Key recycling initiatives

• A focus on recycling and responsible waste management pervades the entire operations of The Kitchens, contributing to a 33% diversion rate of recyclables from landfill for Robina Town Centre.

• 236 tonnes of organic waste have been captured for compost instead of landfill in the past year, after a partnership with Gold Coast City Council saw The Kitchens become the first food precinct in Australia to establish an organic waste recycling program. The recycled waste is currently being put to great use by the Gold Coast City Council as compost for the local parks and gardens.

• 31,100 litres of oil have been collected since opening, for reprocessing and reuse as renewable energy.

• 9.68KL of rainwater has been captured via The Kitchens' rooftop water tank for reuse in the past year, covering more than 90% of the water needed for the Centre for toilets, irrigation and external cleaning.

• More than 6,000 tableware items are washed daily and reused through a bespoke, environmentally-conscious shared tableware program. The centralised cleaning allows for water and energy efficiencies in dishwashing as well as a significant reduction in waste from packaging and disposable dinnerware.

• A new timber pallet recycling initiative commenced in June 2019 saw 1.6 tonnes of timber recycled in the first month of the project.

Key community initiatives

• Food to Live Project: 20 participants from disadvantaged backgrounds have taken part in the first year of the project, which is hosted by The Kitchens and ICON Training Academy, providing accredited hospitality training and producing around 20,000 meals for distribution to homeless people in the local community. Read more about this project here.

• School Tours: The Kitchens continues to host educational school group tours, focusing on its innovative waste management facilities.

• Apprenticeships: ICON Training apprenticeships continue to be hosted by The Kitchens, representing over 170 local businesses on the Gold Coast.

• Kids in the Kitchen: In collaboration with Icon Cooking School, Kids in The Kitchens has hosted up to 1,000 children per school holiday period, for kids cooking workshops, supporting interest in healthy food preparation.

• Community Hosts: The Kitchens plays host to monthly CBD Robina networking events, offering the opportunity for local businesses to meet other likeminded businesses. The Kitchens played host to an innovation project @Jill Lowther re: Robot man.

• Supporting local music talent: Four artists from South-East Queensland are featured within The Kitchens precinct every week. The Kitchens busking mentoring program also provides local talent with valuable experience.

• Cooking demonstrations: Former MasterChef contestant Georgia Barnes runs a monthly private masterclass at The Kitchens Cooking Stage. Partnering with dietitians and retailers from The Kitchens, Georgia shares tips from inside the MasterChef Kitchen.

More than six tonnes of nutrient dense and flavourful honey have been collected to date via the 36 beehives at The Kitchens that are home to one million bees. Everything harvested from the hives is processed, extracted and bottled naturally at The Kitchens Cooking Stage. This honey is supplied directly to tenants of The Kitchens for use in food preparation, and surplus honey is bottled for sale at The Kitchens.