Bsi bip 2102 2006

Mar k Yox on, St ephen Burnley and T ni Gladding... Waste ManagementMar k Yox on, Stephen Bur nley and Toni Gladding... Al ong sid e ener gy ma na ge-ment ,wa ste ma na gement is one oft

Mar k Yox on, St ephen Burnley and T ni Gladding

Waste Management

Mar k Yox on, Stephen Bur nley

and Toni Gladding

Wa l ton Ha ll

Mil ton Keynes MK 7 6AA

© The Open Uni ver sity 2 0

Al l rig ht s rese ved.Except a s pe mit ted u nde t he Cop right,Desig s and Patents Act 19 8,no

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pe mi ssi on i n writ i ng fom t he p bl ishe

Whi l st eve y c a re ha s be n t a ken i n d evel opi ng a nd compil i g t hi s pu bli c at i on,BSI a ccept s no

l iabi li ty for a ny l os or da ma ge c a u sed,ari sing d irec t l y or i ndi rec t l y in con ec t ion wit h rel i a nc

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The ri ght ofMa r k Yo on,Step en B rnl ey a nd Toni Gl a d d ing to be i dent i fied a s t he a u t hor s of

t his Work ha s be n a sse ted b t hem i n a ccordance wit h sec t ions 7 and 7 oft he Copright,

Designs a d Patent Act198

British Library Cataloguin in Pu lcation Data

A c at a l ogue record for t hi s report i s aa il a bl e fom t he Bri t i sh L ibra ry

BIP 210

ISBN 0-5 0-4 412-2

Typeset in Akz id enz Grotesk a nd Minion b

Florence Produ c t ion L td ,Stood lei gh,Dev n

Printed i n Grea t Brit a in b

Cha pter su mma ry 1

S me exa mples offi es a nd prosec ut ions 3

Ke ping on t he ri ght i d e oft he l aw 20

Wha t shou l d I d o w it h my wa ste? 29

Wha t is efc t i ve wa ste ma na gement ? 3

A wa ste revi ew – t he seven steps to efc t i ve wa ste ma na gement 34

5 An int rod u c t i on to key wa ste l eg i sl a t ion 4

Ba c kg rou nd – who a re t he regu l a tor s? 4

6 Wa ste ma nagement in rel a t i on to ot he ma nagement systems 6

Why i nteg ra te wa ste ma na gement w i t h ot her ma na gement systems? 68

Ap en i ces

1 Chec kl ist s for wa ste review 93

2 Hi story ofwa ste a nd rec yc l ing 101

3 Ou t li ne ofleg isl a t i ve d ri ver s for wa st e ma na gement a nd l ikel y

fu t ure impa c t s on bu sines 10

4 C a se st u d y sol ut ions for Cha pter 6 1 1

i m a tel y £ 650 per em pl oye per yea r Mos bu si neses si g ni fi c a nt l y u nd erest i mate wa ste

cost s,often b a fac tor of 0.You pay for r aw m a teri a l s,a nd any tha t d on’t en u p i n t he

prod u c t or servi ce y u provi d e be ome wa ste,at t r a c t i ng fu rt her cost s for sora ge,t reat

-m ent and d i sp sal Di sp sa l cost s are ri si ng year on year.Savi ngs and pay a c k are m

ea-su red i n mont hs,not yea r s.Ef c t ive wa ste management wi l l i mpro e com pet i t ivenes and

t he b t tom l i ne.C onsi d er y u r t u r no er to profi t rat i o Ify u cou l d save even t he average

4.5% b m i ni mi zi ng or el i m i nat i ng wa ste cou l d y u match thi s fi gu re b i nc rea si ng sal es?

Al ong si d e t he p ten a l cos saving s sit severa l ot her d ri ver s for a d d res ing wa ste ma

n-a gement

• L eg isl a t ion ra tc het s u p yea r on yea r;ke ping a hea d oft he ga me ma kes busines sense

a nd a d d s u p to mea sura bl e benefi t

• A whol e ra ft ofst a kehol d er s, from ba nks a nd insu ra nce compa nies to

non-govern-ment a l orga niz a t ions, sha rehol d er s a nd t he pu blc ,ex ec t a nd inc rea singl y d ema nd

t ha t bu sines improves it s environment a l per forma nce Al ong sid e ener gy ma na

ge-ment ,wa ste ma na gement is one oft he ea sies a nd mos benefic ia l ways ofa d d res ing

t hese is ues

Ef c t i ve wa ste ma na gement is st ra ig ht forwa rd , a nd c a n often be a chieved w i t h simple

c ha nges to o era t iona l proced u res.It is a su rprise t ha t so often it i s a mis ed o p rt u

-nity The purp se oft his rep r is to provid e t he tool s a nd tec hniqu es to u l oc k t he

benefi t s ofefc t i ve wa ste ma na gement

Chapter 1 set s ou t t he ba c kg rou nd a nd g i ves exa mpl es to show t ha t wa ste ma na gement

equ a l s busines benefit

Cha pter 2 a nswer s t he qu est ion ‘Wha t is wa ste?’a nd u nma sks t he hid d en a c t i vit ies t ha t

cont ribu te to los profi t s

Chapter 3 expa nd s t he bu sines c a se for wa ste ma na gement a nd inc l u d es d et a il s oft he

rea sons for a d d resing wa ste isu es,i.e.t he l ega l,fisc a l a nd ma rket a d va nt a ges

Cha pter 4 provid es t he ‘H ow to’d et a ils of wa st e review to t a ke soc k ofwha t i s a c t u a ll y

ha ppening a nd to d evel op or ga ni z a t iona l intell igence on wha t c a u ses wa ste, where i t is

being genera ted a nd how to ma ke informed ma na gement d ec isi ons to d evel op a wa ste

ma na gement st ra teg

Cha pter 5 ex a nd s t he int rod u c t ion to wa ste leg isl a t ion i n Cha pter 3 a nd set s t he scene

for exist i g a nd fu t u re leg isl a t i ve d ri ves for wa ste ma na gement

Cha pter 6 provid es gu id el i es for integ ra t ing wa ste ma na gement a c t i vit ies w it h exist i g

or pl a nned ma na gement ystems su c h a s qu a l ity a nd hea lt h a nd sa fety.It ma kes t he bu

si-nes c a se for integ ra t ion ra t her t ha n replc a t i on of fort

Cha pter 7 set s ou t some oft he ma in terms a ssoc ia ted w it h wa ste a nd wa ste ma na

ge-ment

Cha pter 8 is i ntend ed to provid e a ut horit a t i ve sou rces ofhel p a nd a dvice

Fina ll y,a series ofa ppend ices provi d e informa t ion to su ppl ement t he ma in b d y oft he

Trnds and BestPracic in Wast Managementha s be n w ri t ten to help y u ma ke sense

ofwa ste a s a bu sines i ssu e.There a re ma ny rea sons why a n or ga niz a t ion ne d s to foc u s

a t tent i on on wa ste ma na gement The b t tom l i e is t ha t it cost s money On avera ge,

y ur bu sines is lkel y to be spend ing 4.5% oftot a l t u rno er prod uc i ng wa ste.This wa ste

ne d s to be stored a nd d i sp sed of, fu rt her inc rea sing cost s The t ru e cos ofwa ste –

ma teria l s, energ , l a bou r a nd t rea t ment – i s u su a ll y a t lea st five a nd c a n be u p to 20

t i mes t he cos ofd isp sa l.Wha t d oes t his a d d up to for y u r busines ?

