Racking Supply Australia (RSA) was one of the three Industry Leader finalists in the highly competitive Waste and Recycling Solutions category for its Revive and Reimagine Sustainable Warehouse Solutions.
The Waste and Recycling Solutions category boasts the highest number of entrants across all categories. RSA narrowly missed out on winning the award at the 2023 Premier’s Sustainability Awards in Melbourne.
RSA’s project EcoRackRevive is repurposing commercial pallet racking, and shelving to reduce landfill waste and promoting responsible resource management.
The initiative is encouraging businesses and individuals to embrace sustainable waste management practices and promotes awareness, and education about responsible resource utilisation.
“EcoRackRevive goes beyond repurposing,” says Racking Supply Australia’s General Manager Glenn Burke. “By extending material lifespans, we minimise the need for new production and rewrite the erroneous narrative that recycling is the gold standard in sustainability, reducing the environmental toll of reprocessing.”
EcoRackRevive, is a pioneering project aimed at repurposing commercial pallet racking and shelving materials to address the urgent challenge of excessive steel and wood waste production. RSA’s goal is to reduce landfill waste, promote responsible resource management, and foster a more sustainable circular economy.
“Landlords are increasingly confronted with the task of handling abandoned racking left by exiting tenants,” explains Glenn. “Choices range from disposing and recycling or alternatively, hoping that retaining the racking will attract prospective tenants. Both alternatives are suboptimal.
“Collaboration is at the heart of EcoRackRevive. For some larger businesses, traditional wisdom has often labelled repurposed racking as riskier, primarily due to compliance concerns. The recent revisions to the Australian Standards AS4084 – Steel Storage Racking reinforces the need for a strategic collaboration with an industry leader, ensuring both compliant and sustainable solutions for steel and wood waste.”
Through EcoRackRevive, RSA has successfully diverted a substantial amount of steel and wood waste from landfills and recycling, extending the lifespan of these materials, which minimises the need for both new production and the reprocessing that occurs during recycling recovery.
This approach has not only reduced waste generation but has also promoted efficient resource utilisation and minimised the environmental footprint of many of RSA’s customers and suppliers alike.
For more information on Racking Supply Australia, click here.