ENERGY MANAGEMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
CIRCULAR APPROACH
Matt Davis, Director of Northamptonshire-based Davis Commercial Services (DCS), considers the benefits of a full circle approach to extending the lifecycle of retail refrigeration.
A key area where retail facilities managers can reduce carbon footprint and make energy and cost-savings is in the operational efficiency of refrigeration systems. This means multiple supply chain solutions are required, from project management and installation, to storage and transportation. When cabinets reach the end of their life, specialist recycling of this hazardous waste is essential.
Project management Whether a small roll-out or a large estate growth programme, careful project management is needed. Liaison with cabinet manufacturers and shipping agents (if applicable) ensures asset availability.
Installation is just one part of the chain, and that’s why we offer everything from installation and storage, to the removal of old cabinets for recycling. Our recent acquisition of Alan Bush Installations gives customers access to an enhanced range of end-to-end logistics and means we are the largest provider of refrigerated cabinet management in the UK.
Site supervision and installation Projects must be kept to schedule, led by installation managers who have expert knowledge of site work and issues that can be encountered during a major installation. Careful coordination of the team ensures a smooth process, including delivery and removal of cabinets, and relocation and repositioning in store. That’s why our in-house group of 100 staff includes a 60-strong team of project managers, site supervisors and installation engineers.
Storage Our large warehousing space provides safe, secure and tracked storage for thousands of cabinets on our four-acre Northamptonshire site. Asset management software assigns a unique identifier to each unit, tracking it at every stage.
Transportation We maximise payloads of materials leaving site, reducing vehicle movements. Specialist equipment handling and transportation delivers new assets and removes redundant ones for recycling. This reduces journeys, cuts emissions and saves resources. Historically, a supermarket might have one company taking away display cases for recycling, with another turning up to deliver new cases.
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Recycling Treatment facilities for this Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) must be compliant with Best Available Treatment Recovery and Recycling Techniques (BATRRT). This ensures the environment is protected and diverts material from landfill.
Revisions to Environmental Permitting regulations, and new air emissions targets under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) were established in 2018, with four years given for businesses to implement changes. By 2022, better application of the best available technology/ techniques (BAT) element of BATRRT is required to reduce pollutant emissions. Facilities managers should check that their supply chain partners, with responsibility for recycling of equipment, conform to the latest legislation.
In response, we created a bespoke abatement system, especially adapted for our commercial recycling process at our Northamptonshire facility. This is a brand-new type of treatment, never before utilised in the commercial fridge recycling processes. Our unique system treats the volatile organic compounds generated from the recycling process, which could otherwise harm the environment. The machinery compacts materials and captures blowing agents, fumes and dust to ensure air emissions limits are reached. In August 2021, following a site visit, the Environment Agency issued a compliance assessment report confirming we had met stringent requirements.
After treatment, the insulation granulated foam is utilised as WDF (Waste Derived Fuel) in various industries. All component parts of the cabinets, including the plastics, glass, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and insulation foam are recovered for reuse.
Our Recycling Management System tracks assets from receipt to destruction and clients provided with all waste documentation including access to an online portal. Hazardous waste consignment notes, and waste transfer notes are available online 24/7.
Circular approach When it comes to the many challenges involved in preserving valuable supermarket refrigeration assets and their subsequent, specialist recycling, it’s clear that a co- ordinated, full-circle approach has multiple environmental and cost benefits.
www.dcsint.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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