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WM Sustainability Services

Our team of qualified and experienced sustainability experts can help you achieve your sustainability and environmental goals.

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Our Services

Our waste and environmental specialists provide services that can help your business reduce waste generation, recover more materials, and reduce your overall carbon emissions associated with waste, assisting you and Aotearoa to a carbon-neutral and circular future.

Waste Audit Service

Waste Audit Service

Provide data insights and recommendations for sustainable waste management.

Operational Planning

Operational Planning

Operational Waste Management Plans for sustainable, compliant waste systems.

Education & Training

Education & Training

Education and training drive behaviour change for sustainable waste reduction practices.

 
All Heart NZ

All Heart NZ

We partner with All Heart NZ to reduce waste and support communities.

Method Bins

Method Bins

We partner with Method Recycling® to provide sustainable, locally-made bins.

Carbon Reporting

Carbon Reporting

Our carbon reporting supports Scope 3 tracking with verified, flexible reports.

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Waste Audits

We offer waste audit services to all business sectors, with previous audits including healthcare, aged care, FMCG, manufacturing, warehouse & distribution, retail, and corporate offices. 

Building

Nationwide Auditing

Over 100 sites audited across New Zealand

Recycling contamination

Hand-Sorted Sustainability

Over 35,000kg of materials hand sorted by our team

Recycling

Recoverable Waste

Over 30% of materials going to landfill identified as immediately recoverable

  • What is a waste audit?

    • The Waste Audit service comprises a detailed analysis of the contents within your waste and recycling bins. The true value, however, lies within the story the data tells you.

      Waste Audits involve completely emptying a bin of its contents, hand sorting through all the waste, weighing, photographing and building a detailed report to provide compositional data, procurement advice and in-depth recommendations for improvements.

      This data can be utilised to inform investment decisions, creation of waste strategies and targets, tracking progress towards targets, or calculating unique emission factors for carbon reporting purposes. The audit delivers insights into where current processes are not working and provides a roadmap to follow to reach a better sustainable outcome.

  • What's the purpose of a waste audit?

    • The purpose of the waste audit can vary, and can include some of the following objectives:

      • Target setting and/or progress tracking
      • Confirming composition for HSEQ compliance
      • Identifying sustainable procurement opportunities
      • Identifying the most crucial areas for behaviour change and future investment
      • Data for confirming service viability

      Our expert team partner with fellow industry experts such as Tonkin + Taylor to ensure data integrity and 3rd party assurance, as well as our social enterprise partner, All Heart NZ, to ensure sorters for these audits are well looked after and paid appropriately, demonstrating people are not overlooked while focusing on the planet.

  • What's included in a waste audit service?

    • A waste audit includes the following:

      • On-site/off-site audit
      • Audit general waste services
      • Audit recycling services
      • Separate materials into 12+ primary categories
      • Separate materials into 100+ secondary categories
      • Weigh and photograph
      • Waste Audit Report with recommendations
      • Report Presentation
      • Optional follow-up targeted education programmes
Daan, Christchurch Bin Audit Tagger Daan, Christchurch Bin Audit Tagger

Operational Waste Management Plans

We work closely with the NZGBC to create a new best practice guide for New Zealand, along with an operational waste calculator. 

Buildings and facilities need to be developed and designed to accommodate for all operational waste requirements.

This includes allocated waste storage areas, access for servicing waste vehicles and best practice source separation to ensure plans are in place to recover as much as possible. 

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Growing Projects

Over 50 new developments nationwide

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Consent Support

Supports resource consent applications

Office Building

Green Support

Supports Green Star projects

  • Are there any NZGBC resources available?

  • Why are Operational Waste Management Plans important in building design?

    Operational Waste Management Plans (OWMPs) are an excellent proactive management tool as they will ensure best-practice waste systems are implemented into the building’s design. A good OWMP will ensure that once the development is up and running, all waste streams are managed sustainably and safely, with a focus on waste reduction and materials recovery.

