EFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE, WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE BAG
Cromwell Polythene managing director, James Lee, explains how cleaners and suppliers have a role in helping facilities managers cut down on plastic waste, and encouraging clients to boost recycling activities.
Sustainability is a central part of most facilities management strategies, encompassing reduced energy and water use, and of course increased recycling rates. Although facilities managers can set out how they want sustainability to work, making it happen is very much a team effort.
Cleaners, whether in-house or contractors, can help by ensuring there are enough recycling bins, that they are correctly positioned, and that they are clearly marked. They can also work in partnership with their clients to support recycling initiatives. Improving rates of waste segregation at the point of disposal is key to higher recycling rates.
Responsible cleaners take a wider ownership for their buildings and surroundings – reporting a leaking tap, for instance. They should also highlight misuse of segregation bins or unclear labelling. If not used properly they are a waste of time, effort and resources.
Equally, most responsible producers of plastic will have systems in place to support buyers’ recycling initiatives, and offer to collect ‘waste’ packaging and other material as part of a landfill diversion programme.
These types of partnership approaches can help all parties reach sustainability goals, and also boosts the reputational status of the cleaner and supplier as champions of best practice.
DON’T BASH
THE PLASTIC One major aid to improving recycling rates can also be seen as part of the problem. The facilities management industry – especially the cleaning and janitorial sectors – is a major buyer of plastic products, for instance for lining bins and sanitary units.
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However, contrary to popular belief, using plastics does not conflict with sustainability aims. In fact, plastics have a very resource-efficient profile – particularly when produced from recycled materials.
Over their full life cycle, the environmental costs of alternative materials, such as paper, cardboard, aluminium, or steel, would be around four times higher than using plastics. Like all resources, unnecessarily sending plastic to landfill must be avoided to achieve maximum value. Responsibly produced plastics can be recycled effectively and efficiently, and then be used to generate energy from waste at the end of their useful life.
Cleaners looking to cut waste and further sustainability goals should ensure any cleaning products packaged in plastics are clearly labelled as recyclable and where possible created from recycled material. Complex, multi-material containers should be avoided. Cost
doesn’t have to be an issue: there are many highly competitively-priced products on the market that use recycled plastics, some with up to 100% recycled material content.
Modern manufacturing techniques mean bactericides and fungicides can be added when plastics are manufactured – during the film extrusion process – saving time, money and resources and reducing the need for additional products.
GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR There are many suppliers all offering a wide selection of bin liners, sanitary bags and other hygiene and sanitary waste liners. Unfortunately, some supply products that are sold underweight, undersized, and even undercount. This means buyers do not get the quantity they thought they had bought, while products can be of such poor quality that they will burst, risking hygiene and health and safety.
To maximise sustainability, buyers should ensure that the products they are investing in perform to a high standard by checking for minimum net box weights. These should be clearly marked on the outer carton. Other things to look for include international, independently audited quality standards; these include EN standards and ISO quality management principles. And in the UK, the CHSA Accreditation schemes for mops, tissue, and refuse sacks.
By engaging in sustainability programmes and ensuring the right products are used, cleaners and suppliers can make the lives of facilities managers and other clients much easier and help deliver a more sustainable future.
www.cromwellpolythene.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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