Environmental management

DPS reports annually on elements of environmental performance, in line with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), for the management of resources for which it is responsible.

DPS also reports under the:

• Energy Efficiency in Government Operations (EEGO) Policy, and
• National Environment Protection Measures (Implementation) Act 1998.

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) is defined as ‘development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends’.⁵²

DPS reports annually on ESD throughout this report.

Identification, management and monitoring of environmental impacts

DPS aims to ensure that the vital functions of Parliament House operate effectively, while minimising resource consumption and waste production by:

• monitoring environmental performance
• implementing programs and projects to improve environmental outcomes, and
• developing plans to improve environmental sustainability.

Many activities at Parliament House—including maintenance, engineering, landscaping, ICT, catering and office-based services—have the potential to affect the environment through energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation.

DPS incorporates environmental guidelines and checklists in the procurement of products and services and in the planning and delivery of projects, including consideration of:

• whole-of-life principles
• sustainable procurement principles
• reuse and recycling of materials, and
• energy, water and waste minimisation.

Communication and promotion

DPS provides information on its environmental performance and promotes sustainability initiatives. This includes encouraging participation in annual environmental events such as National Recycling Week and World Environment Day.

Environmental performance

Water consumption

Figure 16: Annual water consumption 2007–08 to 2017–18

Total water consumption for 2017–18 was 199,797KL, representing an increase of one per cent on the 198,446KL consumed the previous year. Landscape water consumption⁵³ increased from 101,721KL in 2016–17 to 106,542KL in 2017–18, representing an increase of five per cent. Building water consumption in 2017–18 was 93,255KL, a decrease of four per cent on the 96,725KL consumed the previous year. Annual water consumption for Parliament House is shown in Figure 16. Figure 17 shows a breakdown of water use during 2017–18.

Figure 17: Breakdown of water consumption in 2017–18

Water saving initiatives

Kitchens upgrade project

From 2019, the Parliament House kitchens will be progressively updated to incorporate more energy and water efficient equipment—new large commercial dishwashers will use 40 per cent less water and 55 per cent less energy. Preparation of procurement documentation for design and construction is currently under way.

Energy consumption

In 2017–18, total energy consumed at Parliament House, DPS tenancies, and by DPS vehicles was 141,330 GJ, representing a decrease of 3.1 per cent from the previous year. Parliament House electricity consumption decreased by 3.5 per cent, natural gas consumption decreased by two per cent, diesel fuel energy (non-transport) decreased by 19 per cent, and energy for DPS vehicles (passenger and other transport) decreased by 20 per cent compared with 2016–17.

Table 42 shows energy consumption by Parliament House, DPS tenancies and vehicles.

Parliament House building energy use comprises:

• natural gas for heating, general hot water and in kitchens
• electricity to power office lighting, mechanical services, lifts, cooling and ICT equipment, and
• a small amount of diesel mainly used for testing the emergency backup generators.

Table 42: Energy consumed at Parliament House, DPS tenancies and by DPS vehicles

Indicator	Energy consumption (GJ)
	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18
Parliament House building54	136,916	144,38555	140,380
Minter Ellison building56	–	614	603
Transport–passenger vehicles	73	69	51
Other transport57	325	363	296
Total energy consumption	137,314	145,43158	141,330

Figure 18: Parliament House annual electricity and gas consumption from 2008–09 to 2017–18

Figure 18 shows total Parliament House electricity and gas usage has remained stable over the past 10 years. In 2017–18, Parliament House’s combined electricity and gas consumption was 139,900 GJ which was consistent with the average consumption of 139,135 GJ observed over the past decade—electricity consumption was two per cent lower than average and gas consumption was five per cent higher than average.

Over the coming years DPS will undertake a number of building improvement projects that will result in lower electricity and gas usage, including replacement of the building’s heating equipment, which accounts for the majority of gas usage.

Transport energy use

In 2017–18, there was a 20 per cent reduction in energy use associated with all DPS transport vehicles, compared with 2016–17. The energy reduction is mainly associated with a reduced requirement to transport landscape waste offsite—instead making more frequent use of a local skip service. Other transport energy consists of fuel used in onsite maintenance and loading dock vehicles, many of which operate on electric power to reduce emissions.

Energy saving initiatives

In 2017–18, DPS completed the upgrade of two large central chillers and associated control systems, which concluded an extensive chiller upgrade program of all five central chillers, commencing in 2010. The new chillers are more energy efficient and use more environmentally friendly refrigerants.

In 2017–18, DPS progressed with the upgrade of six large boilers used to heat the building—all boiler installation work is expected to be completed in 2018. The new heating equipment will provide significant energy savings from better equipment and operating efficiency.

Further projects and energy saving initiatives progressed in 2017–18 include:

• upgrade of lifts—this project is upgrading all 42 lifts in the building to more energy efficient types, which use 30 per cent less energy. Four lifts were upgraded in 2017–18. Of the remaining 38 lifts, the next 10 are scheduled for completion in 2018–19; then a further 14 in 2019–20; and the final 14 lifts will be completed in 2020–21, and
• fine-tuning of the Building Management System (BMS)—in 2017–18, DPS completed a broad fine-tuning program of the BMS controls used to automate the building’s heating and cooling equipment. BMS control settings have been adjusted and optimised by BMS technical staff to improve energy efficiency while maintaining building comfort conditions.

Recycling and waste management

Parliament House waste is generated from a diverse range of activities inside and outside the building. Quantities and types of waste fluctuate throughout the year, depending on building occupancy, sitting patterns, construction projects, office refurbishments, and election cycles.

DPS recycles paper, cardboard, printer cartridges, lamps, used oil, grease, batteries, landscape material, metal, organic food waste and co-mingled waste.