    Our team develop OWMPs for residential, commercial and multi-use developments, providing a management plan to ensure all operational waste generated from daily activities are taken into account. In most cases, these OWMPs are a mandatory requirement for resource consent approval, and in other cases, they are required as evidence to prove your waste is being sustainably managed, especially for Green Star-accredited projects.

    All commercial buildings seeking a Green Star Buildings rating must implement best practices for managing operational waste.

    For Green Star projects using Design & As Built NZ v1.1 (available until June 2025), one point can be achieved via Credit 8: Operational Waste, with the Performance Pathway requiring an OWMP to be created.

    For Green Star projects using the latest version, Green Star Buildings NZ, no points are awarded but it is a mandatory minimum expectation for Credit 4: Responsible to meet the Operational Waste requirements, with the Performance Pathway requiring an OWMP to be created.

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All Heart NZ 

We partner with All Heart NZ, a social enterprise that reduces waste, recovers resources, and promotes sustainability while creating living wage jobs and upskilling opportunities to support communities.

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Through our partnership, WM Sustainability provides All Heart NZ’s services to our customers

As of the end of 2024, All Heart NZ has collected over 6,000 tonnes of materials, recovering an average of 90 percent! At the same time, they have supported over 490 communities, with over $19 million raised/saved for community needs.

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Circular Impact

Over 1 million corporate items repurposed

Tools

Waste Diverted

Over 100 tonnes of corporate waste diverted from landfill

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Community Value

Estimated community value of  $300,000

  • What types of items can All Heart NZ help rehome instead of sending to landfill?

    • If you have reusable items such as the examples below, WM New Zealand and All Heart NZ can find a new home for these items instead of landfill disposal:

      • Excess, end-of-line, slow-moving, or unsold stock
      • Furniture and furnishings
      • Computers and IT equipment
      • Unused PPE and hand sanitisers
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Education & Training

Implementing training and continuous education is an important aspect for driving behaviour change.  

 Behaviour change is not just about learning about what items go into what bin...

...but also includes changing the culture of a business to focus on shifting up the waste hierarchy and implementing waste reduction practices which can be led by procurement and switching from single-use to multi-use options.

Recycling

Free Resources

Recycling training available on our YouTube channel

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Tailored Training

Custom training packages available

  • What training options does your team offer?

    • Our team offers a range of bespoke education and training packages. These are tailored to suit the unique needs of each customer, with training options  coming in many forms including:

      • face-to-face sessions
      • online sessions
      • custom animated videos
      • creation of custom educational content and documents
  • What topics do you cover?

    • Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

      • do's and don’ts of recycling
      • the waste hierarchy
      • circular economy best-practice
Method Bin Hero Method Bin Mobile

Method Bins

WM New Zealand partners with Method Recycling®, which enables us to provide their award-winning Method Bins to our customers at below recommended retail price (RRP).

Source separation is an essential part of minimising waste and maximising materials recovery, and Method Bins are designed to make recycling easier with a proven increases of recycling rates for many workplaces.

These bins, suitable for any corporate environment, are proudly made in New Zealand out of 50%-80% recycled polypropylene collected from recycling services in Christchurch and Manawatu.

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Award-winning Design

Designed for durability with a 5-year warranty

Circular solutions

Sustainable Longevity

Method Success Stories

  • Australian National Maritime Museum

    • Faced with landfill challenges, the Australian National Maritime Museum transformed its waste management with Method bins, innovative signage, and a renewed focus on recycling. By aligning values and fostering education, the Museum has achieved remarkable results, diverting nearly 80% of waste from landfill. 

       

      Read the full story here

  • McConnell Dowell

    • McConnell Dowell has revolutionised waste management on Melbourne's Western Program Alliance project sites with Australia's first 5-stream Method recycling system. Cutting landfill waste by 80% and contamination to just 2%, their tailored approach showcases a commitment to sustainability and sets new standards for recycling in the construction industry.

