RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENT
YOUR GUIDE TO MANAGING WASTE
Biffa, outlines the key waste issues for FM professionals. Since the beginning of the year, UK waste regulations have required businesses that recycle to fully segregate their waste into general waste and recyclables in a bid to improve the quantity and quality of recycling materials. This latest change is in line with the commitments set out in the EU Waste Framework Directive, which requires all Member States to implement measures to ensure four key waste materials: paper/ card, metals, glass and plastic, are collected separately from each other and other waste for recycling.
regret that a similar approach has not yet been adopted in the rest of the UK.
Technically, Environmentally and Economically Practicable The European Waste Framework Directive sets out clear requirements on dealing with waste, yet these only apply where it is ‘Technically, Environmentally and Economically Practicable’ – TEEP.
Under these new regulations, it is the legal responsibility of waste collection companies and authorities – rather than the businesses that produce the waste – to ensure appropriate arrangements are made to facilitate separate collection.
Variation across the UK Although these new UK regulations affecting England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not legally require the waste producer to segregate materials, those in Scotland do.
The ‘Zero Waste Scotland’ legislation, effective since January 2014, stipulated that waste producers must segregate recyclables, meaning Scottish businesses are legally obliged to carry out segregated recycling.
The message in Scotland on the importance of recycling is therefore very clear and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has been actively enforcing the policy, conducting audits on businesses to ensure they are complying. Some in the industry
44 | TOMORROW’S FM
In practice, this means that where the collection of segregated waste materials would involve excessive costs, additional emissions from transport due to long collection distances, or other technical complications, it would be possible to collect the recyclables as commingled.
What do the changes mean for FM companies? In light of the recent changes, there are a number of factors that those operating in the FM sector should bear in mind:
Cost FM professionals who have waste management services as part of their Soft FM or Total FM contracts need to be aware of the possible cost implications that any legislative changes may bring.
Increased segregation of a facility’s recyclable waste streams could lead to additional costs. This is important to consider, particularly where FM contracts are priced as a whole package, with waste being just a small proportion of total FM costs.
Meeting targets Waste is moving higher up the agenda in FM tenders, and while it remains a small expense in comparison to cleaning, catering or
Legislation on waste management and collections is set to become increasingly stringent in a bid to meet European Union (EU) environmental targets. Alastair Little, Head of FM accounts at leading waste management services provider,
security costs, the green credentials associated with effective waste management are strong.
As a result, many clients are increasingly driven by sustainability targets and asking more of their FM professionals to ensure they provide the most carbon efficient and environmentally positive solutions.
Educating employees Cleaning staff and client employees working on sites must always be fully informed of the recycling solutions available to them.
Training cleaning staff is key as they transfer the waste from internal bins to external containers and need to ensure that the correct bags are used internally and then transferred into the correct external container.
A knowledge of what can and cannot be recycled and how to maximise capacity in the external bins is also important to improve efficiency, i.e. breaking down cardboard boxes to leave more space and avoid unnecessary collections.
Further changes With the growing EU drive to become more environmentally friendly, FM professionals must be aware of the changing legislative landscape and how this could affect clients.
Although businesses outside of Scotland are currently not legally required to segregate their waste and only waste collectors are subject to the legislation, it is likely that the onus will be pushed onto businesses producing waste in the near future. If and when this occurs, all FM professionals must be prepared to adapt and comply.
www.biffa.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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