There is a n inesc a pa bl e fa c t a bou t wa ste: it cost s y u money From Go ernment

fi gures,we est ima te t ha t coul d a d d up to £ 50 per emplo e per yea r.Do t he ma t hs

for y u r or ga niz a t i on – it a d d s u p to rea l a nd u cont rol led los ofprofi t Trn s

and Best Pracic in Wast Managementhelps y u ma ke sense ofwa ste ma na gement

a s a bu sines i ssu e,a nd ma na ge wa ste a nd in t u rn y u r resou rces more efc t i vely

By d oing so y u w il l save money,d evel op good bu sines pra c t ices a nd g rea ter proces

efic i enc y.We inc l u d e pra c t ic a l sol ut ions,tool s a nd techniqu es to d emonst ra te a nd

help y u est a bl ish efc t i ve wa ste ma na gement i n y ur or ga niz a t i on,a nd save more

t ha n t he envi ronment

This rep r set s ou t to a nswer some fu nd a ment a l qu est ions a bou t wa ste a nd wa ste

ma na gement The a nswer s a d d u p to a n efc t i ve wa ste ma na gement st ra teg for

y u r bu sines

Key q e t i n A nswers – Ch pt ers:

What is w aste? 2 & 7

How muc h is w aste c sting th bu in s ? 3, 5 & Al

What ar e th be e ts of ef fectiv e w aste mana eme t? 3 & 2

How d I star t to mak s n e of w aste mana eme t? 3 & 5

How c n I dev elo a w aste mana eme t str ategy ? 5

How d I mak s n e of w aste legislation? 6, 4 & 8

Wh and how d I integr ate w aste mana eme t w ith 4 & 5

oth r mana eme t sy stems?

What c n I lear n fr om oth r s? 8 & A ll

Wh r e c n I fi d h lp and a v ice? 8

What d e th ja r gon mean? 7

There a re fu nd a ment a l bu sines rea sons,a s wel l a s environment a l ones,for minimiz ing

wa ste

• A systema t i c wa ste minimiz a t ion prog ra mme cou l d save 1% oft urno er

• Every p u nd saved on ma teria l cost s goes st ra ig ht to t he b t tom l i e a nd t he avera ge

pay a c k period s for su c h init ia t i ves a re mea su red in mont hs,not yea r s

• Saving s ofa rou nd £1,0 0 per empl oye a re typic a l l y ma d e t hroug h resou rce efi c ienc y

prog ra mmes

• Ma ny wa ste minimiz a t ion mea su res cos virt u a l l y not hing ,a re si mpl e to i mpl ement

a nd yiel d sig nifi c a nt resu l t s

• Cu stomer s inc rea si ng l y fv u r compa nies who have good environment a l c red en a ls

• M ore a nd more busines es d ema nd resou rce efi c ienc y from t heir su ppl ier s a nd pa rt

-ner s

• L eg isl a t ion,b t h in t he UK a nd from Eu rope,is forci ng u s a ll to a d d res t he is u e of

wa ste.Non-compl ia nce mea ns fi nes a nd ,in t he wor st c a se,c u stod ia l sentence

Ab ot L b r a tor i s man f actur es phar ma e tic l and h althc r e pr oducts L w - or

no-c st w aste mana eme t initiativ es, for example w aste w ater and sold w aste, hav e

sav ed it ov er £17 ,0 0 per y ear

P fizer Ltd r epla ed expe siv e fibr eb ar d p c k aging w ith c r db ar d b xe , sav ing

£7 ,0 0 per y ear w ith a 3 % sav ing in fr eight c st to th cu tomer

GEC Ma rconi Avionics s t up a w a ste minimiza tion scheme in its meta l fi is ing fa ci ty

Impleme ting ju t on idea – u ing a n w ty pe of spra y gu – from its w ee ly

bra in tor ming s s ion turned a n inv estme t of £ 1,0 0 into a sa v ing of £ 8,0 0 per y ea r

Ab ot L b r a tor i s sav ed £3 ,0 0 per y ear by e s r i g that pump w ater s al fl s e

u ed w ater only w he th pump w as r equir ed

Kimbe y -C lar k r educed w ater u e, sav ing £9 ,0 0 on w ater c sts and a fur th r

£3 ,0 0 on sold w aste disp sal c sts

Whatman Inter national Ltd r epla ed s r i k w r ap w ith w ide ta e mate al and sav ed

£12,0 0 per y ear

A Sc tis r ur al high str eet c mmu ity of smal r etaier s w or ked to eth r and sav ed

£9,7 0 per y ear thr ough w ater sav ings and r educing w aste and so r educed disp sal

c sts

A c ntr act p c k aging c mp n inv estig ted al aspects of its p c k aging and sav ed

4 % on w aste r emov al c sts by s gr eg ting w aste and r educing v olume in th ge er al

w aste s ip

L w er i g th side of c r db ar d tr an it tr ay s sav ed a pet foo c mp n £10 ,0 0 per

y ear

R educing th thic kn s of s r i k w r ap film by 2 % sav ed a major h althc r e r etaier 2

ton e of mate als and £2 ,0 0 per y ear

Ex mple o f co st savings

fom En irowise

The key p int a bou t prosec u t ion is t ha t it s i mpa c t goes fa r bey n fi nes a nd

inconve-nience.These a re i n t he pu bl ic d oma in a nd a re pic ked u p b t he med ia Ba d pres a nd

ba d bu sines pra c t ice ul t i ma tel y lea d to los ofc red ibil ity a nd l os ofbu sines

S t he foc u s for efc t i ve wa ste ma na gement is a combina t ion ofb t tom li ne a nd t he

p ten a l ly neg a t i ve impa c t s ofnon-c ompla nce wit h leg isla t ion.We d isc u ss t hese isues

i n more d et a il n t he rep rt

Inv estig tion of p c k aging o tion and r educed w aste p c k aging by The Bo ts Gr oup

r educed P C u e by 3 ton e per y ear, r educed e v ir onme tal imp cts and sav ed

£214,0 0 per y ear

By w or king clos ly w ith major cu tomer s and s p ler s, CC l C ustom Man factu ng

elminated 14 ton e of plastic tr ay s, impr ov ed p c k aging efficie cy and sav ed

£2 3,0 0 per y ear

C r ow n C opy r ight Env ir ow is ( 20 6)

Thr ee f amiy member s and a w aste c ntr actor w er e giv en fi e total ng ov er £ 12,0 0

and a 18 -hour C ommu ity Ser v ice Or der a t New por t C r ow n C our t in Mar c h 2 0

folow ing per siste t i eg l w aste a tiv itie at a site in south Wale

A multi-a e cy cr ac kd w n on e v ir onme tal cr ime in w est, east and south Yor ks ir e

and nor th east Der by shir e landed at least f our peo le in th cels f or alegedly

c mmiting w aste offence , and ar ou d 15 v ehicle w er e c hec ked as p r t of sto

and s ar c h o er ation

A Somer set c he s c mp n w as or der ed to p y £ 13,12 in fi e and c sts for

fai ng to r ecy cle w aste p c k aging The Env ir onme t Age cy v isited th c mp n in

A ugu t 2 0 and f ou d th p c k aging w eight r egister ed w as v astly u der estimated

In tea of ar ou d 5 ton e , it tur ned out to be 4 6 ton e

A w est c u tr y g r age bu in s w as or der ed to p y a total of £1 ,0 0 in fi e and

c sts for w aste off ence a er h ndr eds of ty r es and flamma le c hemic ls w er e

dumped in th c u tr y side

A fir m that s p le c hic ke and oth r pr oducts to 10% of al Indian r estaur ants

a r os th UK w as or der ed to p y £5,3 6 in fi e and c sts f or c ntr av ening

r egulation on r ecy clng of p c k aging w aste

A Stok -on-Tr ent man w as s nte ced to four month ’ immediate impr i onme t a er

r epeatedly tip ing buiding and ex cav ation w aste i eg ly on gr ee belt land After a

thr ee-d y tr ial and being f ou d guity of fiv e off ence , th man w as also or der ed to p y

£ 9,5 4 in c sts to th Env ir onme t A ge cy

C r ow n C opy r ight Env ir onme t A ge cy ( 20 6)

Ex mple o f fin s a d

prose cutio s fom th

En iro nme t A e c

Al l forwa rd -l oo ing or ga niz a t ions have resource ma na gement fi rml y on t he bu sines

a gend a a nd a sk qu est ions such a s:

• how c a n I ma ke more from les?

• how c a n I ma ximize m y bu sines efi c ienc y?

