FOCUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
TRANSPARENCY
When asked what issues they consider when making decisions
on managing their waste, FMs listed transparency as the number
one priority. They want to know how their waste is treated and,
secondly, the waste provider’s commitment to environment
issues.
Traditionally, quality of service and the provider’s knowledge of
waste legislation and compliance regulations have been placed
top.
This marks a real change and appears to reflect the fact that
compliance is slipping down the ‘must have’ list. It was placed
fourth, with quality and service in third place, while ability to
receive waste statistics and analysis made it into the top five for
the first time.
“What these results are telling us is that transparency and
honesty in the way their waste is treated is most important to
them,” said Hill.
“Of course compliance will always be important and rightly so,
but increased pressure on budgets is changing the emphasis.
FMs want to work with a provider who can equip them with the
knowledge and information they need to demonstrate where
money is being spent and what the returns are.
“They still need to protect their environmental reputation,
but to some degree they are going back to basics by asking
for more practical help and ideas to persuade employees and
senior managers of the need to continue to invest in good waste
management.
“Of course they want a quality and service guarantee, but on
its own this is no longer enough. They need to see the results too
and to know that every opportunity is being taken to get them the
best ROI across all their diƒ erent waste streams.
“It is up to all us to show how that can be delivered.”
30 NOVEMBER 2021
NEW WASTE STREAMS
For Bicester-based water ƛ lter cartridge specialist BRITA UK, the secret has been the way it’s
been helped to segregate many diff erent waste streams.
A waste audit, carried out in order to help the business achieve its goal of sending zero waste
to landƛ ll, identiƛ ed an astonishing 30 diff erent waste streams which could be recycled or
reprocessed.
These included silicon labels, polystyrene and packing paper, as well as diverting items such as
aerosols from general waste to Grundon’s own specialist closed loop aerosol recycling system and
swapping plastic milk cartons for recyclable glass bottles.
BRITA was even able to successfully remove metal from its waste stream altogether, simply by
asking contractors to take their waste away with them.
Bryan Edwards, BRITA UK’s Professional Services Warehouse Manager, said: ƋGrundon showed
us all the other ƈextras’ that could be recycled or reprocessed and they knew what to do with
them. They encouraged us to segregate the waste streams internally and helped us understand
how they should be processed and baled through the compactors ready for collection.
ƋIt also means we have dramatically reduced the number of vehicle collections necessary, making
us much more carbon friendly. And even now, when we have a review, our account manager will
always be looking for something new to segregate and help us get that little extra something from
our waste.ƌ
The company was rewarded for its eff orts in 01, when it won a prestigious Silver Green Apple
Award for Environmental Best Practice in the Products and Recycling Wastes Management
category.