Recession-Proof Your Waste-Management!

The Recession and Recycling

Don’t let your recycling scheme be the next victim of the recession! When business is slow, it may be tempting to cut down on spending in all areas, including recycling. However, with landfill tax set to increase by £8/tonne eac h year until 2013, recycling your waste should actually be saving you money – typically 4-5% of your turnover (NetRegs).

Here we give you a few tips on how to easily recession-proof your waste management by getting a little creative, saving your business money and retaining those green credentials…

Manage Your Waste

1. Firstly reduce the amount of waste you produce

• Stop junk mail and faxes – the Royal Mail, Direct Marketing Association and Mailing Preference Service all offer an opt-out service
• Encourage multiple-use cups rather than paper cups
• Buy products eg. stationery / cartridges with as little packaging as possible
• Set up printers and copier s to print double-sided

2. Reuse as much of your waste as possible

• Use waste paper as notepaper
• Reuse nearly-new envelopes by sticking a label on the front
• Refill old ink cartridges – in just 12 months, cartridge recycling could save 15 million litres of oil in the UK (Cartridge World)
• Cover old storage boxes with paper or fabric instead of throwing them away
• Cover recycled tins with the same paper or fabric for matching pen holders

3. Repair damaged items rather than scrapping them – a few minutes spent repairing a broken office chair can save you pounds in the long-term!

4. You can also Freecycle old office furniture – your trash may be another office’s treasure. Find your local group online at http://www.uk.free cycle.org/.

5. Turn your team-building activities green! You don’t need to cut down on corporate days, instead design your own to meet your Corporate Social Responsibility aims…

• Start a community garden, encouraging members of staff to contribute
• Recycle old tyres and wellies into planters – plastic bottles also make ideal seed starters
• Collect tea bags, fruit waste and shredded office paper to turn into compost

Make Money from Recycling

Recycling doesn’t need to cost your business money – in fact there are more and more opportunities to make money from good waste-management…

• Many companies now offer cash for old mobiles and electrical goods, which can add up to a substantial amount of money across a business
• Some companies also offer money for old software CDs – if you’ve updated your programmes, sell the old ones!
• Recycling ink cartridges can also be a source of revenue – search online for your nearest service provider

Don’t Forget To Tell Your Clients!

1.   By sharing your waste management goals and achievements, you can keep current clients aware of your green credentials, ensuring that they come back to use your service again and again

2.   You can also attract new customers and contracts by demonstrating yourself to be environmentally responsible

3.   This is turn encourages your clients to use and promote green practises

Battery Recycling Case Study

Our new budget battery tube – the BATT250 has proved to be very popular as Grundon, one of the UK’s leading waste management companies decided to introduce a brand new battery recycling scheme to a major broadcasting company, which is comprised of 50 x BATT250 containers placed strategically around the workplace.

 

Ware 4 were recently approached by Grundon’s Contract  Manager, Louise Beaty, to help provide suitable battery recycling facilities for their large broadcasting client.

The Challenge

With the battery recycling regulations coming into force on 1^st February 2010, the client had strict criteria to adhere to and required a sturdy but budget conscious battery recycling unit which would be easy for staff to recognise, use and to empty.

Ware 4 offer a selection of battery collection bins which were offered to Grundon for both environmental and budgetary reasons.

The Solution

Grundon purchased 50 of the Batt250 desktop battery collectors for the collection of spent batteries at their client’s offices.

They selected the Batt250 from Ware4’s extensive range in order to collect used batteries throughout the offices and in turn complement the provision of their own battery disposal service.

The Batt250 is designed to look neat in all environments, work where space is at a premium, and is easy to clean and service.

The battery recycling system has now been implemented successfully throughout the client’s offices.

 

“…the client is aware of the regulations covering the collection, recycling and processing of portable batteries, as well as other waste streams, and the Batt250 helps them continue to meet their obligations as a responsible company…”

Louise Beaty, Contract Manager

Grundon

Goodbye from me…

Jan 27th is my last day with Ware 4 as I will be taking some time out to go travelling and pursue voluntary conservation projects.

Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in recycling and taken the time to read our featured articles, we have received some really positive comments over the past few months. I will be handing over responsibility of the ezine and blog to Sarah so if you have anything you would like to see included in future issues then please let us know! We appreciate your feedback so email Sarah or call 0113 250 8688.

Recycled Christmas Decorations!

Make your own environmentally-friendly tree / house decorations this Christmas!

Leftover wallpaper, wrapping paper and the insides of Christmas-card envelopes provide the perfect material to make your own eco-friendly alternative to shop-bought decorations.

1. Draw 6 squares onto the back of your paper and cut out; ours are 8cm2. Thicker paper can make larger stars.

2. For each square, place the paper pattern-side up and fold the squares in half along both the centre lines.

3. Unfold and turn the paper plain-side up and fold again along both diagonal lines.

4. Fold the corners in to meet the middle – unfold, turn over, fold again and unfold. Repeat for each square.

5. Take two of the triangles and slide the right into the left. Repeat using five of the six triangles.

6. Push the points out as you go along to create your star shape.

7. To hang your decorations, make a loop from ribbon, tie in a knot and push through the point of the final triangle.

8. Slide the last triangle gently into place and push out to finish your star.

Try with different recycled papers – wrapping paper, wallpaper and even old maps work really well!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year – wishing you all the best for Christmas and the New Year!

We look forward to working with you again in 2011.

As always we will be making a donation to St Gemmas Hospice in Leeds as an alternative to sending individual Christmas cards. If you would like to donate personally please visit their website.

Packaging Waste – What you need to know

New UK Packaging Targets – 2011 – 2012

DEFRA have published the new packaging targets for 2011 and 2012 which are set for a total recovery rate of 74% and total recycling rate of 68.1%. These new targets will help to ensure the UK is on track to comply with the EU Packaging Directive.

Make sure you stay ahead of these changes with our simple packaging regulations guide and tips below!

 

Legislation

The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations – applies to all businesses that produce packaged produces, design or specify packaging, import packaged goods into the UK , sell packaged goods or filled packaging or place packaged goods on the market.

Producer Responsibility Obligations – applies to businesses who handle more than 50 tonnes per year of packaging and who also have an annual turnover of more than £2 million.

(Netregs, 2010) For more information and a detailed guide to packaging and other environmental legislation visit www.netregs.gov.uk

 

Packaging Waste Tips

Here are a few ideas that will help you comply with the Packaging Regulations whilst reducing costs and unnecessary waste.

Reduce

• When ordering stock buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste.
• Try to source products which are not over-packaged or which use packaging that does not comply with the above regulations, for example, containing hazardous substances.
• Try to minimise the amount of materials used to package your goods.

Reuse

• Create a storage area for re-usable packaging such as cardboard boxes, polystyrene filler, jiffy bags, jars, envelopes etc.
• Try to reuse packaging where possible.
• Shred old paper to use as packing / filler.

Recycle

• Use packaging which is made of recyclable or biodegradable materials such as cardboard and which can be easily reused.
• Try to source packaging made from recycled materials.
• Ensure that any packaging which can no longer be reused is recycled where possible.

Record

• Make a note of the measures in place to reduce, reuse and recycle
  packaging.
• Keep a record of any purchases such as boxes and any waste collections from your carrier – Waste Transfer Notes (these should be kept for at least two years).
• Try to keep track of how much packaging is used and review progress every few months.
• Keep all this information for at least four years. It will also form a vital part of your EMS (Environmental Management System), which demonstrates your company’s commitment to reduce its environmental impacts.

