29. Waste is a Verb

A third of all edible food in Australia is wasted. Sydney’s landfills are projected to be full by 2030. Around 80% of hospitality textiles are replaced before they even need to be. And 30% of all landfill is furniture. These are not small numbers and they’re not just environmental problems. They’re commercial ones.

This episode reframes waste not as a noun, the stuff in the bin, but as a verb: the behaviour, the system, the autopilot that keeps producing it. From outdated replacement schedules nobody has questioned in years, to the invisible cost of buying cheap and buying twice, to the practical mechanics of a waste audit and what it surfaces when you finally make the invisible visible.

This episode is an invitation to pay attention to one waste stream this week and ask what it’s actually telling you. Because the opportunity on the other side of that question isn’t just less waste, it’s lower costs, more cohesive teams and a guest experience that reflects what you actually stand for.

Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share.

Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

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Show Notes:

NABERS Waste Webinar - Tuesday 10 November

Join Sarah, Matt from Waste Auditing Experts, NABERS and the Property Council of Australia for a practical deep dive on waste in hospitality.

Link to registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/8dff6b81-4cf5-4658-a966-09012cada1f6@96ef8821-2a39-471c-b89a-67b0833dd3b9?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog&mc_cid=833acc4dd1&mc_eid=14aeb316bc

End Food Waste Australia - food waste statistics:

https://www.endfoodwasteaustralia.org

NSW EPA - organic waste separation mandate:

https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/waste/food-and-garden-waste

ACCC Environmental Claims Guide - on going beyond the eco-friendly label:

https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Environmental%20claims%20-%20A%20guide%20for%20business.pdf

Related Two Homes episodes:

Episode 5: Change the Default, Change the Outcome

Episode 21: The RAS: What You Notice Changes Everything

Episode 25: Symptoms vs Cure