• how c a n I ma int a in leg a l compla nce w it h c ha ng ing wa ste a nd rel a ted hea l t h & sa fety

l eg isl a t ion?

An imp rt a nt pa rt oft his i nterna l d eba te cent res on t he efc t i ve ma na gement ofwa ste

in t he bu sines a nd d isco ering how a nd why wa ste is c rea ted i n t he fi r st pl a c e

Thi s rep r helps y u exa mine wa ste a s pa rt of f c t i ve resou rce ma na g ement t hrou g hou t

t he bu sines c yc le.It mo es bey n simply l oo ing a t wa ste a s a n inevit a ble ou tcome of

busines a c t i vity a nd helps foc u s on a w id er consid era t ion ofwa ste ma na gement b

a sking quest ions a nd su ggest i g ways y u c a n fi d y u r ow n a nswer to:

• how d o y u proc u re ma teri a l s a nd services?

• how d o y u u se raw ma teria l s in t he bu si nes ?

• how d o y u u t il ize t ra nsp r a nd d i st ribu t ion in t he bu sines ?

• how d o y u d evelo y u r st a ff ompetenc ies so t hey c a n ca rry ou t t heir jo s efc t i vely?

F or a wa ste ma na gement pla n or st ra teg to t a ke root in t he busi nes,it ne d s top-l evel

su pp rt This beg ins wit h t he b a rd ,who w il l ne d a c lea r set ofa r g u ment s a nd id ea l l y

irrefu t a bl e evid ence t ha t a n y pl a n for wa ste ma na gement is:

• ne es a ry– c it i g l eg isla t ion,compet i on,cost s ofwa ste d isp sa l,ma rket pres u res;

• a fford a ble– w it h c l ea r,a cc u ra te cost s on t he t a ble.L oo for ome qu ic k w ins.Ca lc u l a te

pay a c k period s;

• cost -efc t i ve– wit h a cc ura te projec t i ons ofsaving s;

• g ing to i mprove profi ta bil i ty– w it h d emonst ra ble exa mpl es.Ta lk a bou t ot her s who

have d one i t The cont a c t s in Cha pter 8 provid e exa mples from d if rent bu sines

sec tor s

• l i el y to at t ra c t more c u stomer s a nd bu si nes pa rt ner s– t a lk w it h sup li er s,c u stomer s

a nd p ten a l pa rt ner s,a nd g i ve exa mpl es offed ba c k a nd good pra c t ice

A Leice ter shir e dy er e timated efflu nt disp sal c sts at £5 ,0 0 per y ear Th tr ue

c st w as £15 ,0 0 per y ear A w aste minimization pr ogr amme r educed efflu nt c sts

by 19% or £2 ,5 0 per y ear

Seting on sc u ng mac hin c r r ectly to minimize w ater u e sav ed 12 ltr es of

w ater per min te or £15,0 0 per y ear in meter ed w ater c sts

R egular w ater u e and monitor i g by J W Le s & C o ( Br ew er s) Ltd r educed an ual

w ater c n umption by 4 % and sav ed £ 10 ,0 0 per y ear in w ater and be r c sts

Mas b lance tec hniqu s a nd sy stematic k y e v ir onme tal per for mance indic tor s

h lped R obin on Br oth r s Ltd, a man factur er of or ganic c hemic ls, r educe r aw

mate al e te ng th w aste str eam by 3 ton e and ge er ate c st sav ings of

£ 18 ,0 0 ov er a tw o-y ear pe o

Intr oduction of p int monitor i g equipme t to r educe th quantitie of w aste p int lef t

ov er a er r espr ay ing w or k sav ed a smal a cide t r ep ir s o £12,0 0 per y ear and

r educed p int and solv ent c n umption by 2 %

Waste analy sis at Fe n r Du lo , a multinational man factur er of c nv ey er belts,

r educed belt cuto w aste to le s than 1%, sav ing th c mp n £2 0,0 0 w ith no

c pital inv estme t

A w aste r ev iew at SCA P ac k aging r es lted in a r eduction of 5 0 ton e of pr oce s

w aste and 15% r eduction of a h siv e u e C ost sav ings amou ted to ov er

£ 10 ,0 0

A U specialst c hemic ls c mp n c r r ied out a w aste r ev iew and r educed w ater u e

by £ 30 ,0 0 per y ear and sav ed £4 0,0 0 on r aw mate als The c hemic l ox y ge

demand of efflu nt w as r educed by 5 % w ith f ur th r tr eatme t c st r eduction

A smal v ehicle e gin e ng c mp n r educed ge er al w aste by 8 % and c sts by

£ 3,9 2 per y ear thr ough simple e v ir onme tal per for mance monitor i g

Sev er n Tr ent L b r ator i s Ltd elminated a solv ent w as ing pr ocedur e, sav ing £7,0 0

per y ear thr ough solv ent pur c hasing and disp sal c sts Oth r be e ts included low er

lev els of employ ee ex pos r e to or ganic solv ents and low er v olume of hazar dou

w aste r equir i g disp sal A w aste minimization cultur e has be n fir mly e ta ls ed

R epla ing c nv entional c r db ar d p c k aging w ith r eu a le plastic c ntain r s has

h lped a phar ma e tic l c mp n sav e £3 ,0 0 per y ear a er inv estme t c sts

Sup ly ing br aking sy stem c mp n nts for th automotiv e indu tr y has h lped

C ontin ntal Tev es Ltd sav e ov er £81,0 0 per y ear and r educe w aste C ontin ntal

Tev es has a tiv ely and s c e sfuly e c ur aged its s p ler s to a o t simiar pr actice

and sw itc h to r eu a le p c k aging

C r ow n C opy r ight Env ir ow is ( 20 6)

Furth re ample of

busin s be nefits fom

En iro wise

2.1 Wast e in general

‘Wha t is wa ste?’This is a very good q u est i on.There a re ma n y d if rent types ofwa ste

a nd ju st a bou t everyt hing y u r or ga niz a t ion d oes prod u ces some kin ofwa ste.To help

set t he scene in y u r ow n mind ,have a go a t t he fo ow ing a c t i vity

Wa ste c a n be d efi ned a s a nyt hing t ha t t he bu sines wa nt s or ne d s to d isp se of,

whet her t he ma teria l end s u p in a l a nd fi l l site or a s fed stoc k for t he rec yc ling

ind u st ry

In it s w id es sense,wa ste c a n be a sol id ,lqu id ,ga s or even a n ener gy st rea m (u c h

a s wa rm wa ter going d ow n a d ra in).Ifwe a re t rying to red u ce t he wa ste genera ted ,

it i s i mp rt a nt to a d opt t his w id e d efi it ion bec a u se t here a re often l i ks bet we n

t he wa ste ofone type ofresou rce a nd t he wa ste from a not her ma teri a l s a nd ener gy

for exa mpl e)

Or ga niz a t ions c a n ‘hid e ’wa ste u nd er a mu l t it u d e ofeu phemisms,bu t we ne d to

be hones a nd recog nize wa ste in a l l it s forms

Severa l d if rent y pes ofsold wa ste a re recog ni zed b t he regul a tor s,ra ng ing from

iner wa ste to ha z a rd ou s wa ste An y c l a ss ofwa ste c a n comprise ma ny d i ffrent

ma teria ls,a nd it is imp rt a nt to id en fy which types ofwa ste a re prod u ced in y u r

or ga niz a t ion

Your a nswer w il l be in u enced b t he size ofy ur bu sines ,t he a c t i vit ies t ha t y ur

busi-nes c a rries ou t a nd y u r rol e in t he or ga niz a t ion

Ifwe d id a survey a mong t he genera l pu bl ic ,we wou l d come u p wit h a not her set ofl ist s

t ha t refl ec ted t he pa rt ic u la r ind i vid u a l’s t hou g ht s,id ea s a nd va l u es.F or exa mpl e,a ke n

ga rd ener wou ld rega rd a pil e ofveget a bl e a nd fru it pe lng s a s a va l u a bl e cont ribu t ion

to t he comp s hea p ,whil e a not her per son wou l d rega rd t he sa me ma teria l a s u pl ea sa nt

wa ste

Bu t c a n we come u p w i t h a d efi it ion ofwa ste? Two c hil d ren c a me u p w it h t he fol l owing

su ggest ions:

“Ru bish and suf that peple don’t want.”(Chrisop e aged 8)

“What we prod c and throw awa; thin s we don’t ned.”(And rew a ged 1 )

Two per fec t l y rea sona ble d efi it ions,bu t we coul d a l so l oo a t t he Eu ro ea n Fra mework

Direc t i ve on Wa ste for a more offi ci a l view.Accord ing to t hi s d irec t i ve,wa ste is d efi ned

a s:

‘Any su bst a nce or o jec t whi c h t he hold er di sposes ofor i s requi red to d ispose ofi n p r suant

to t he provisi ons ofna t ional l a in force.’

