RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENT


HOLISTIC HEALTHY


HANDLING


Operating waste management facilities can have a huge impact on the


environment and on the profitability of an organisation. John Glover,


MD of Bywaters, explains how facilities managers can achieve substantial


cost savings, improve sustainability, reduce their carbon footprint and improve air quality.


Traditionally, facilities managers are encouraged to consider four aspects of their operations to minimise their environmental impact: sourcing sustainable products; increasing recycling; promoting best practice; reducing waste and emissions. We aim to deliver more.


SOURCING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS The use of fossil fuels to provide energy is increasingly


being offset by a more sustainably sourced product, RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel). This is general waste that cannot otherwise be reused or recycled. It is processed into RDF and burned to generate electricity, which can be fed into the national grid. When bio-degradable waste is segregated accurately it can also be sent to anaerobic digestion plants to generate energy, instead of being sent to landfill. In both cases the use of sustainable fuel reduces the associated costs of waste storage, handling and transportation.


Another source of sustainable energy is solar. Our recently retrofitted roof has over 4,000 solar panels. Formerly a passive, non-productive asset, our roof’s 1000kWp solar panels provides enough daytime power for our 9.2 acre recycling and resource management facility; equivalent to powering over 300 London homes.


REDUCING WASTE AND EMISSIONS Like many organisations in big cities we are keenly aware


of the need to reduce CO2 emissions to improve air quality


and the health of those living and working there. This led us to think more creatively about transport systems. Today we have eliminated around 3,000 lorry movements per year in and around the capital, through the innovative use of London’s river and waterways. For one of our university clients, this has meant a reduction of 40 vehicle movements per week.


38 | TOMORROW’S FM


INCREASING RECYCLING Simple segregation and tagging of waste materials at


a local hospital increased recycling rates for paper, card, plastic, metals, glass and food, while furniture and equipment that could be recycled was redistributed internally or given to charity. More importantly, we saved 125,000 tonnes per annum of recyclable waste from being sent to landfill.


PROMOTING BEST PRACTICE Waste tracking and weighing systems to monitor and


measure waste production and contamination are a cornerstone of our business. We have developed an advanced weigh-bridge system, which will act as a complete auditing tool, giving precise real-time data on waste activity so our clients can measure their impact, cost and compliance.


It’s said that it takes two months for a new behaviour to become automatic. Promoting best practice in sustainability, such as persuading your workforce to think and behave in a more environmentally-friendly way, needs to be supported by interesting, on-going education and communication programmes that reinforce key messages.


We always embed of our “green gurus” in-house to inspire, monitor and implement waste reduction programmes for banking, hotel, hospital, government and corporate clients, to help to engrain best practice behaviour. Inspiring clients and working in partnership is a fundamental part of our FM role.


“WE SAVED 125,000 TONNES


PER ANNUM OF RECYCLABLE WASTE FROM BEING SENT TO LANDFILL.”


Always innovating, with some Government support, we could develop even more productive Materials Recycling Facilities, electric dustcarts and lorries and compaction equipment and deliver even better recycling rates. Government investment would surely stimulate employment and skills growth, as well as developing sustainable local operations by keeping crucial skillsets within the UK.


To make a significant environmental change, facilities managers need to step up and start to take action to minimise their impact. It is worth remembering that, in many businesses, a 20% cut in energy costs represents the same bottom line benefit as a 5% increase in sales.


www.bywaters.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM


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