The Wine Industry Sustainable Packaging Alliance (part of APCO), in conjunction with Regional Development Australia (RDA), initiated a project to look at improving the recycling services available to small wine businesses in the Barossa.  Larger businesses had been previously shown to have very high rates of recycling and reuse.  However, it was believed that the small volumes of recyclable materials generated by smaller businesses did not allow an economically feasible way of recycling.

Colby Phillips Advisory was engaged by RDA with funding from the South Australian Government (Green Industries SA) to assess opportunities for improving recycling in the Barossa.  Joel Phillips undertook a range of tasks to determine what opportunities could be available.  These tasks included:

• Assessing volumes of waste and recyclable materials generated from a range of business types
• Estimating total volumes that may be generated across the region
• Detailed online survey of businesses to assess attitudes towards recycling
• Engaging with local businesses that could potentially act as a drop off site for recyclables
• Organising a business forum in Nuriootpa to present findings and solicit feedback from businesses.

The outcome of the study was the expansion of an existing community charity in Nuriootpa (Father’s Farm) to allow them to receive various recyclable materials.  With appropriate sorting and handling, these materials could be processed in Adelaide for reuse by Australian businesses.