In 2017–18, the amount of general waste (excluding construction waste) sent to landfill was 404 tonnes. This is an increase of 11 per cent compared with the 364 tonnes sent in 2016–17. The increase is predominantly due to furniture replacement projects in both the Senate and House of Representatives, requiring disposal of old furniture that could not be resold through auction. A thorough clean-out of all plant rooms in the building also contributed to the increase in landfill waste.

In 2017–18, a total of 165 tonnes of paper was recycled—a decrease of 20 per cent compared with the 206 tonnes in 2016–17. In 2018, the printer settings on all DPS fleet printers were reset to double-sided printing and greyscale on all print jobs, to reduce paper consumption and printing costs. The amount of paper and cardboard recycled varies annually, depending on parliamentary business and other building activity.

Figure 19 shows annual waste disposed to landfill and paper recycled.

Construction waste is managed under project contracts and where possible and appropriate, construction materials are reused, recycled or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

Figure 19: Parliament House annual waste disposed to landfill and paper recycled

The preferred method for disposing of green landscape waste at Parliament House is to chip the material on-site and re-use it in the gardens. When waste generated in the landscape cannot be chipped on-site the material is taken off-site to be recycled or sent to landfill. During 2017–18, 107 tonnes of landscape waste was sent for recycling and no material was sent to landfill. Figure 20 shows annual trends in landscape waste and recycling rates.

Figure 20: Annual quantity of landscape waste (tonnes)

Co–mingled and organic waste recycling

Co-mingled waste includes metal cans, glass bottles, milk cartons and plastic, collected in a common bin. During 2017–18, a total of 38 tonnes of co-mingled waste was collected and recycled, a six per cent decrease compared to the amount collected and recycled in 2016–17.

DPS collects organic food waste from catering operations in the building for recycling at a local worm farm. Since being introduced in 2012, the initiative has helped reduce the burden on ACT landfill sites and reduce emissions (methane) caused by the breakdown of food waste.

During 2017–18, a total of 77 tonnes of organic waste was diverted from landfill and converted into garden compost material at the local worm farm—a 20 per cent increase compared to the amount collected the previous year. The increase is mostly due to additional excess food waste collected from functions, events and catering operations at Parliament House. Figure 21 illustrates annual co-mingled and organic recycling rates.

Figure 21: Parliament House annual co-mingled and organic waste recycled (tonnes)

Emissions and effluents

Greenhouse gas emissions

During 2017–18, a total of 27,097 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) was generated from Parliament House operations and DPS tenancies,⁵⁹ representing a four per cent decrease from 2016–17. In 2017–18, DPS reduced CO₂ emissions by 57 tonnes from renewable electricity generated by roof-top solar panels at Parliament House. Table 43 shows the breakdown of emissions within various categories.

Table 43: Annual greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect, including passenger and operational vehicle fleets)

Emission category	Comment	2015–16 (tonnes CO2e)	2016–17 (tonnes CO2e)	2017–18 (tonnes CO2e)
Scope 1	Emissions at the source of the activity (for example, emitted from gas and fuels used at Parliament House and by vehicles)	2,350	2,702	2,635
Scope 2	Emissions generated elsewhere (for example, by the power plants that produce the electricity used at Parliament House and DPS tenancies)	19,283	21,736	20,810
Scope 3	Indirect emissions, meaning emissions generated during the delivery of electricity, gas and fuel to Parliament House, over which DPS has little control	3,326	3,762	3,652
Scopes 1 and 2 total	DPS has direct responsibility for these emissions	21,633	24,438	23,445
Total net emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3)	Direct and indirect emissions including offsets	24,959	28,20060	27,097

Figure 22: Parliament House greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and gas usage, and carbon savings from renewable sources

Carbon savings include accredited green power purchased under the whole-of-government (WoG) electricity contract and a small amount of solar power generated from Parliament House roof-top solar panels. From 1 July 2016, accredited green power was not available under the WoG contract.

Emission reductions from recycling

In 2017–18, DPS diverted 77 tonnes of organic food waste from landfill to a local recycling facility—equivalent to reducing lifetime landfill CO₂ emissions by 146 tonnes.⁶¹

Ozone–depleting substances

Parliament House relies on refrigerants that contain Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS). These are used for chillers, air-conditioning units, cool rooms and refrigerators. DPS is reducing the requirement for ozone-depleting gases through timely replacement of older equipment with equipment that uses environmentally safer refrigerants.

In 2017–18, DPS completed an upgrade replacement of two large chillers containing ODS with new chillers free of ODS. The upgrade work completes an extensive chiller replacement program of all five chillers used to cool the building, which commenced in 2010.

Many cool rooms at Parliament House operate on a ‘glycol’ fluid which is an environmentally safer refrigerant. Over the coming years, DPS will upgrade many of the building’s smaller air-conditioning units to ODS-free cooling units.

Air pollutants

The combustion of natural gas at Parliament House for heating, hot water and cooking purposes generates oxides of nitrogen (NOx), oxides of sulphur (SOx) and other air pollutants.

DPS reports annually on these emissions to the National Pollution Inventory (www.npi.gov.au).

Discharges to water

Sewage from Parliament House is required, under a trade waste agreement, to be equivalent to domestic strength (a domestic equivalent is a concentration or level the same as would be found in household waste water). To ensure these requirements are met, the following facilities are in place:

• a grease trap on each kitchen drain
• a coalescing plate filter on the vehicle wash-down bay (to prevent oil from entering the sewer), and
• a system to remove paint solids from paint brush washing facilities before waste enters the sewer.

Significant spills of chemicals, oils and fuels

In 2017–18, there were no significant spills of chemicals, oils or fuels from Parliament House.