Glossary of WRAPP terms

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

B
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 or through to an established agency-wide policy. The term is often associated with programs based in the United States and other countries including Australia.
C
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. For a diagram of ‘closing the loop’ click here
Commercial and Industrial waste (C&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.
Construct NSW	A NSW government policy framework for strengthening the capacity of the construction industry. The Department of Public Works and Services developed the integrated development program which covers environmental aspects including standardised Environmental Management Systems and "whole-of-government" accreditation for construction contractors.
Construction and demolition materials (C&D)	A broad range of materials used to build new structures or repair or refurbish existing buildings, or waste products from demolition activities. For a list of materials included in the WRAPP click here
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.
D
Duplex printing	Printing on both sides of a piece of paper.
F
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.
M
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.
O
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 and limbs, and 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.
P
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.
R
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.
S
Scheduled wastes (WRAPP)	Materials identified for action under the WRAPP, namely paper, office equipment and consumables, vegetation wastes and construction and demolition wastes.
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.
T
Two-up printing	A printing option in some word-processing programs where two on-screen pages are printed onto a single side of paper.
V
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.
W
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. Note that there is a similar voluntary scheme being implemented by local government councils and coordinated/supported by Resource NSW.