Bot h t he c hil d ren a nd t he d irec t i ve have foc u sed on t he fa c t t ha t wa ste is somet hing t ha t

we wa nt (or ne d ) to get rid of.Equ a ll y,t he d efi it ion l eaves t he quest ion ofou r fru

pe l i g s o en; t hey may or may not be a wa ste Bot h t hese d efi it ions foc u s on a n

a ssu mpt ion t ha t wa ste prod u c t ion is somet hing t ha t ha ppens.Ou r foc u s in t his rep r

is to c ha l lenge a nd qu a nt i fy t his a ssu mpt i on,a nd b d oing so a d d va l u e to t he bu sines

Note that mate a l that y ou or y our bu in s s gr eg te f or r ecy clng is sti a w aste or

‘something y ou d n’t w ant’ T king office p per as an exa mple, it is cer tainly beter to

s nd this mate al f or r ecy clng than f or disp sal to a landfil but ( as w e w il inv estig te

in C ha ter 3) it w ould be beter sti if th w aste w as not ge er ated in th fir st pla e

2.2 Ident if y ing wast e in t he workplac e

Wa ste is everywhere in t he work la ce.A good st a rt i ng p int is to l oo a t everyt hing t ha t

enter s a nd le ves t he work l a ce C onsid er t he fi rm show n in Ta bl e 1 M od el s su c h a s

t his,whic h a re ba sed on input s a nd ou t put s,a re a u seu l way ofid ent i fying wa ste.These

mod el s c a n be d evel oped into wha t a re know n a s ‘ma ss ba l a nces ’.A ma ss ba la nce qu a

n-t ifi es t he wei ght of very ma teria l entering ea c h i npu t st rea m,t he weig ht ofma t eria l (b

type) in ea c h ou t pu t st rea m a nd t he weig ht ofa ny ma teria l s a cc u m u la t ing i n t he system

Thi s c a n t hen be used to hel p id en fy t he a rea s we ne d to concent ra te on ifwe a re

t rying to red u ce t he a mou t ofwa ste we prod u ce.You may w ish to prod u ce a ma ss

ba l a nce for y u r bu sines premises once y u’ve worked t hrou g h Cha pter 5

You may be surpri sed to se some oft he ‘wa stes ’ inc l u d ed in Ta bl e 1.Ind eed ,t he EU

d i rec t i ve ’s u se oft he word ‘su bst a nce ’woul d su gges t ha t t he ener gy l oses a re not wa stes

H owever,a n y ener gy ma na ger or fi na nc ia l cont ro er wou l d cert a inl y se a hot ra d ia tor

i mmed i a tely below a n o en w ind ow a s a ‘wa ste ’

F uels and e er gy En r gy

Electr icity Sp ce h ating los e

Gas P r oce s h ating los e

Equipme t and mac hin r y P r oce s w aste

R aw mate als Office w aste

F inis ed pr oducts Kitc he w aste

Office mate als P ac k aging

Equipme t and mac hin r y

C on tr uction, demoltion and

r edec r ation w aste

R ep ir and mainte ance w aste

R a w mate als P r oce s lquids

Ve icle w as ing

Gas s

Boier emis ion

P r oce s emis ion

On-site v ehicle

Table 1: Workp lac inp uts

and outputs

The empha sis oft hi s rep r is on sold wa ste,so t he fol l ow i ng cha pter s a re not d irec t ly

concerned w it h wa ste ener gy,lqu id s a nd g a ses.Bu t it is es en a l for a l l st a ffconcerned

w it h wa ste to a pprec ia te t ha t ,when it comes to a ny bu sines a c t i vi ty,resource consu

mp-t ion a nd wa ste a re inext ric a bl y li nked F or exa mpl e, a n ener gy-inefic ient hea t -ba sed

proces may a l so be genera t ing exces sold wa ste t hrou g h t he ne d to rejec t su b- t a nd a rd

ma teria l t ha t ha s not be n t rea ted su ffic i ent l y.S ,a s y u w il l se in Cha pter 5, savi ng s

id en fi ed i n one a rea wil often lea d to savi ng s i n a d if rent a rea

Bu t , when it comes to wa ste, bewa re Wa ste c a n be hi d d en b u sing a va riety ofl es

u nplea sa nt terms.Ta ke a l oo a t t he ls i n Ta bl e 2 – t hese a re a ll terms t ha t rea l l y mea n

‘wa ste ’.H ow ma ny oft hem a re u sed in y u r work l a ce?

A c t iv it y

Fin ou t how ma ny oft hese terms a re u sed in y ur work la ce

Do y u have a ny d esc ript ions for wa ste in y u r bu sines t ha t a re not inc lu d ed in t his li s

r etur ns cleaning los r efus

mate al v ar iance c ntamination tr as

tais moistur e c nte t cr edits

e d of r un cleav age los du t

s t up los ov er -mak c r e los

alow ance non-stand r d dec kle los

stoc k los mak ups ev ap r ation

stoc k a ju tme ts giv e aw ay sample

salv age b tc h gr ow th ov er is u

u av oid ble los e cr os -c ntamination factor y s o

geometr ic los e dipstic k er r or sw eepings

r ew or k ov er -specific tion dr os

DMCS u author ized u e s or ta e

u der -delv er y s r i k age s c nds

o solete stoc k stand r ds ov er w eight

indu tr y stand r d leak age def ects

spi a e c nceled or der pr oce s los

Table 2 : Terms for wa te

2.3 Wast e t erminology

L ike a ll su bjec t s,wa ste ma na gement ha s it s ow n ja r gon a nd a t t a c hes hi ghl y spec ific mea

n-i ng s to some everyd ay terms.To hel p y u t hrou g h t his,we have put toget her a su mma ry

ofsome oft he more imp rt a nt terms u sed to d esc ri be wa ste.You w il l me t severa l of

t hese terms in t his rep rt ,a nd in y u r d ea li ng w i t h wa ste a t work

Ine t wa ste This wa ste consist s ofsu bst a nces t ha t a re physic a ll y a nd c hemic a l l y u

nre-a c t i ve; when d isp sed of t hey d on’t d is ol ve a nd cont a mina te wa ter su ppli es, or

d ecomp se g i ving of ha rmfu l ga ses Cera mic s, roc ks, c l ea n soi a nd some t y pes of

a sh a re a l l exa mpl es ofiner wa ste.These ma t eria ls a t t ra c t a much lower ra te ofl a nd

-fi l l t a x [£2 per ton e a ga ins £1 per ton e (in 20 5) for a ct i ve wa ste],bu t t hey st il l

t a ke u p la nd fi ll spa ce a nd d epl ete t he na t ion l a nd fi ll c a pa c ity

H ou sehol d wa ste This is t he wa ste we prod u ce a t home.H owever,i t consist s ofmore

t ha n ‘ d u st bin wa ste ’.Wa ste t a ken to pu bl ic wa ste si t es a nd wa ste pu t ou t for rec yc li ng

or t a ken to a rec yc l ing ba nk is a lso c la ssed a s ‘hou sehold wa ste ’