       

  • Western Program Alliance - Level Crossing Removal Project

    • Western Program Alliance is driving waste reduction with an ambitious office recycling initiative, implementing up to 10 streams to exceed a 60% waste diversion target. With Method’s customised signage, they’ve improved recycling accuracy, reduced costs, and inspired sustainable habits, creating a positive impact for their projects, people, and the environment.

       

      Read the full story here

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Carbon Reporting 

WM Sustainability Services offers a monthly subscription service that provides you with a report that details your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from waste disposal.

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Our carbon reporting service will support your company’s tracking towards Scope 3 emission reduction targets

The subscription service provides a monthly report outlining waste data, including the reportable carbon emissions associated with landfill disposal. The reports are independently verified and audited annually by Toitū Envirocare and are suitable for use in an ISO 14064 1:2018 compliant inventory.

  • How do the carbon reports come to customers?

    • The carbon reports come in multiple formats, whether it be a summary PDF document, or a detailed Excel worksheet which customers can filter and pivot to obtain their desired information.

Emissions Trading Scheme

Audited Annually

ISO 14064 verified

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Custom Reporting

Utilisation of Unique Emission Factors

Waste levy

Landfill Emissions

Reportable emissions associated with landfill disposal

Meet the Sustainability Team

WM Sustainability’s team members are highly educated sustainability experts, with tertiary degrees covering a range of areas, such as sustainable management, marketing and sustainable enterprise, and environmental geochemistry.

Andrea Svendsen 

  • Sustainability and Communications Manager

    • Meet our Sustainability and Communications Manager, Andrea Svendsen, who brings over two decades of expertise in communications to WM NZ. With experience in medical and environmental journalism, combined with strategic communications leadership, Andrea specialises in translating complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives that drive positive change.

      At the heart of Andrea's work is her commitment to WM's people. She believes that by supporting our team, we enable them to be the best guardians of Aotearoa's environment they can be.

Tyron Reece Hartle

  • Lead Sustainability Partner

    • Tyron has a Bsc Honours in Environmental Geochemistry and a decade's worth of experience in the waste management industry, with a focus on circular economy, waste reduction and implementation of services to achieve sustainability goals.

      Tyron has been given the nickname “Captain Planet” by one of his most valuable customers, as he is always looking for ways to reduce waste generation and improve resource recovery.

Rhiannon Wakely

  • Sustainability Partner (North Island)

    • With a Master’s in Sustainable Management and past experience in marketing, Rhiannon is committed to fostering impactful partnerships, working to create sustainable outcomes and meaningful action. Known for her care and passion for the environment, Rhiannon also enjoys engaging in conservation efforts, including her previous involvement with the Whio Forever Recovery Programme.

      She is passionate about leaving a positive impact – for the people living today, and on the world for generations to come.

Sarah Hendry

  • Sustainability Partner (South Island)

    • Sarah has built a career on materials recovery and circular solutions. Before joining WM New Zealand she held a sustainability role in the construction and demolition industry, with a heavy focus on reducing waste sent to landfill. She also has extensive experience in Green Star projects.

      She is passionate about working with businesses to achieve sustainability goals and holds a BA in social sciences and a postgraduate certificate in environmental management.  

Jannine Getalado

  • Sustainability Coordinator

    • After finishing the graduate programme at WM New Zealand, Jannine has found her passion in data and engaging with people. Her academic background in environmental sciences and human geography fuels her work to help make sustainability and carbon reporting more understandable and relatable.

      Jannine values the collaboration between different groups and individual, both internal and external to the company, that contribute to understanding opportunities and challenges, improving processes, and fostering better perspectives and practices on sustainability.

Michaela Zaugg

  • Sustainability Graduate

    • Michaela has stepped into the role of Sustainability Graduate following the completion of her Bachelor of Environmental Science. In her position, she supports carbon reporting, sustainability initiatives, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) projects.

      Her deep passion for nature and animals is evident in her weekend volunteering, where she contributes to both the SPCA and a community garden club.