, Manly and Curl Curl Lagoons, and the Cooks River catchments.

Industry response to environmental challenges

The organisers would like to highlight as positive role models the environmental efforts of three companies associated with the program: Blackmores Ltd, Watty Paints and New Era Automotive.

The waste management strategies of each of these companies were developed by staff on the factory floor. The strategies show simple and effective minimising waste and reducing environmental impact. We include the examples in the hope that other businesses will follow their positive lead.

Blackmores Ltd

Blackmores management believes that forward thinking about environmental concerns and business is shaping the company's future. The company philosophy and environmental commitment are incorporated into each staff member's role. All Blackmores staff have been involved in the development and implementation of these environmental strategies.

Blackmores aim to: formulate and adopt environmental policies that influence everything they do; continually improve their environmental performance; ingrain the environment into all decision-making; and positively market their environmental stance.

Environmental initiatives implemented by Blackmores include:

• recyclable packaging
• all waste is either recyclable or re-usable
• reduction of energy consumption by 35%
• sponsorship of Manly Environment Centre
• Blackmores Environment Committee
• minimisation, recycling and treatment of waste water
• minimisation of paper usage
• innovative vat cleaning system to minimise waste
• preferred suppliers are Australian companies using environmentally sound practices
• in-company recycling of all recyclable materials
• elimination of disposable items from staff canteen
• composting of all food waste via worm farm
• only free range eggs and vegetarian foods available in canteen
• no animal testing of products
• support of environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth
• use of waste water on permaculture gardens
• support of environmental initiatives in local community.

Wattyl Paints has implemented a simple spill control system to prevent waste from getting into local waterways. This system, the Code Blue Response, involves:

• identifying stormwater drains around the factory grounds by painting the blue, which enables quick identification of spots to be dealt with in the event of a spill

• filling old canvas fire hose pipes with sand, which are used as booms in a spill.

Wattyl Paints has also implemented a cost-saving method of reclaiming caustic waste and re-using waste water on site. A common problem in the paint industry is cleaning pots and tanks with a caustic soda solution, which is expensive and produces a caustic waste. The technical staffs at Wattvl Paints have devised a procedure to chemically treat the used caustic solution. Sludge is separated from water and the water is re-used for pot washing. A small volume of solid sludge is the only waste produced. This means that the waste caustic solution no longer enters the outside waste cycle, eliminating the possibility of contaminating the environment.

New Era Automotive

New Era Automotive is a small car repair business in Brookvale, which prides itself on waste minimisation and recycling. The waste cycle of the company has been thought out down to the last detail.

The workshop floor is mopped up and waste water collected in a special sludge tank, rather than hosed off into the stormwater (an activity that is illegal, but still frequently practiced). All oil from cars is carefully collected and recycled, as are metal parts, tyres,

cardboard, papers and glass. New Era staff use environmentally friendly products wherever possible, such as dry washing cars and special engine coolants that have removed the need to drain radiators, thus avoiding the release of toxic glycols into the environment.

As a result of improved practices, New Era's business is growing. The company believes this is because people prefer to have their car repair work done at a workshop that provides reliable, good quality service with an emphasis on taking care of the environment.