Mu ni c i pa l soli d wa ste This consist s ofhou sehol d wa ste pl us wa ste prod u ced b bu

si-neses t ha t i s simi la r in comp sit ion to hou sehol d wa ste a nd is col l ec ted a s pa rt of

t he l oc a l a ut hority coll ec t ion system

Note t ha t some Eu ropea n a nd na t iona l wa ste rec yc li ng a nd reco ery t a r get s refr to

‘hou sehold wa ste ’a nd some refr to ‘m u nic ipa l wa ste ’.S t he d if rence bet we n t he

t wo terms (whic h represent s bu sines wa ste) c a n be imp rt a nt Thi s sit u a t ion a lso

mea ns t ha t t he way y u r wa ste is regu la ted c a n be d epend ent on which system col lec t s

t he wa ste (t he l oc a l a u t hority service or a pri va te a rra ngement bet we n t he firm a nd

a wa ste ma na gement compa ny)

Ha za rd ou s waste Un l 20 5,ha z a rd ou s wa ste wa s know n a s ‘S ec ia l Wa ste ’in t he UK

It is t he wa ste w it h t he g rea tes p tent i a l for c a u sing ha rm to t he environment or

pu bli c hea l t h.Ty pi c a l ha z a rd ou s wa stes cont a in to xic su bst a nces,fla mma bl e l iqu id s,

a sbestos, st rong a c id s a nd a lka li s Bu t wa ste frid ges a nd freezer s a re a lso c l a ssed a s

ha z a rd ou s wa ste d u e to t he presence ofsu bst a nces t ha t cou ld d a ma ge t he ozone layer

i n old er a ppl ia nces

1

1 At t he t i me ofwri t ing (pring 0 6) t he Ha z a rd ous Wa ste Reg ul a t i ons (2 0 )a re n t ful l y i mpl emented i n

Scot la nd a nd Nort hern Iela nd

Cl i ni c a l wa ste Wa ste genera ted b hea l t hc a re a c t i vit ies ( u c h a s GP s, hospit a ls, vet s,

l a bora tori es) Cl i ic a l wa ste cover s everyt hing from used st i c king pl a ster s t hrou g h

wa ste med ic ines to h uma n or ga ns a nd ot her o era t ing t hea t re wa ste.Ify u r fi rm ha s

a fi rs a id room y u may be prod u c ing c li nic a l wa ste – whic h i s bes ma na ged t hrou g h

t he services ofa spec ia lis cont ra c tor

Ind u st ri a l waste This is t he wa ste prod u ced b ma nu fa c t u ring ind u st ry.It cou l d consis

of veryt hi ng from iner wa ste t hroug h to ha z a rd ou s wa st e

C ommerc ial wa ste This is t he wa ste prod uced b t he commerc ia l sec tor t ha t is col le ted

u nd er a n a rra ngement bet we n t he wa ste prod u cer a nd a ri va te-ec tor wa ste ma na

ge-ment compa ny.This mea ns t ha t su c h wa ste fa l ls ou t sid e t he d efi it i on ofmu nic ipa l

sold wa ste In terms ofcomp sit ion it i s simil a r to househol d wa ste,bu t tend s to

cont a in more pa per a nd c a rd prod u c t s a nd les fo d a nd ga rd en wa ste Ofcou rse

t here a re except ions to t his a nd some sec t or s prod u ce l a r ge qu a nt it i es offo d wa ste

Ag ricu l t u ra l wa ste Ag ric u l t u ra l wa ste cover s a w i d e ra nge of ma teri a l s, from sc ra p

ma c hinery to ma nure.Un l rec en y,a g ric u l t u ra l wa ste d isp sa l wa s la r gel y u nregu

-l a ted ,bu t now,w it h t he except i on ofc rop resid u es a nd a nima l ma nu res,a g ric u l t u ra l

wa ste is su bjec t to t he sa me cont rols a s ind u st ria l a nd commerc ia l wa ste.The ma na

ge-ment ofpl a st ic fil ms,frt ili zer cont a iner s a nd ot her fa rm c hemic a l d ru ms is a pa rt ic u l a r

pro l em in t hi s a rea

Bi od eg r a d a ble wa ste Thi s d efi ni t ion c u t s a c ros a l l oft he a bo e c a tegories (except iner

wa ste) a nd comprises a ny wa ste t ha t c a n be bro en d ow n b mic ro ia l a c t ion.This

mic ro ia l d ecomp sit ion t a kes pl a ce in l a nd fi ll sites l ea d ing to t he genera t ion ofp

ten-t ia l ly p ll u t ing la ndfi l l ga s a nd l ea cha te (a l iq u id t ha t coll ec t s in t he ba se ofl a nd fil l

si tes a nd , if a l l owed to esc a pe, c a n c a u se seri ous p l lu t i on to wa ter cou r ses a nd

a qui fer s) F or t his rea son t he La nd fil l Direc t i ve is rest ric t ing t he la nd fi ll i g of

biod eg ra d a bl e mu nic ipa l wa ste

A c t iv it y

Do y u know how ma ny a nd how m u c h oft he a bo e types ofwa ste were prod uced

a t y u r work la ce o er t he pa st 1 mont hs? Est a bli shing a nd ma int a ining a l is or

wa ste inventory c a n be ext remel y u seu l Loc a te or c rea te su c h a n inventory for y u r

ow n u se – y u w i ll be a bl e to a rra nge i nforma t ion in t he fo ow ing c ha pter s more

2.4 How much wast e do we produc e?

In tot a l ,t he UK prod uces a bou t 420 mil ion ton es ofsol i wa ste ea c h yea r.This c a n

be broken d ow n a s show n i n Figu re 1

Mu c h oft his wa ste ha s rel a t i vel y l ow p ten a l for environment a l d a ma ge.F r exa mple,

qu a rrying a nd mining wa ste is l a r gel y inert ,d red g ing sp i ls a re d isp sed ofa t sea ,a nd

a l ot ofa g ric u lt u ra l wa st e is rec yc l ed on t he fa rm Having sa id t ha t , even ifwe onl y

concern ou r sel ves w it h i nd u st ria l , commerc i a l a nd m u nic ipa l wa ste,we st il l have o er

10 mil l ion ton es ofwa ste a yea r to consi d er

L oc a l a u t horit ies a re now prod u c ing reli a ble est ima tes oft he a mou nt ofm u nic ipa l wa ste

prod u ced a nd how it is ma na ged ,bu t t here is l es informa t ion ava il a bl e on commerc ia l

a nd ind u st ria l wa ste The Environment Agenc y u d ertoo a su rvey ofind u st ria l a nd

commerc i a l wa ste in E g la nd a nd Wa l es for t he yea r 20 2–03 a nd t he informa t i on below

i s t a ken from t ha t su rvey (ful l d et a il s a re ava il a ble a t ht tp:/www.environment -a genc y

gov.u k)

It wa s est ima ted t ha t E gl a nd a nd Wa l es prod uced a rou nd 42 mil l ion ton es ofind u

s-t ria l a nd 3 mil ion ton es ofcommerc ia l wa ste in 20 2–03 (Scot l a nd prod u ces a bou t

2 mil ion ton es ea c h ofi nd u st ria l a nd commerc ia l wa ste a nd Nort hern Irela nd a bou t

7 0,0 0 ton es ofcommerc ia l a nd ind u st ri a l wa ste in tot a l ).The comp sit ion oft his is

shown in Figu re 2.It c a n be se n t ha t t he ma in comp nent ofind u st ria l wa ste is minera l

wa ste (ma inl y p wer st a t ion a sh a nd sla g s from iron a nd steel works), whil e commer

-c i a l wa ste is ma inl y mixed wa ste (expl a ined furt her below) a nd non-met a l lic ma teria l

(ma inl y pa per a nd c a rd)

A su rvey c a rried out in Wa l es fou nd t ha t t he ma in comp nent s ofmi xed commerc ia l

wa ste were pa per a nd c a rd (41%) a nd kitc hen a nd ga rd en wa ste (2 %), a s shown in

Figure 3

Bu t wha t ha ppens to t his wa ste? The Environment Agenc y su rvey shows a n encou ra g ing

si t u a t ion,w i t h 43% ofou r commerc i a l a nd ind u st ri a l wa ste being eit her reused or rec

y-c l ed The fi g u res a re pa rt ic u la r ly good for met a l li c a nd non-met a ll ic wa ste a t 92% a nd

