At Auckland University of Technology (AUT), increasing waste diversion required a clearer understanding of what was being generated and where recovery was being lost.
OCS New Zealand’s WasteLine team began services across three campuses in 2023, introducing onsite waste consolidation, hand-sorting, and structured reporting for general waste, organics, recycling, and e-waste streams.
Early analysis showed actual waste volumes were significantly higher than previously understood. This showed where recovery was being missed and where effort needed to be focused.
Post-disposal sorting was introduced to recover materials that would otherwise have been sent to landfill, including organics, plastics, and paper, as well as a dedicated e-waste stream.
Within 12 months, landfill diversion increased from 18–20 per cent to 45–50 per cent. More than 220 tonnes of material were diverted from landfill during that period.
The service includes monthly reporting on volumes, costs and diversion rates, giving AUT clear visibility of performance.
The approach is simple. Understand the waste, sort it properly and track the results. The same model is being applied across other large sites managed by the WasteLine team.
