ABOUT ALSCO

Paul Newberry
General Manager, Mulgrave

A few years ago, our branch came in the Top 200 for water use in the Melbourne area. We started to take a hard look at ways we could reduce our water usage, while still maintaining high quality standards for our customers. The low-hanging fruit was first; it seemed like small stuff, but the results were quite amazing.

With that progress in our pocket, we went for a much bigger reduction in grey water recycling. Right now, we're very proud that over the past 18 months, our Mulgrave team has managed to reduce water usage in the branch by a staggering 18%.

At this point, our team is turning their attention to CO2 emission reductions, using the same process of pilot programmes and forward thinking.

I am on the steering committee for the Department of Sustainability VIC, which helps us take a leadership position in the sharing of information and best practices. Alsco understands that we absolutely must be responsible corporate citizens, constantly finding ways to reduce our impact.

Jan Loxton
Production Supervisor

About three years ago, we started questioning the amount of plastic being used to wrap clean linen and garments. We thought there must be a better, more environmentally friendly, way to keep the linen fresh until they were needed.

Now, larger-scale linen customers get their deliveries in plastic tallboy trolleys, covered in washable cloth and we use tie straps for binding. It's easier on our delivery drivers and quicker for the customers too - roll on, roll off. At this point, we've managed to cut our use of plastic wrap by 60%.

Reducing the use of plastic wrap has been a good change for everyone involved. It saves time in the process, increasing efficiencies and improving delivery turnaround times. And we feel better about our work and our impact on the environment.