sustainability 11 Chewing gum bins are world first


Sustainability may seem like a luxury for businesses as so many feel the economic squeeze, but promoting the three pillars of sustainability – economy, society and environment – can reduce risk, improve efficiency, fulfil CSR commitments and help maintain a competitive edge.


Public services and infrastructure provider Amey places sustainable practice at the core of business operations. Nationally, the company employs more than 11,000 people in the road, rail and built environment sectors. In Hampshire, it provides facilities services at Southampton Airport, maintains the county’s 9,000 km of roads and runs a design and print service in Portsmouth.


Southampton Airport has become the first in the world to have chewing gum recycling bins, known as GUMDROPS, installed. Amey took this step in a bid to expand the terminal’s recycling efforts, save money and improve


Simon Jukes, Amey’s Hampshire Highways account director, continued: “Working sustainably makes smart business sense. Supporting local communities and contributing to the prosperity of Hampshire as a whole reaps benefits for our own operation in terms of service delivery, staff loyalty and resource savings.“


David Lees, Southampton Airport managing director (left), Andy Foster, Amey site services manager (top) and Anna Bullus, GUMDROP company director (bottom right) with a GUMDROP recycling bin


the cleanliness of the facility. Gum deposited in the eye-catching pink bins is used to manufacture more GUMDROPS and other plastic products, such as mobile phone covers. Their installation could save the airport up to £9,000 in annual cleaning costs.


£3.3m biogas plant launches this month in Dorset


Final testing is underway at a new multi-million pound biogas plant in Dorset which will turn food waste into energy.


Eco Sustainable Solutions £3.3 million anaerobic digester (AD) at Piddlehinton is due to be officially launched this month.


The plant will supply electricity and gas to Mole Valley Farmers’ neighbouring Dorchester Feed Mill, which will also receive electricity from a photovoltaic (PV) plant converting solar radiation into energy.


Mole Valley Farmers said its Dorchester site will become the first feed mill in the country to be powered completely by renewable energy. David Pope, operations manager, explained: “Our Dorchester Feed Mill produces 85,000 tonnes of animal feed each year, and our clients will therefore be buying feed produced entirely using renewable energy.


“Mole Valley Farmers has long recognised the opportunities that renewable energy production


affords farmers, the rural economy and the environment, and producing animal feed using renewable technology is central to our vision for the future of farming.“


The AD plant is housed on a 2.5 acre site at Bourne Park Estate, previously used for pig units. It will take in up to 15,000 tonnes of organic waste, such as food waste, annually as well as up to 6,000 tonnes of pig slurry to create methane gas. The gas is used to generate up to 498 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. The end products of the process will be used as agricultural fertiliser on local farms. The plant includes a reception barn, generator container, digester and two storage tanks.


Trelawney Dampney, Eco’s managing director, added: “We’re producing clean, green, renewable energy from food waste which would previously have been going to landfill, as well as meeting the energy needs of Dorchester Feed Mills. It’s a ’win win’ for everyone.“


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – SEPTEMBER 2012


Andy Foster, Amey’s site services manager at Southampton Airport, said: “We’re always looking for innovative and sustainable ways to improve our service. The GUMDROPS are a cost-effective and eco-friendly addition to our cleaning regime. “


In Portsmouth, Amey’s print and design service exclusively uses soy-based inks which are more eco-friendly than traditional petroleum-based products. All paper has a recycled content of between 50-100% and the team works with clients to reduce their paper and ink demand and subsequent waste. At the studio, instead of using disposable paper cloths to clean equipment, the company uses recycled rags, which are cleaned before being re-used and passed on to other industries which require lower-grade ones, such as the motor industry.


Water company goes solar


Solar panels at seven major sites operated by Sembcorp Bournemouth Water (SBW) are expected to save carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking 134 cars off the road. The panels have been newly installed at SBW’s Alderney, Christchurch, Fordingbridge, Horton, Longham, Ringwood, and Wimborne sites in Dorset and Hampshire.


SBW uses approximately 30 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per annum to pump 150 million litres of water each


day to about 185,000 households and 16,500 businesses in Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.


The installed panels will generate more than half a million kilowatt hours of electricity per annum, equivalent to the boiling of 10 million kettles of water, and saving 285 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. When the generated power from the solar panels is not required for pumping, the excess electricity is automatically diverted into the National Grid.


Hampshire Chamber takes the reins


Hampshire County Council has formally handed over responsibility for the management of the Hampshire Sustainable Business Partnership to Hampshire Chamber of Commerce. The county council remains committed to the objectives of the partnership, however, and will remain an active member.


Councillor Ray Ellis, executive member for economic development and rural affairs, said: “Transferring the


management responsibility to Hampshire Chamber makes sense as it links to other business networks with wider influences. One of our priorities is to reduce carbon emissions in Hampshire and the partnership’s work is helping towards achieving this.“


Hampshire Chamber will work with past members of the CIC Board and council officers to ensure that the programme for the next year maintains the standards expected by its members.


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