Glossary of WRAPP terms
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Buy-recycled
'Buy-recycled' is where preference is given to products with recycled content. It can be done at a number of levels -from a conscious decision by an individual, through to an established agency-wide policy.
Close (closing) the loop Where procurement, recycling (or 'recovery') and the manufacture of recycled content products is linked. 'The loop' refers to a circular flow of materials through the supply chain and waste management systems. 'Closing the loop' diagram
Commercial and Industrial waste (C and I) Waste generated by a range of business and public sector establishments. These include manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, community services and tourism and recreational sectors.
Commingled Containers A mix of steel and aluminium cans and various types of plastic bottles collected for recycling.
Construction and demolition materials (C and D) A broad range of materials used to build new structures or repair or refurbish existing buildings, or waste products from demolition activities. List of C&D materials included in the WRAPP
Consumables See 'machine consumables'.
Contaminants Foreign matter mixed in with homogenous recycled materials which reduces the overall quality and value of the load. For example pieces of plastic mixed in with recyclable paper.
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Duplex printing Printing on both sides of a piece of paper.
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Ecologically Sustainable Development 'Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' Our Common Future, United Nations 1987
Energy and water efficient products & appliances Mandatory energy efficiency labelling and Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) www.energyrating.gov.au requirements cover a range of electrical appliances and equipment. The objective of the two schemes is to improve product energy efficiency. Electrical products which are required to be energy labelled are refrigerators and freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, televisions and single phase non-ducted air conditioners.
Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) www.waterrating.gov.au/consumers/index.html#products is Australia’s water efficiency labelling scheme. It currently applies to plumbing products – showers, tap equipment and flow controllers (not mandatory), sanitary ware – toilet (lavatory) equipment, urinal equipment, white goods – clothes washers, dishwashers.
Smart Approved WaterMark www.smartwatermark.org/home/default.asp is Australia’s outdoor water saving labelling program. This is a voluntary scheme and applies principally to products used in rainwater harvesting, grey water systems, plumbing and cleaning.
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Fly ash A waste product from coal-fired power stations which can be used in concrete structures as a substitute for cement. Fly ash can improve the properties of concrete, lower the cost to produce concrete and reduce the greenhouse emissions generated during the manufacture of cement.
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Machine consumables Includes toner, toner cartridges, drums, ribbons etc. It does not include paper used in office machines.
Municipal waste Waste generated by domestic premises, homes or council activities. Includes a wide variety of materials: paper and cardboard, food, garden waste, glass, plastic, metal etc.
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Office equipment and components Includes photocopiers, fax machines, laser printers, registers and other paper-using equipment.
Organic garden materials Organic (plant) materials generated by domestic, C&D and C&I sources. Organic garden materials include putrescible garden organics (grass clippings), non-woody garden organics, woody garden organics, trees, limbs, stumps and rootballs.
Organic waste/organics Biodegradable wastes which could be composted (such as food scraps, grass clippings and garden waste), but not building timber, plastic, rubber, oils, hydrocarbons and organic chemicals. They can be used for a wide variety of applications including landscaping, agriculture, plant propagation, water retention, soil conditioning etc.
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Paper products Includes copy paper, offset paper, stationery etc.
Paper yield (from toner cartridges) Number of pages that can be printed from a full toner cartridge.
Post-consumer waste Waste materials that have been used by consumers and recovered from the waste stream, which are then used as raw materials to make new products.
Post-collection material sorting Where recovered or recycled material is sorted into different types and grades after it has been collected. This is commonly done at materials-recovery facilities.
Pre-consumer waste Waste materials recovered from the manufacturing process before it is sold to consumers, which are then used as raw materials to make new products: e.g. printers' offcuts, mill broke etc.
Pre-cut office paper Paper that has been already cut to size ready for use: e.g. A4 copy paper.
Public place recycling Waste from systems installed in parks, ovals and at special events. Providing recycling bins in public places also helps to promote the importance of recycling to the general community.
Purchasing System for Construction The NSW Department of Finance and Services (DFS) maintains the NSW Government Procurement System for Construction to support NSW Government agencies in managing construction procurement.
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Rapid visual survey (waste auditing Where visual estimates are taken of the quantity and make-up of waste (as opposed to manual separation and processing of the waste).
Recover Diverting materials from the waste stream and finding a beneficial use for it. 'Recovery' includes activities such as reuse, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy, reprocessing etc.
Recycled content The amount or proportion of a product that is made of recycled material. Recycled content can be described broadly by weight, volume and many other measures. There are currently no clear standards for definition of 'recycled content' in Australia.
Recycled content paper Paper that contains a portion of recycled material, either pre-or post-consumer. See 'recycled content' above.
Remanufacture/remake/remade Where a product or material is recovered from the waste stream and made into another product for sale. This may be via repair, refurbishment or reconditioning. Reputable products will be tested to performance levels equivalent to a new or 'virgin' product and come with some form of warranty.
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Scheduled wastes (WRAPP) Materials identified for action under the WRAPP, namely paper, office equipment and consumables, vegetation wastes and construction and demolition wastes. Refer to WRAPP Materials for a full list.
Source separation Where recyclable materials are separated into different types or grades by the person disposing of them. This is opposed to post-collection material sorting
Sydney Metropolitan Area A statistical area encompassing metropolitan Sydney, Hunter and the Illawarra.
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Two-up printing A printing option in some word-processing programs where two on-screen pages are printed onto a single side of paper.
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Vegetation materials One of material types scheduled under the WRAPP. 'Vegetation materials' includes leaves, tree clippings, prunings, woody wastes etc. It does not include food (see 'Materials' for more information).
Virgin paper Paper made from original tree pulp.
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Waste audit A formal, structured process used to quantify the amount and types of waste being generated by an organisation. Information gleaned from waste audits will help identify current waste-management practices and how they can be improved.
Waste stream Different types of waste materials separated into different 'streams' depending on their source. The most common streams referred to are municipal (from domestic and council dwellings), commercial and industrial and construction and demolition.
Waste-to-energy Where waste is used as an energy feedstock: e.g. in the generation of electricity.
WRAPP An acronym for the NSW Government's Waste Reduction and Purchasing Policy.
Page last updated: 04 July 2011
