We do sustainability

EPA staff are passionate about making the NSW EPA a more sustainable organisation. We’ve accomplished a lot since the Sustainability Strategy 2015–2020 was launched. Here is just a taste of some of our activities.

staff holding keep cups make the pledge to reduce use of disposable coffee cups

Some of this year’s inductees who made the pledge to use their Keep Cups

Keeping cup

Sustainability Change Makers Co-ordinator Jill Sergeant has overseen the distribution of EPA-branded KeepCups to all staff to help reduce the number of disposable coffee cups going to landfill.

“In the first four weeks of the 2018 rollout, coffee cup waste at head office reduced by 75%,” Jill told EPA Connect, “and we continue to provide cups to new starters through our induction program”.

Other staff-driven initiatives include

Introducing TerraCycle boxes for hard-to-recycle waste such as pens and office supplies.
Establishing a network of Sustainability Change Makers, who champion sustainability in their teams and offices through activities such as
- promoting Plastic Free July – now in its second year at the EPA
- participation in Clean Up Australia’s Business Clean Up Day – around 30 staff from four offices collected 10 bags of litter and dumped rubbish
- clothing swaps, where staff brought in around 100 items of pre-loved clothing to exchange, and raised around $600 for the charity Dress for Success
- implementing paperless meetings for senior management, with each quarterly meeting saving around 4,000 sheets of paper.

epa staff finding new outfits at the clothes swap

Over the next year, the EPA’s sustainability activities will continue to evolve. We’ll keep:

working on our goals to reduce coffee cup waste, single-use plastic and office paper
hosting events that keep sustainability front and centre in people’s minds, such as excursions to sustainable buildings, lunchtime talks, and seasonal produce swaps
contributing to the development of the new sustainability strategy.