8 % respec t i vel y,bu t t here a re a rea s where impro ement s ca n be ma d e.The mi xed wa ste

rec yc li ng fi gu res a re 1 % for ind u st ri a l wa ste a nd 8% for commerc ia l wa ste.Thi s is not

su rprisi ng; once wa stes become mixed , cont a mina t i on is l ikely to occ u r, red u c ing t he

u ses a nd va l u e ofa ny recovered ma teri a l The mec ha nic a l a nd hu ma n efor req u i red to

sepa ra te ma teria l s from mixed wa ste a l so i nc rea ses t he cos oft he recovery proces

In su mma ry, t he mes a ge is c l ea r The UK prod uces l a r ge a mou nt s ofcommerc ia l a nd

i nd u st ria l wa ste,a nd su bst a nt ia l qua nt i es a re being rec yc l ed a nd reused However,t here

i s st il l m u c h prog res to be ma d e,pa rt ic u la r ly w it h mixed wa ste

There a re severa l presing rea sons why busines es ofa l l sizes, rega rd l es oft heir

bu sines a c t i vity,ne d to b t her w it h wa st e

Perha ps t he mos imp rt a nt rea son – a nd t he one t ha t a ffc t s senior ma na gement

on a per sona l l evel – is t he l ega l one F r exa mple, u nd er t he E vironment a l

Protec t ion Act 19 0), compa nies c a n fa ce u nlmited fi es a nd ind i vid u a l s c a n be

imprisoned for u p to t wo yea r s for fa il i g to compl y w i t h t heir ‘ d u ty ofc a re ’when

it comes to wa ste

The ma na gement ofsevera l ot her types ofwa ste is a l so t ig ht l y regu l a ted Ify u

prod uce a ny oft he fol l ow i ng ,y u m us be awa re ofy u r l ega l resp nsibi t ies:

• 50 ton es or more ofpa c ka g ing wa ste a yea r;

• ha z a rd ou s wa ste (inc lu d i ng fri d ges a nd freezer s,fl uorescent l ig ht t u bes etc );

• wa ste ele t ric a l a nd el ec t ronic equ ipmen

• sc ra p vehic l es

Se ond l y,t here c a n be imp rt a nt fi a nc i a l saving s for firms t ha t b t her a bou t t heir

wa ste

You pay for y ur wa ste t hree t i mes o er; i n bu ying t he raw ma teria l s, in a d d ing

va lu e to t hose ma teri a l s a nd i n t hrow ing away t he fi na l wa ste.The fi na l cos ofwa ste

c a n be 5–20 t imes t he wa ste d i sp sa l fes,a nd u t i l y u have d et a il ed informa t ion

a bou t y u r ow n wa ste prod u c t ion,y u simpl y won’t know where t he cost s to y u r

or ga niz a t ion cou ld be w it hin t ha t bra cket In t his compet it i ve wor ld ,being se n to

b ther a bou t y u r wa ste c a n have imp rt a nt commerc ia l a dva nt a ges Remember

t ha t ma ny wa ste red uc t ion mea su res cos not hing to implement (except perha ps a

l it t l e t i me to or ga ni ze) a nd every p u nd saved on ma teri a l cost s a nd wa ste d isp sa l

goes st ra i ght to t he b t tom l i e.Even more imp rt a nt ly,red u c ing wa ste- el a ted cost s

cou l d have a p si t i ve i mpa c t on a n or ga niz a t ion c a sh fl ow,g i ving t he fi rm a g rea ter

3.1 Int roduc t ion

There a re severa l pres ing rea sons why bu sineses ofa l l si zes, rega rd les oft heir bu

si-nes a c t i vi ty,ne d to b t her w i t h wa ste.The four ma in rea sons often c i ted a re:

These a re d i sc us ed in sec t ions 3.2 to 3.5 At fi r st sig ht , impl ement i ng t he mea su res

su ggested may se m li ke a l ot ofwork for no benefi t H owever,a va riety ofst u d ies have

show n t ha t compa nies t ha t a c t i vel y red uce environment a l ri sks a nd i mpa c t s a re more

su st a ina bl e, profi t a bl e, va l ua bl e a nd compet it i ve Dea li ng a c t i vel y w it h y u r wa ste c a n

impro e y u r profi t a bi lit y a nd g i ve y u d ist i nc t commerc ia l a dva nt a ges The d ays of

paying for someone to t a ke i t away a nd for get t ing a bout it a re rea l ist ic a l l y a t a n end

Su cces fu l enterpri ses mu st have a n eye on t he fu t u re Ma king pred ic t ions a bou t wha t

w i l l ha ppen in t he fu t u re is a lways d iffi c ul t , bu t we c a n be rea sona bl y cert a in t ha t t he

o p rt u nity to expa nd ,espec ia ll y t hose t ha t d o not have a cces to a lterna t i ve inwa rd

invest ment ources

Third l y,b t hering w it h y u r wa ste c a n have severa l ma rket a dva nt a ges

Ma ny la r ge fi rms w il l only d ea l w i t h sup l ier s t ha t have a wa st e p l ic y or cert ifi ed

Environment a l Ma na gement S stem (EMS).Wa ste genera t i on a nd it s ma na gement

a re key a spec t s ofa n EMS

Poten a l investor s,exist i g a nd fu t ure emplo e s,ba nks,insu ra nce compa nies a nd

consumer s a re a l l li kel y to l oo more fv u ra bl y a t firms t ha t have a n EMS a nd

wa ste p lc i es in pla ce

Fi na l ly,t he way we d ea l w i t h our wa st e c a n have a t remend ou s efc t on t he

envi-ronment This is t ru e whet her y u a re a one-per son o era t ion or a m u lt i a t iona l

compa ny Red u c ing wa ste or send ing wa ste for recovery ra t her t ha n d isp sa l c a n

save ma teria ls a nd ener gy a nd red u ce environment a l p l lu t ion

l eg isl a t ion governing wa ste a nd t he environment a s a whole w il l become t ig hter a s t ime

goes on

The government publi shed a d ra ft wa ste st ra teg for E g la nd in Febru a ry 20 6 This

consu lt a t ion d oc u ment

2

pro oses severa l t a r get s to red u ce t he a mou nt ofwa ste sent to

la nd fil l Cu rren y,a bou t ha lfofou r commerc ia l a nd i nd u st ria l wa ste is la nd fil l ed a nd

it is prop sed to red u ce this to 37% b 2010 a nd to 3 % b 2020.The mes a ge is c l ea r:

y u shou l d ex ec t wa ste d isp sa l cha r ges to rise a s rela t i vel y c hea p la ndfi l l i s repla ced

w it h more cost l y rec yc l ing a nd reco ery proces es

Cha pter 5 d isc u sses t he L a nd fil l Direc t i ve whic h,a mong ot her t hing s,is rest ric t ing t he

a mou nt ofbiod eg ra d a bl e mu nic ipa l wa ste t ha t c a n be sent o l a nd fi ll However,t here i s

a n inconsistenc y o er t he UK ’s interpret a t ion oft he d irec t i ve t ha t c a n be i ll u st ra ted b

t a king t he c a se ofa sma l l office-ba sed bu sines Ift he offi ce ’s wa ste is coll ec ted b t he

cou nc il (or it s cont ra c tor s) t he wa ste is c la ssed a s ‘m u nic ipa l wa ste ’a nd is governed b

t he d irec t i ve On t he ot her ha nd ,ift he sa me wa ste i s coll ec ted b a pri va te cont ra c tor

working for t he compa ny concerned ,t he wa ste is c l a ssed a s ‘ commerc ia l a nd ind u st ria l ’

wa ste a nd is not covered b t he d irec t i ve.Reg a rd l es oft he l ega l d efi it ion oft he wa ste,

it st i ll ha s t he sa me p ten a l to ca u se environment a l p l l u t ion i fit is l a nd fi ll ed S ,it

