FEATURE WASTE MANAGEMENT
10 tips for kickstarting a RECYCLING STRATEGY
R
ecycling has long been a priority for many organisations, but for others,
this has either slipped to the bottom of the pile in terms of business practices, or the view has been taken that ‘saving the planet’ is someone else’s problem. Whatever the reason, society is
changing fast, as is the law. Firms now need to think about their own ‘green’ agenda, and although it certainly will not be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, there are steps which can be taken to ensure progress in the right direction. 1. Understand legal obligations.
Every business has a ‘duty of care’ to store and move waste materials compliantly (see
gov.co.uk), which lasts until these are taken away by a licensed waste company. But it is the responsibility of the organisation to prove their certified competence, and there are other rules in place too – materials such as plasterboard must remain separate from the main waste stream, and £2m+ turnover companies handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging waste per year are required to register and report to the Environment Agency. 2. Remember the mantra ‘reduce,
reuse, recycle’. This prioritises what businesses should do with commercial waste and in what order. For example, it is better to avoid printing emails unless absolutely necessary (reduce); reuse unnecessary print-outs such as scrap paper; and when the paper has no further use, it should be collected separately for recycling. This philosophy should be applied to all materials handled. 3. Audit materials. It is vital to carry
out analysis into what materials are typically thrown away on-site and which could be reused or recycled. What about paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, plastic bottles, food? Having a better understanding of a site’s waste will help prioritise where action needs to be taken, and the specific improvements required. There is no harm in starting small, and it makes sense to begin with the most problematic ‘waste’ stream. 4. Calculate the cost to dispose of
the waste. If an organisation is not motivated by the environment, focus on the financial incentive. It may be possible to generate revenue from the sale of recyclable materials. The rebate value for cardboard, for example, changes on almost a daily basis, but there is certainly wealth in waste.
26 WINTER 2018 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE
As a result of the UK’s mounting environmental pressures, strategies for recycling and waste management are becoming more important than ever before. Businesses need to think carefully about the services and expertise they offer to their clients, in order to achieve complete compliance and a greater sustainability stance. Here, Jonathan Oldfield, Riverside Waste Machinery, provides his top ten tips for kickstarting a recycling strategy
5. Seek the advice of industry experts.
For smaller companies, the simple segregation of materials at source may be enough. Other firms may need specialist recycling equipment to avoid hefty skip charges, so industry experts should be approached for advice. Wider support may be available too, from local authorities or industrial recycling schemes. 6. Remember confidentiality. The
Data Protection Act has always meant that sensitive paperwork, hard drives, and other private electronic data sources must be handled, stored and destroyed in a secure manner. Now, with the recent introduction of the GDPR, the maximum penalties for data breaches have escalated from the previous figure of £500,000 up to £17m, or four per cent of global turnover – whichever is largest. At the very least, the services of a specialist confidential waste contractor should be used, who will provide secure receptacles for such materials. For peace of mind, businesses should consider shredding and baling confidential waste on-site. The machinery is not expensive to procure, is easy to operate and gives maximum reassurance regarding compliance. 7. Encourage participation. Many
people are expert recyclers in the home, so invite their ideas for workplace improvements and try to incorporate them into any new on-site strategies. At ‘roll-out’ stage, communicate what your workforce should do, and how and why it is important, to achieve complete ‘buy in’. The initiative is more likely to succeed if the vision is shared. 8. Make it easy and fun! Keep it light-
hearted. Hectic workloads are increasingly becoming normal practice, so if recycling is complicated, confusing or time-consuming people simply will not participate. 9. Share successes. Not only with
employees and tenants, but amongst peers and the wider industry too. This might just inspire another organisation to follow in the same footsteps, and every little helps. 10. Review and revise. After all this
effort, the strategy needs to work. Although it may not be the perfect model the first time round, if successes and flaws are evaluated along the way, continuous improvement will certainly be possible.
Riverside Waste Machinery
www.wastemachinery.co.uk
/ INDUSTRIALCOMPLIANCE
Firms now need to think about their ‘green’ agenda and there are steps which can be taken to ensure progress in the right direction
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