Draffin Street Furniture had the honour of partnering with Healesville Sanctuary to overhaul their waste collection facilities, as part of their “Zero Waste Project”, and to provide a solution to a pesky challenge…
Conservation is a huge priority for Healesville Sanctuary. This is easy to see if you take a walk through the zoo grounds. Education on everything from the effects of humans on wildlife habitats to greenhouse effects is featured throughout their grounds. Their waste management policy ensures that they are always striving towards zero waste into landfill. With our help they implemented this new three bin system, and ensured all food and beverage outlets have compostable wares or recyclable packaging that would fit into these bins.
The Challenge
Like the Zoos name suggests, wildlife find Healesville Sanctuary a great place to live. Not only do they have animals on display throughout the grounds, the larger sanctuary property and surrounds are also home to countless wild animals.
A standard bin surround would not work in these conditions, as some wildlife would find the contents of the bins a source of food. A solution was needed that would allow easy depositing of rubbish by us, and yet impossible to access by the animals. This solution would not only stop the animals eating food and rubbish they shouldn’t, but also stop the mess the animals made to ensure the grounds stayed rubbish free.
These bin surrounds required a different approach.
A special hydraulically weighted chute was devised. This employed the use of a custom hydraulic strut, that allowed the chute to be opened by a child over a certain weight, but not by a brushtail possum. These creatures are surprisingly strong, so many tests were carried out to find the right balance.
A soft return mechanism in the hydraulic strut ensured the chute would always close after use.
The specialised chute required a bit of space internally, so a new cover style was devised, ensuring ease of use, and the safety of the user.
Custom silhouette style perforations on the side of the bin were designed in-house at Draffin Street Furniture, devised from artwork sent to us from the zoo.
Healesville sanctuary already had signage to apply to these bins. Our zoos are a great way to educate, not only about animals, but the effect we humans have on animals and environments. It all starts here at the bin, and clear communication is the key. The user knows what is accepted in each bin, and is also informed where the waste ends up.
While we have plenty of standard solutions on offer, sometimes a more customised approach is required. Our engineers and factory staff have the knowledge and expertise needed to design and manufacture exactly what is required. Whether its a small tweak to a standard option, through to bespoke solutions, Draffin Street Furniture has you covered.
Contact Draffin Street Furniture for your next project.