Earth Day 2024: How Can We Make a Difference?

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This year, Earth Day’s global theme is Planet vs. Plastics, and plans to encourage all groups of people across the world to contribute to the end-goal of reducing plastic production by 60%, by the year 2040.

Plastics are heavily associated with food packaging, and single-use plastics and food wastage are major causes of concern for the environment and our livelihoods.

Australians waste up to about 7.6 million tonnes of food on an annual basis, which can be up to 312kg a person. As a result, this waste accounts for 3% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Unfortunately, most food packaging has been designed to be single use, and therefore it cannot be recycled. RMIT-led research found contributing factors such as:

  • Unsuitable packaging sizes,
  • Poor purchasing habits, and
  • Date label confusion,

Have all contributed to the nation’s food waste.

OzHarvest

OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, and was founded in 2004 by Ronni Kahn AO, after she had noticed a huge volume of food going to waste at her events business.

The goal of OzHarvest is to prevent good food from going to waste and delivering it to charities that help feed people in need. They have yellow vans that frequent local communities daily, collecting a quality surplus food from a network of donors, including supermarkets, cafes, delis, restaurants, corporate kitchens, airlines hotels and other food businesses.

OzHarvest operates nationally, with offices in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle, and Perth, through a team of passionate volunteers in regional communities.

Alongside this, OzHarvest also host educational programs about advocacy work, to help inspire and educate people about food waste, food security and sustainability.

For every $1 donated to OzHarvest, they are also able to deliver two meals to people in need.

And, by encouraging Australians to change their behaviours when ideologies when it comes to food waste, OzHarvest hopes to reach the target of halving the amount of food wasted by 2030.

How Coffey Testing Are Contributing

Coffey Testing has opted to do a nation-wide Food Swap, not only increasing the amount of single use plastics produced for food packaging, but also looks at reducing the costs and impacts on the environment that non-perishable food items in cans and tins can have.

This in turn, allows for less food purchased in single-use packaging, cuts costs affiliated with food waste, and manufacturing of single-use packaging, and makes people think twice about what they’re buying when they are doing their regular grocery shopping and how it will impact our planet.

Whilst this is a small step, through encouraging our staff from across Australia to participate in this Food Swap, Coffey Testing hopes to educate staff on the impacts that single-use plastics and food wastage has on the economy, the environment, and our livelihoods.

How Else Can We Make a Difference?

There are also other ways that everyone can contribute to reducing food waste and prevent the purchasing of single-use plastics and packaging. Whilst they may seem small, they will make the world of difference!

  • Check your fridge before you shop, and only buy what you need.
  • Plan your meals – It not only saves time, but it also reduces the overall cost of your shop.
  • Check the date labels and know the difference between ‘Use-by’, ‘Best Before’, and ‘Display Until’.
  • Use leftovers and get creative with your next meal, and
  • You can also ask for a takeaway bag when eating out and take the rest home with you.

Coffey Testing Welcomes Rhys Rowlands to our Welshpool Office as Newly Appointed Laboratory Manager

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Coffey Testing would like to announce the appointment of our newest Laboratory Manager for our Welshpool Lab in Perth, Rhys Rowlands!

Starting his career within the construction materials testing industry nearly 20 years ago, Rhys has worked on numerous projects all over the UK and Ireland, testing materials such as soils, asphalt and concrete, and had a major involvement in site investigation works, as well as environmental monitoring for dust, noise and vibrations.

Rhys then moved to Australia in 2012, to take on a position of Annex Laboratory Manager in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Within the 5 years he was situated here, he worked on various projects that contributed to the development of the Roy Hill Mine Site project, such as:

• Roy Hill Aerodrome,
• Roy Hill Camp and Village Facilities, and then
• Roy Hill – Port Landslide.

Alongside these noteworthy projects, Rhys has also worked on many other projects, both within the Oil and Gas fields and Mining areas of Western Australia. He also has previous Laboratory Manager experience, and extensive knowledge on Quality Assurance through previous roles.

We welcome Rhys to the team and look forward to seeing the milestones he creates with our Coffey Testing – WA Team.

Coffey – Testing Nhulunbuy’s Commitment to Providing Testing that Assists with Indigenous Housing

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The Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy team have been providing testing that support community-led projects, designed to benefit the Indigenous groups that form part of the Northern Territory population.

Indigenous Housing in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory Government has put together a strategy that had commenced in 2020, and will continue through till 2025, titled A Home for all Territorians.

This strategy has been put in place to emphasise the importance of enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities within the Northern Territory. The benefits of providing housing that is accessible to all Northern Territory residents not only fosters various social and economic benefits but also demonstrates an active plan to create better living standards.

These initiatives demonstrate the NT Government’s strong commitment to supporting all Territorians to access housing that is safe, secure, and affordable, and include:

Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy has been assisting with Indigenous Housing Initiatives

Coffey Testing has been assisting with remote projects on Galiwinku, Elcho Island, and Groote, Eylandt.

These have been ongoing projects whereby we have been contracted by the DIPL (Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics) to assist with economic growth and development within rural areas of the Northern Territory. These include:

 Types of testing that Coffey Testing Can Facilitate

The Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy Team can facilitate the following testing, that contributes to providing construction support for facilities that are to be utilised for Indigenous Housing. These include:

  • Soil Testing,
  • NDG Testing,
  • Site Investigations, and
  • Soil Classification/ Material Assessment

Unlock Insights with Soil Testing at Coffey Testing –  Nhulunbuy

Soil testing can allow project managers to understand more about the ground conditions that the project is to be built upon. Understanding the soil’s conditions and composition reassures confidence when it comes to project planning and allows for mitigating risks that could occur.

At Coffey Testing, we can facilitate a broad range of testing, such as:

  • Soil Classification,
  • Material quality and conformance,
  • Compaction testing,
  • Consolidation tests,
  • Density testing, as well as,
  • Advanced specialised testing.

To unlock better insights into the groundworks of your project, get in touch with our Coffey Testing Nhulunbuy team today.

Discover Valuable Insights Through Material Assessments using Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy

At Coffey Testing, we take great pride in promptly testing and delivering results for our clients’ projects.

When it comes to providing testing that can assist with Indigenous Housing and Facilities projects, the Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy can determine the durability, strength, and quality of materials to ensure that you are getting the most out the structural integrity and longevity of your project.

Material Testing is a very important piece of the construction puzzle, as it affects the following factors:

  • Quality Assurance – Project managers are reassured that the materials they are utilising meets NATA specifications and specifications. As a result, the construction project can maintain a consistent level of quality throughout.
  • Quality Control – This also further contributes to the overall quality and reliability of construction materials.
  • Safety Assurance – Ensuring that construction materials possess the required strength and durability is critical to preventing structural failures, which can lead to WHS issues such as accidents, injuries and in some cases, loss of life. By conducting accurate material testing, construction companies can have confidence in the safety of their projects.
  • Compliance with Regulations – Coffey Testing is NATA Accredited and regularly audited, meaning that the safety and performance is compliant with Australian Standards.
  • Cost Savings – Material testing leads to significant cost savings in the future, as the structural integrity of the project is more secure due to the pre-construction testing of materials, preventing errors that could be costly.
  • Efficiency and Performance – Material testing provides critical data that helps project managers determine the best practice and solutions for construction, and therefore maintaining the longevity of said project. By doing so, projects that have had their materials tested are proven to operate and perform more efficiently.

Confide in Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy to assist with your next Indigenous Housing Project

Choose a company that cares about providing accurate results in a timely manner. Get in touch with our Coffey Testing – Nhulunbuy team today.