7 Steps to Recycle Paper

Recycling paper brings both environmental and economic benefits

• Air emissions are reduced by 95% when paper is recycled and there is less pollution because recycled paper does not need to be bleached with chlorine during production (Waste Online).
• Emissions of methane are also reduced when paper waste is diverted from landfill as this potent greenhouse gas is a by-product of the decomposition process.
• Forest diversity is maintained becuase there is less demand for conifer plantations for paper production, which destroy forest ecosystems.
• Producing one tonne of recycled paper saves 3000 litres of water and uses 78% less energy compared to virgin production (Waste Online).

Seven steps to support paper recycling

In many office environments paper is the highest volume waste stream and therefore is a good place to start when thinking about setting up a new recycling scheme.

1. Reduce - start by first looking at ways to reduce the amount of paper waste you produce. Can internal documents be printed double-sided? Is it necessary to print everything or can some documents be stored electronically? Use an email footer to encourage others to consider the environment before printing.
2. Re-use – can scrap paper be re-used? Why not collect scrap paper in a desktop paper collector and leave it next to the printer for others to use?
3. Recycle - separate waste paper in a container which is clearly marked for recycling. Arrange with your local authorised carrier to come and collect the waste paper for recycling. This is usually fairly inexpensive compared to disposing of waste in landfill (which currently costs £48.00 per tonne) and you could make significant savings
4. Confidential - you may need to separate confidential paper waste in a secure container but this can still be recycled. Most carriers will ensure your confidential waste is safely removed, shredded in a secure environment and then used for paper pulp.
5. Promotion – to ensure your new paper recycling scheme is sucessful it is vital to educate everyone involved and raise awareness about the importance of making it work. Use colourful and eye-catching signage to make sure people know where to dispose of their waste.
6. Other ideas - you could even shred some of your waste paper to use in compost! Shredded or scrunched up paper will help keep your compost healthy and aerated by trapping small pockets of air. This aids the decomposition process and prevents your compost from emtting methane.
7. Procurement – Remember it is also important to support the market for recycled paper by purchasing it for your business. Most recycled paper nowadays is very high quality and may cost less than  non-recycled paper.

What are the benefits to my business?

As discussed there are significant economic benefits resulting from good waste management practices as well as the more obvious environmental benefits.

• Cost savings - Envirowise estimate that a company can save up to 4.5% of its annual turnover through waste minimisation alone and paper is often the highest volume recyclable waste stream in an office environment. Recycling will also save on expensive landfill disposal costs.
• Comply with regulations - waste regulations are continually being amended and as legislation becomes more stringent it is only a matter of time before recycling all major waste streams becomes a legal requirement.
• Improved environmental performance - attract environmentally concious customers, enhance your company CSR Policy and gain recognition for your achievements through award schemes such as ISO 14001.

RWM 2010 A Huge Success!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come and visit our stand at the RWM show in Birmingham, we will be in touch soon!

Visit us at the RWM!

Once again we will be exhibiting at the RWM show at the NEC in Birmingham from the 14th – 16th Sept, alongside Linton Metalware. We will be showcasing some of our exciting new ranges including the Rainbow and the stylish New Villa and Zintec-R as well as our new budget range of recycling bins and battery collectors.

Come along and visit our stand 1286, we look forward to seeing you there!

Trade Shows and the Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition

Why exhibit or visit a trade show?

• Potential for hundreds of people to visit your stand
• Opportunity to meet customers face-to-face and create a lasting first impression
• Meet new suppliers and competitors and build on existing relationships
• Keep up-to-date with advances in your field of expertise such as new technologies, ideas and legislation
• Find products that meet your specific needs and requirements

A Simmons Market Research Bureau study found that 91% of respondents ranked trade shows as ‘extremely useful’ as a source for product purchasing information. This figure was higher than any other source, including on-site visits from reps. The study also found that nearly half of the respondents had purchased products or services at the trade show (Conventions.net, 2010).

