Infrastructure
| Sector | Infrastructure |
| Sub-sector | Waste management |
| Location | Australia |
Since its inception in 2005, BINGO has grown from a small family-run business, operating with four trucks and 100 bins, into a fully integrated recycling and waste management company with operations across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
Through a series of strategic acquisitions, the company has rapidly expanded to run more than 400 trucks and 30,000 bins, and has the capacity to process approximately five million tonnes of waste per year.1 It is active across the entire waste management value chain, with a footprint in collections, transfer stations, recycling centres, recycled products and landfill.
With its growth came a recognition that BINGO needed an enhanced approach to safety. Improved processes and systems were needed to better serve the growing complexity of its operations, increased geographical spread and larger workforce. BINGO's team developed a ‘Think safe, Be safe, Home safe’ safety vision to help reinforce a safety-first culture.
Together, BINGO and its new shareholders engaged an external advisor to conduct WHS due diligence to baseline its safety culture and identify areas for improvement. This due diligence helped inform a three-year WHS strategy focused on implementing a critical risk control program, developing its leadership capabilities and refreshing its approach to incident investigation. The strategy was sponsored by BINGO’s CEO and executive team, and is being implemented by its safety team, in collaboration with its frontline workers.
As part of its risk control program, BINGO has prioritised its top three risks: mobile plant and worker interaction, working at heights, and working on energised equipment. To help improve mobile plant and worker interaction, an Exclusion Zone Task Force was created and ‘safety zones’ were introduced into its facilities. Furthermore, some of these safety zones have been fitted with CCTV systems that use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect, record and alert breaches of exclusion zones on its tipping floor. The CCTV systems are programmed to look for people, applying a 10-metre exclusion zone around moving vehicles, and send a notification when a person enters this zone, enabling management to highlight breaches with employees.
BINGO tracks the effectiveness of its safety controls through an audit and assurance program that identifies opportunities for improvement through key performance indicators and control health measures that are reviewed by BINGO’s management team.
Outcome
The introduction of safety zones at BINGO’s advanced recycling facility in Eastern Creek in New South Wales has led to positive behavioural change, with the average number of daily detections of potential exclusion zone breaches falling by 73 per cent between October 2022 and March 2023.2 BINGO has also connected with other waste companies within MAM’s infrastructure portfolio, including Ireland-based waste-to-resource business Beauparc, to share its experiences from using AI solutions to support critical risk controls.
Beyond introducing safety zones, BINGO has also implemented other safety measures to protect members of the wider community, including a driver coaching and training program to improve road safety.
trucks and 30,000 waste bins in operation1
tonnes per annum network capacity1
reduction in exclusion zone breaches2
of critical control checks completed2
We have supported BINGO to better understand and manage the critical risks facing its frontline teams by working in partnership to develop and embed a proactive safety culture. BINGO’s approach to sharing its learnings across our portfolio more broadly reflects its forward-looking and collaborative culture.”
Amanda McMillan
Senior Managing Director
Macquarie Asset Management
At Macquarie Asset Management, we view sustainability as part of our fiduciary duty to protect and grow our clients’ assets. This focus also helps us generate positive outcomes for our investee companies and the communities they serve. Our latest Sustainability Report outlines the progress we have made over the past financial year.