is p s ibl e t ha t ,in t he fu t u re,t he d irec t i ve w il be extend ed to co er a ll sol i wa ste.If

t his ha ppens i t w il l be ome ha rd er to d isp se ofy u r wa ste,a nd t he fi a nc ia l a nd ot her

presu res to red u ce,reu se a nd rec yc l e w il l inc rea se

Ify u ha nd l e more t ha n 50 ton es ofpa c ka g ing wa ste a yea r y u wil a l rea d y be covered

b t he system know n a s ‘prod u cer resp nsib i ty’ Und er prod u cer resp nsib i ty,

compa ni es t ha t ma nu fa ct u re or u se pa c ka g ing or sel pa c ka ged good s a re joint l y resp

n-sibl e for c a rrying ou t or fi a nc ing t he rec yc li ng of pa c ka gi ng wa ste Prod u cer

resp nsibii ty is c uren y being extend ed to co er vehic l es,el ect ric a l a nd ele t ronic equ

ip-men a nd t here a re v lu nt a ry sc hemes for newsprin d i rec t ma il a nd ma ga z ines.Thi s

t ren cou l d con nu e;in t he l onger term we cou l d se fu rt her g row t h in prod u cer esp

n-sibil ity sc hemes.In short ,ify u r fi rm ma kes or sell s a prod uc t y u cou ld be resp nsibl e

for it s fi na l d isp sa l !

2 Depa rt ment for Envi ro men F o a nd Rura l Afa i (2 0 ),A Revi ew ofE g la nd ’s Wa ste St ra tegy – A

C onsu lt a t i on Doc umen

3.2 Keeping on t he right side of t he law

The mos imp rt a nt rea son for being concerned a bou t t he a mou nt ofwa ste y u prod u ce

a nd how it is ma na ged or d i sp sed ofis t ha t ,pu t simpl y,y u d on’t have a ny c hoice in

t he ma t ter.Cha pt er 5 provid es a pra c t i c a l o erview ofkey UK wa ste l eg i sla t ion,but one

piece ofl eg isla t ion is wort h repea t ing;na mel y Sec t i on 34 oft he Environment a l Protec t ion

Act 19 0)

Und er t his a c t ,every bu sines in E gl a nd a nd Wa l es ha s a lega l Du t y ofCare to ensu re

wa ste i s d isp sed ofresp nsibly.Ify u r compa ny eit her d irec t l y or ind irec t l y ‘ c a uses or

permit s ’a p l lu t ing ma teria l to enter t he environmen t hen y u r compa ny c a n be pros

e u ted Ify ur wa ste cont ra c tor ha nd l es y u r wa ste il leg a ll y, a ga in y ur compa ny is

resp nsibl e a nd y u w il l be prosec u ted

You c a nnot t ra nsfr t his resp nsi bil ity to a t hird pa rty.Ify u r wa ste end s u p fl y-t ip ed

in a loc a l l ay-b ,bu rned in a d isu sed ind u st ri a l est a te or l a nd fi l led in a n u l icensed site

y u a re st il l resp nsibl e.The pena l t ies c a n be severe.Su cc es fu l prosec ut ion a nd convic

-t ion on ind ic t ment c a n l ea d to:

• a n u l imited fi e for t he compa ny ;

• u p to t wo yea r s ’i mpri sonment a nd /or a n u nl imited fi e for t he resp nsibl e ma na ger s

Rem ember t ha t ig nora nce is no d efnce.It is y u r resp nsib i ty to

3

:

• ke p record s oft he weig ht s a nd types ofwa ste prod u ced ;

• provid e a n a cc u ra te d esc ript ion ofa ny wa ste t ha t y u t ra nsfr to a ny ot her fi rm;

• ke p record s ofhow ea c h l oa d ofwa ste is ma na ged a nd who it is t ra nsfrred to;

A s far as this legislation is c ncer ned, disp sal u ualy mean that th w aste has be n

dep sited in a landfil site and r ec v er y mean that th w aste has be n incin r ated or

r eac hed th output str eam of a r ecy clng or c mp sting sy stem

3 These p i nt s sh ul d be reg a rd ed a s a n ind i ca t i ve li st F r fu l l d et a i l s ofyur o l i g a t i ons u d er d uty ofc a re,

yu sh u l d consu lt t he Cod e ofPra c t i ce isued b t he Depa rt ment for Envi ro men F oo a nd Ru ra l Afa i r s

(DE RA)

• ke p i nvoices,weig hbrid ge t ic ket s a nd receipt s from a ny si te y u t a ke wa ste to y ur

-self;

• ke p wei ghbrid ge t ic ket s a nd receipt s from a ny fi rms t ha t col lec t y u r wa st e (inc l u d ing

wa ste coll ec ted for recovery or rec yc l ing );

• o t a in evid ence t ha t a ny firm t ha t coll ec t s y u r wa ste ha s t he neces a ry l icences to

t ra nsp r wa stes;

• o t a in evid ence (weig hbrid ge t ic ket s a nd recei pt s) t ha t wa ste coll ec ted on y u r beha lf

i s t a ken to a wa ste ma na gement fa c il ity t ha t ha s t he necesa ry l icences a nd permit s

i ssu ed b t he Na t iona l Regul a tor

4

This may sou nd li ke a ma jor t a sk,bu t m u c h oft he informa t ion w il l a lrea dy have be n

col lec ted b y u r a ccou nt s or fi na nce d epa rt ment Any resp nsibl e wa ste coll ec t ion a nd

ma na gement compa nies y u u se wil l be more t ha n ha pp to provid e t he evid ence neces

sa ry to est a bli sh t heir b na -fi d es

‘Dut y ofCa re ’a ppl ies to a l l t y pes ofwa ste,bu t t here a re ot her i mp rt a nt pi eces ofl eg is

la t i on t ha t y u m u st compl y w it h i fy u :

• genera te or d isp se ofha z a rd ou s wa ste (u nt il 20 5,t his wa s know n a s ‘S ec i a l Wa ste’

i n E g la nd & Wa l es a nd y u may st il l se t he l a t ter term u sed i n some offic ia l d oc u

-ment s from ot her pa rt s oft he UK );

• d i sp se ofwa ste elec t ric a l a nd el ec t ronic eq u ipment often refrred to a s WEE );

• d i sp se of‘ en of l if vehi c les ’ (c ra p c a r s, va ns, lor ies etc – often refrred to

a s E V );

• a re inv l ved in t he pa c ka g ing su ppl y c ha in a nd ha nd l e more t ha n 50 ton es of

pa c ka g ing a yea r or have a t u rno er a bo e £2 mil li on per yea r

The regu l a t ions covering t he ma na gement oft hese wa stes is su mma rized in Cha pter 6

Ify u t hink y u a re l ikel y to be a ffc ted b t his leg isl a t i on y u shou l d consu lt y ur

Na t iona l Regu l a tor.C ont a c t d et a ils for t he Na t iona l Regu l a tor s a re g i ven i n Cha pter 8

4 In E g la nd a nd Wa les t he Envi ronment Agency i s t he Na t io a l Regul a tor,in S ot l a nd a nd Nort hern Irel a nd

t his role i s t a ken b t he Scot t i sh Envi ronment Protec t i on Agency (SE A ) a nd t he Envi ro ment a nd Heri t a ge

