Practical Approach to Waste Management

Practical Approach to Waste Management

• 1.
  Practical Approach to WasteManagement Vassia Paloumbi Energy Manager/Independent Consultant/Green Goddess Gemma Birley Director, Green Finch Environmental Consulting
• 2.
  What is waste? •Waste is unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use • Examples include municipal solid waste (household rubbish), hazardous waste, wastewater (including sewage and surface runoff) and radioactive waste • Sometimes it is difficult to define • Business waste (trade, commercial or industrial waste) is any material disposed of by any organisation, whether for profit or not and whether public or private • Organisational waste is classed as controlled waste Examples of business waste materials include: • Used packaging • Discarded food • Discarded electrical equipment • Construction/ demolition waste
• 3.
  Why waste managementmakes sense • Legal compliance and reputation • Cost of waste disposal: usually 4-5% of turnover, sometimes as high as 10% • High/ increasing cost of new materials • Environmental protection: pollution, carbon reduction • Customer/ public interest • Circular Economy: waste as a resource
• 4.
  Legal responsibility As anorganisation, you have a legal duty of care to ensure that you produce, store, transport and dispose of your organisation’s waste without harming the environment or human health This includes:  Following the waste hierarchy  Storing waste safely and securely to prevent pollution  Keeping different types of waste separate  Using registered waste carriers  Checking environmental permits for waste sites  Completing waste transfer and hazardous waste consignment notes  Keeping records  Specific requirements for packaging, WEEE and batteries
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  Waste collection Transfer wasteto registered carriers https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
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  Waste hierarchy
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  Reduce and Reuse Buildingprojects: refurbish/ reuse materials Catering: minimising disposables and surplus food Paper reduction: electronic processes, double-sided etc Supplier engagement e.g. reducing/ reusing packaging, consolidating shipments Reuse schemes e.g. Globechain, Warp It, Free Cycle, Ebay, Swapshops Local / chosen charities Office furniture (donate or redesign) Electrical equipment repair Stationery sharing/ reuse days
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  Setting up aworking scheme: internal Identify your waste streams Different strategies for different areas (kitchens, back of house, offices, visitor areas, loading bays, engineering workshops) Start with minimum two bin system (general waste and recycling) Add further segregation for e.g. paper/ confidential waste, food
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   Match insidewith outside  Consider ad hoc waste e.g. electricals, batteries, hazardous wastes  One size does not fit all: consider purpose and cost (number of bins and collections required)  Consider: Different size bins Compactors Skips Balers Specialised containers Digesters!!! Setting up a working scheme: back of house and external
• 10.
  Going further withrecycling Comingled vs separated: paper, card, aluminium, plastics Confidential waste!!! Coffee cups Food waste Coffee grounds Cardboard (free?) Pallets (free?) Textiles
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  Tips: Location &Practicalities Take away personal bins Create cluster of bins centrally, near to where waste is produced Use the same colour bags and bins Avoid black bags if possible Don't be pedantic! Don’t accept double-standards
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  Tips: Communications  Alwaysuse informative signage, with pictures  Train housekeeping staff and other teams involved with waste  Use other media: intranet articles, funny videos, recycling awareness days  Bust the myths: recycling does make a difference!  Share and celebrate progress  Competitions between teams Don’t underestimate the power of containers and signage! Assume everyone knows what to do Penalise/ name and shame Green wash
• 13.
  Tips: Measuring &monitoring Sad but true: you can’t manage what you can’t measure! Carry out regular audits and bin checks  Identify bin monitors/ green champions  Ask your waste collector for data Create a waste register Set realistic targets  Waste reduction  60 - 70% recycling rate  Zero to landfill Communicate results to encourage ongoing improvement Consider formalising through an Environmental Management System (EMS)
• 14.
  If you lookyou will find
• 15.
  Resources • Training: WasteManagement Course EMA, Green Finch, CIWM • Awards: Green Apple, Clean City, MRW national recycling awards • Certification: Carbon Trust Standard – waste, zero to landfill
• 16.
  Thank you Vassia Paloumbi [email protected] GemmaBirley Green Finch Environmental Consulting [email protected]
• 17.
  Waste collection Non-hazardous waste: Wastetransfer note Keep records for two years Hazardous waste: Hazardous waste consignment note Consignee returns Keep records for three years https://portal.edoconline.co.uk/register
• 18.
  Storing waste Store wastesafely and securely to prevent pollution: Secure containers – covered, waterproof, inaccessible to public Labelled with waste type On impermeable ground Away from drains/ watercourses Bunds/ barriers around liquid wastes to contain spills and leaks Regular checks for leaks, spills or other potential risks Separate storage for: Hazardous and non-hazardous waste Different types of hazardous waste