The RWM has an industry-wide exhibitor base and covers every aspect of recycling from bins and containers to energy production, waste services and recycling solutions. With over 500 exhibitors and around 40 free informative seminars you can discover the key aspects of successful waste management and learn about the latest innovations in recycling technology. See live demonstrations and seminars from Local Authorities, WRAP and the Environment Agency, learn about the latest updates in waste legislation and take advantage of the numerous networking opportunities.

RWM is also the ideal place to expand your knowledge of the vast range of recycling and waste bins currently on offer in the UK and find the perfect mix for your organisation. Every business and organisation varies greatly so it is important to make sure you have selected the best possible range of containers that will fit your budget and also function effectively in your specific environment. Take advantage of the expert advice available; a good supplier will listen carefully and recommend a choice of bins that have been specially selected to meet your requirements.

Remember to look out for UK manufactured products and bins with recycled content

Ware 4 Powered by Linton

Ware 4 have recently joined forces with Linton and will be making the most the RWM, using this excellent opportunity to display an array of different options and ideas, as well as obtain useful feedback and suggestions from visitors to develop new and bespoke products

Here are some of the features that consumers have already highlighted as important or essential to metal waste / recycling containers:

• Flexible ranges suitable for many environments
• Fire-resistant for safe use in corridors and public spaces
• Rust-resistant powder coated steel
• Range of lidapertures and choice of colours
• Wide range of sizes from desk side bins to large recycling banks
• Space-saving slim and modular designs
• Smart and stylish options with a choice of finishes
• Locking optionsfor confidential waste paper
• Step-on and hands free bins for areas where cleanliness is paramount
• Capability to produce bespoke designs
• No minimum order quantity or value

If you have an idea or requirement you would like to discuss please come and visit us on stand 1286 and we will gladly help

Don’t forget metal bins are just a sample from the extensive range on offer including plastic containers, external banks, signage, waste trolleys and cleaning equipment so you can take care of every aspect of your waste management scheme

For more information about the RWM and how to register visit

www.rwmexhibition.co.uk

Spreading the Cost of Ownership

The recycling scheme that looked out of reach becomes a reality…

We always emphasise the importance of reducing your environmental footprint through an effective recycling scheme that makes use of environmentally conscious ranges of recycling bins. Selecting bins that are high quality and designed to last, UK or EU manufactured to meet international environmental standards such as ISO 14001 and which contain recycled content, will help to enhance your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Policy and Environmental Management System.

These types of recycling bins may not initially be the lowest cost option but a successful recycling scheme can save you significant amounts of money and could become self-funding in just a few years. The cost of simply disposing of waste in landfill is currently £40 per tonne and Envirowise estimate that the true cost of waste can be up to 25 times the cost of disposal and potentially 4.5% of a company’s annual turnover.

If you are looking for ways to make immediate savings why not consider a finance scheme that will allow you to select a range of quality recycling bins with no capital outlay?

How does it work?

• Spreading the costs of your recycling scheme over a 2-3 year period could cost as little as a few pounds a week.
• It is easy to add to your scheme throughout the agreed term and there is an optional built-in replacement services for any damages.
• At the end of the agreed term you can purchase your bins, replace your bins with brand new, or up-grade the whole scheme – simply extend the payments for a further period.
• You can keep adding or upgrading – as new equipment becomes available you can upgrade to the latest models either mid-term or when your agreement ends.
• Fixed finance – you pay the same rate per bin for the whole term of the agreement, therefore making your ‘dollar’ stretch further.
• There is less upfront cash outlay and you only pay for equipment for the time you need it.
• Potential tax benefits depending on how the agreement is structured.
• Funding your scheme in this way will allow you to choose quality products that will last and function effectively in your workplace.

As an example – if you wanted to buy 20 x Slim Jims for your offices and 2 of our premier range New Brussels to make an immediate impact in your smart reception, the capital cost would be around £1100.00 – a big ask in these spend-conscious times. With our new finance option the same equipment would cost you just £40.00 per month, or around £9.80 per week!