26 February is Business Clean-Up Day.  This is a great opportunity for your organisation to work together and spend a couple of hours improving the environment at a site of your choice. Registering a site is easy - you can do it on the Clean Up Australia Day website.

APC rewarding participation

All signatories that participate in 2013 will receive a free Energy Audit and Action Program from GreenBizCheck, plus have the chance to win recycled plastic furniture from Replas. In the spirit of product stewardship, the winners of these seats will be encouraged to donate them to the local school, community group or sporting team of their choice.

Register today

Registering for Business Clean-Up Day is easy and generates great team morale.  You can check out the APC's own site on the Clean Up Australia website. In 2012 we joined forces with Allergan, Subway, Harvey Norman, McDonalds and Veolia and collected 36 bags filled with all sorts of litter.  Maybe consider collaborating with some of the other businesses near you? We look forward to hearing about your clean-up site, and will be providing further information to all those who register regarding how to incorporate participation in a clean-up event and the Energy Audit into your APC action plan and annual report.

The APC's Business Clean-Up Day program is proudly supported by Replas and GreenBizCheck.

To launch the newly created Design Smart Material Guides, the APC is holding a Packaging Sustainability drinks night, sponsored by Jacob’s Creek, in Sydney on 7 March. Your invitation to the free networking event for packaging sustainability and recycling industry peers is available to download on the APC website.

Places at the event are limited; RSVP now to secure your place: apc@packagingcovenant.org.au.

The event will be held at North Sydney Council’s Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, a great sustainability-focussed venue overlooking the water in Waverton.  The food and wine will not disappoint.

The 2013 funding round opens Monday 11 February 2013 and the APC will accept applications until 22 March 2013.

The APC will accept proposals for all projects that meet the funding criteria in the application form.

To download the application form visit the project section of the APC website.

You can also check out past and current APC funded projects in our projects database. Since 2005, the Covenant has funded 140 projects with a total project value of over $126m.

Closing the loop on Mordialloc Shopping Strip

The Mordialloc shopping strip is centred between two existing recycling infrastructures at foreshore and train station. By closing the loop and creating a permanent place recycling (PPR) system with an associated change behaviour program, use of the installed recycling bins will not only divert waste from landfill, but also reduce litter entering Port Phillip Bay.

Read the full project report

Update industry recycling materials specification manual and recycling guides

One of the barriers to effective communication between the packaging supply chain and the recycling industry is the lack of information explaining how the design of packaging affects recyclability during the recycling process. This project provides the packaging and recycling industries with information about post- consumer packaging recycling standards and processes.

Read more about the project and access the full project report

Waste and litter management is currently reaching a tipping point of change – social media, new technologies, population growth, urban expansion and the review of a number of key state and federal strategies and policies are pushing educators to develop new skills and explore new territory to engage and create valuable programs for their constituents.

Tipping Point, held on 5 & 6 March, will bring together waste and litter educators and their managers with an inspiring range of keynote speakers, case studies, workshops and tours.

Check out the confirmed speakers and presenters at www.mwmg.vic.gov.au/tippingpoint

The APC is proud to be a principal sponsor of Tipping Point.

The APC is an event partner of a one-day Round Table on “The Marketing Impacts of Packaging Sustainability”, jointly hosted by SPA and RMIT.

The Round Table is scheduled to take place at the RMIT Design Hub in Melbourne on 21 March 2013 and will feature speakers and discussions from marketers, retailers, brand owners and designers.

Download the event brochure