Over 90% of the waste generated at our buildings come from building users such as tenants. While waste measurement conventionally involves manual weighing and recording, we continue to embrace technologies that can digitalise the waste data collection process.
Back in 2021, with the support of the Swire Pacific SD Fund, we launched Hong Kong’s first Smart Waste Reduction Challenge, using smart scales and a digital engagement platform to “gamify” the collective sustainability journey experienced by our employees and tenants.
In 2022, the new Smart Waste Reduction Challenge welcomed more tenants. This year, 18 participating teams drawn from 13 office tenants across Taikoo Place, Pacific Place and Citygate as well as the Company’s own offices joined, engaging over 3,400 employees in a workplace waste reduction challenge.
The participating teams:
- Received recommendations about how to optimise the design and layout of their office waste bins.
- Replaced individual desk-side rubbish bins with centralised collection and sorting stations.
- Fitted smart scales under each bin to collect live waste disposal and recycling data.
- Set up display screens to showcase their waste reduction progress in real-time and benchmark this progress against other teams.
- Set and tracked customised performance goals and participated in regular meetings to review waste performance.
- Monitored the waste contamination level of their office bins using a waste assessment form.
Throughout the challenge, we organised online and offline engagement activities to support participating teams in their waste reduction efforts and support the Green Performance Pledge through goal-setting and tracking, a toolkit and insights. These included:
- A virtual award ceremony to recognise the waste reduction and recycling efforts of the 15 teams that participated in the 2021 Challenge.
- Three workshops in which participants learnt how to reduce single-use items and textile waste, and a downstream recycling facility visit where tenants learned more about Hong Kong’s waste management.
- Two tenant project forums where the tenants’ green teams shared best practices, new ideas and challenges.
- A five-day “Go Green Pop-Up” where a recycling game booth was set up to refresh employees’ recycling knowledge. Ice cream treats were also given to colleagues who brought their own container. The event reached over 500 employees across the five participating offices.
Smart Waste Reduction Challenge 2022 Achievements
*Compared between July to December 2022 and 2021 for tenants who joined the Smart Waste Reduction Challenge in both 2022 and 2021. |
Pilot Projects to Digitalise Waste Data for Office and Retail Tenants
In 2022, Swire Properties began a smart mobile scale pilot project, in which cleaning contractors were provided with a designated smart scale to weigh and record tenants’ waste in a back-of-house area. The trial involved seven office tenants from Taikoo Place and Pacific Place, and they received online live data dashboards and monthly summary reports to understand their waste performance and improvement opportunities.
In December, we began another smart waste trial to measure the waste generation and diversion rates of F&B tenants. The pilot involved five F&B tenants at Pacific Place and will provide data that will help review of the outcomes of circularity initiatives in the retail context.
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