WASTE & RECYCLING
Clare Noble of
PHS Waste
Management
looks at the
challenges
presented by changes
to the EU Landfill
Directive, which come
into force in October.
THE CHANGING WASTE LANDSCAPE
A
s companies become Companies will be faced with three changes and the desire of the waste
increasingly environmentally choices; pay an external contractor to industry to offer the best and most
aware, new legislation segregate waste; face EU fines for non- sustainable solutions to its customers.
offers a carrot and stick compliance; or segregate waste on-site
approach to managing the and reap the environmental, financial and RECYCLING AND SEPARATING WASTE
waste mountain, with a corporate benefits for doing so. Segregating waste on site can be as
much higher emphasis on recycling and Although the duty of care and simple as introducing a workplace
recovery. increased responsibility and legislation recycling programme – introducing bins
Businesses which primarily rely on around waste disposal seems complicated, for cardboard, cans or paper or
landfill are experiencing spiralling waste it does not need to have a negative separating the different waste streams
disposal costs and these are set to impact – financial or otherwise on during operational processes.
increase further from April 2008 by £8 businesses. This can reduce disposal costs
per tonne every year. This means that by In fact, organisations which carry out because paper, cardboard, glass and cans
2010 the landfill tax will have doubled effective reduce, reuse and recycle may have a commodity value. Correctly
from £24 to £48 per tonne. programmes can reap enormous benefits. segregating and baling waste also makes
In addition, changes to the EU Landfill Employing the 3Rs in the workplace is not it much more attractive to recycling
Directive from 30 October 2007 mean only good environmental business practice companies and may be collected by
that the 70 million tonnes of waste it can also save substantial amounts of recyclers for no charge. It is also worth
produced by UK businesses will have to be money. negotiating with recyclers when there are
treated and separated before it can go to Before October arrives and the new significant volumes of high value waste,
landfill. This move towards tackling more regulations are introduced, businesses such as high-grade office paper, as you
general waste generated by organisations must talk to their waste disposal may be able to receive a payment from
is designed to help the UK achieve its contractors. They should discuss how the the recycler.
2010 target of reducing the amount of new separation and pre-treatment
biodegradable waste to 75 per cent of requirements will impact on waste streams TIPS TO REDUCE REUSE
that produced in 1995. and the current processes that they AND RECYCLE
This latest draft of the EU Landfill currently have in the workplace. • Undertake a simple waste audit
Directive means that businesses will have Among the issues that facilities • Seek specialist advice for any
a legal obligation to implement effective managers will need to consider, is whether waste you think may be
waste segregation and recycling schemes, to pay an external contractor to sort the hazardous
which will ensure that only pre-treated waste – which can be costly, or whether • Request stock delivery on
waste is sent to landfill. this can be done on site. returnable pallets
Segregation is likely to be the most • Encourage your suppliers to
common form of pre-treatment. This TREATMENT deliver goods in reusable
means that businesses will have to ensure So what does treatment actually packaging
the recyclable waste is removed from the mean? Put simply it aims to create greater • Purchase in bulk – this generally
general waste stream. Then, facilities recycling and to reduce the impact of uses less packaging
managers will be legally required to make waste that goes to be landfilled. • Challenge your standard
sure that a reasonable amount of the The overall aim is essentially to: operational practices to see if
segregated waste is sent for recovery or • Reduce its volume there is a more efficient way of
recycling, instead of going to landfill. • Reduce its hazardous nature doing things
• Facilitate its handling – for • Make it easy for staff to recycle
example make it less hazardous with bins in the right locations
or easier to process • Bale waste to make it more
attractive to recycling companies
ENHANCE ITS RECOVERY • Compact any waste that can’t be
The way waste is treated is constantly recycled to reduce the number of
evolving both as a result of legislation waste collections
26|
SUSTAINABLE FM | OCTOBER 2007
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