Waste generated at the Dunedin City Library has fallen 54% in two and a-half years.
Library management decided almost a year ago to roll out a waste minimisation programme through the Dunedin City Council's five libraries.
But waste audits had already been carried out at the central library and they showed the amount of waste fell from nearly 76kg per full-time-equivalent staff member in October 2006 to about 35kg in April this year.
Dunedin City Council waste strategy officer Catherine Broad says paper is the big issue in a library and this is specifically targeted for reuse and recycling, with collection boxes and wheelie bins placed throughout the building.
The library was the first council department to organise recycling of its "e-waste", sending 20 computer monitors and 10kg of keyboards and "peripherals" to a hazardous waste handler that recovers 95% of material.
Used fluorescent tubes, ink and toner cartridges, packaging and cardboard are also recycled.
A Green Team, made up of one person from each community library and one person per floor at the central library, identifies new ways to reduce waste and disseminates information to other library staff.
Two projects they will consider in the future are putting a food decomposer in the central library staff room, and suggesting people bring their own bottles or cups to work - 166 disposable cups were found in the library in the last audit and because they are wax-coated, they cannot be recycled.
Similar measures are being taken at community libraries, though they are already "very resource efficient", Miss Broad says. In a one-week period, the Waikouaiti library recorded only 800g of waste and the Blueskin library only 200g, or one small piece of plastic.
The waste minimisation programme was one local initiative highlighted by council staff on World Environment Day yesterday.
Others were the presentation of a silver Enviro-Mark Award to Delta for its environmental management system at the Green Island landfill, and the launch of the council's workplace travel plan.
The council's safe and sustainable travel co-ordinator, Charlotte Flaherty, describes a travel plan as a package of measures aimed at widening travel choices but particularly at reducing reliance on cars in favour of more walking, cycling, public transport and car pooling.
The benefits can include a healthier, more motivated workforce; fewer parking problems, reduced company expenditure on company cars and fuel; and a more environmentally friendly company image.
Ms Flaherty, who can help Dunedin workplaces set up their own schemes, says it involves surveying staff and assessing the need for facilities such as cycle racks and showers. Other options include a car pool matching programme, a video-conferencing facility and alternative work hours for staff.