S rvice respec t ivel y

3.3 The financ ial driv e

Resea rc h d one b t he Open Uni ver sity i n 20 0 est ima t ed t ha t for every per son emplo ed

in t he UK ,£ 50 per yea r is spent on d isp sing ofwa ste prod uced b commerce a nd

ind u st ry.There a re ma ny more benefic ia l ways i n whic h t his money cou l d be spen for

exa mpl e red u c ing prices,i nc rea sing profit s,inc rea sing wa ges a nd sa fegu a rd ing jo s S

whet her y u a re a n emplo er or a n empl oye ,y u have a mpl e rea son to be concerned

w it h how y u r wa ste is ma na ged

You may wel l t hi nk t ha t ‘m y firm onl y prod uces a sma l l a mou nt ofwa ste so I ne d n’t

wor y’ Wel l , it is p s ibl e t ha t t his is t he c a se, bu t y u mu st t a ke a ccou nt oft he fa c t

t ha t ,when it comes to wa ste,y u pay for it t hree t imes o er

Envirow i se (a Go ernment -fu nd ed cent re provid ing free environment a l a d vice to

busi-neses) st a tes t ha t y u shou ld t hi nk ofwa ste not only i n terms ofwha t y u prod u ce in

y u r ‘ d u st bin’bu t a l so in terms ofred u c ing prod u c t i on,u se or d isp sa l ofa nyt hing t ha t

isn’t reu sed or sol d b y u r bu sines Anot her compa ny shifted it s per spec t i ve to t he

p int where i t l oo ed on a l l it s ou t put s a s ‘prod u c t’ a d d ing ‘we ju st d on’t get pa id for

a ll ofit’ It ma d e it l oo a t wha t it d i d t hrou g h new eyes

A per son w as fi ed £21,0 0 plu £ 6,0 0 c sts for r un ing an i eg l w aste tr an fer

station and landfil site

A buiding c ntr actor w as fi ed £1,5 0 ( under duty of c r e) for de cr ibing th

c nte ts of a s ip c ntaining s v er al p int c ntain r s as ‘buide s r ub le’

A bu in s w as fi ed £4,5 0 and on of its dir ector s w as fi ed £2,2 0 a er dr ums

of v ar nis w er e dep sited on its f or ec ur t site

A br ew er y w as fi ed £21,0 0 w ith £ 1,7 0 c sts for of fence r elating to dep siting

w aste on u lce s d land and in a man er lk ly to c u e p lution

A f ter a s r i s of off ence including i eg ly dep siting c hemic l w aste, s p ly ing f als

or mislea ing infor mation and f ai ng to pr ov ide w aste tr an f er note , an indiv idual w as

s nte ced to 18 month in pr i on

© C r ow n C opy r ight Env ir onme t Age cy Website 2 0

Ex mple ofofe ce s

fom th En iro me t

A e nc

F ir stly, y ou o tain a r aw mate al andp y y our s p ler

Sec ndly, y ou mak something f r om th r aw mate al or a d v alu to it in some w ay

andp y for th la our, e er gy or mate als that hav e be n u ed to a d th v alu

F inaly, y ou thr ow th w aste aw ay andp y y our disp sal c ntr actor

Ify u a re st il l not convinced,lo k a t t he fol l ow ing exa mpl e.

Wa lton C onsu l t ing Ltd is a service-ec tor compa ny a nd it s ma in prod u c t is t he informa

-t ion cont a ined in t he rep rt s provid ed to it s c l ient s.The compa ny bu ys 1 ton es (or

4,20 rea ms) ofprinter pa per a yea r a t a cos of£8 0 per ton e.Oft his,30% end s u p

i n rep rt s d el i vered to c l ient s,l et ter s sent ou t a nd informa t ion ret a ined b Wa l ton st a ff

The rema ind er is col l ec ted a long w it h Wa l ton ot her wa ste b a wa ste ma na gement

compa ny.This compa n y cha r ges £30 per ton e col l ec t ion a nd d isp sa l c ha r ge pl u s t he

l a nd fi l l t a x a t a ra te of£1 per ton e (t he ra te from Apri 20 5) H ow m u c h is t his

cost i g Wa lton Prod u c t s ea c h yea r ?

The simples a nswer is to l oo a t t he d isp sa l c ha r ge a nd t a x,whic h works ou t a t :

amou nt b u ght ? percent a ge land fil l ed ? (disposa l cos ? t a x)

Bu t ,t his pa per ha s be n printed in a l a ser printer or a photocopier a t a cos of3p per

she t The nu mber ofshe t s ofpa per t ha t Wa l ton st a fft hrow away ea ch yea r is:

nu mbe ofrea ms brought ? she t s pe ream ? pecent a ge wa ste

This ig nores t he cos oft he t ime t a ken to d o t he photocop ing,col lec t t he print i ng from

t he pri nter,ke p t he printer t rays fil l ed w it h pa per a nd empt y t he wa ste pa per ba sket s

To t his we c a n a d d t he purc ha se price oft he pa per t ha t is t hrow n away (whic h cost s

£8 0 per ton e),whic h comes to:

Oft his £50,93 ,onl y 0.7% is represented b t he wa ste d isp sa l fe a nd 87% oft he tot a l

is d u e to t he cos ofpri nt i g t he pa per.To some extent , t his fi gu re is a n exa ggera t ion

bec a u se some oft he prin ng w il l be neces a ry even ift he pa per is event u a l l y t hrow n

away.F or exa mple,rep rt s to c ustomer s w i ll have to be printed in d ra ft form a nd c hec ked

beore prod u c ing t he fi na l d oc u ment s,a nd t he o era t ion oft he compa ny w i ll requ ire

t he prod u c t ion ofd oc u ment s t ha t a re u l t i ma tel y t hrown away.Ofcou r se,ify ur bu

si-nes ma nu fa c t ures good s from raw ma teria l s,t he procesing cost s ofprod u c t s t ha t have

to be sc ra pped ra t her t ha n sol d cou ld be m uch grea ter t ha n t he 3p per she t procesing

cost s in t his exa mpl e

H owever, rega rd l es ofy u r bu si nes ac t ivi t y, the mesa ge i s c l ea r.Wa ste m a na gem ent

char ges m ay onl y represent a smal l fr a c t i on oft he t r u e cos ofy u r bu si nes i nefi c i enc i es

A c t iv it y

Fin out how mu c h pa per y u r or ga ni z a t ion bu ys ea c h yea r, y u r pri nt i g cost s, t he

d isp sa l cost s a nd t hen c a l c u la te how mu c h t his is cost i g y u r compa n y per yea r If

y u work i n a ma nu fa c t u ring compa n y, y u cou l d t ry d oing t he sa me for one ofy u r

prod u c t s or a pa rt ofone oft he prod u c t s

By d evelo ing a pra c t ic a l wa ste ma na g ement st ra teg – a s set ou t in Cha pter 5 – ma ny

or ga niz a t ions cou l d t a ke mea su res to red u ce t heir consumpt ion of pa per a nd ot her

resou rces.F r now, u st bea r in min t he foll ow ing p i nt s

• Ta king into a ccou nt raw ma teria l cost s, proces ing , la bou r a nd ener gy cost s,

t he rea l price t a g on wa ste i s genera l l y 5–20 t imes t he wa ste d isp sa l fes

• Ma ny wa ste red uc t ion mea sures cos not hing to impl ement

• A compa ny-w id e resou rce (ma teri a l s, ener gy a nd wa ste) efi c ienc y prog ra mme

w il l typic a ll y save £1,0 0 per empl oye per yea r

• A systema t ic wa ste mi nimiza t ion prog ra mme cou ld save 1% oft u rno er

• Every p u nd saved on ma teria l cost s a nd wa ste d isp sa l cha r ges goes st ra i ght to

t he b t tom l i e

You shou ld note t ha t we a re not neces a ril y t a lking a bou t rec yc l ing here.Rec yc li ng ha s

it s own environment a l impa c t It is fa r bet ter,from b t h t he environment a l a nd fi na

n-c ia l p int s ofview, to av id prod u c ing ma teria l t ha t ne d s to be rec yc l ed i n t he fir st

3.4 Commerc ial pressures

C ommerc ia l pres u res a re sig nifi c a nt a nd g row i ng Consi d er t he qu ot e from a prospec

-t i ve tend erer for a government jo set ou t bel ow

“ReentlyI prpard a ten e to cary out some work for a large go enment dep rtment

Befr Iwas alowed to su mit a tende Ihad to supplythe dep rtment with a copy o my og

n-ization’s envirnmental a d wase polcies Without such polcies we would h v ben unable to

tende This is beomingcmmon practic amonggo enment deprtment a d large cmpanies

The mesae is clear: ifyou want the work you ned to showth t you h v thou ht aout your

wase.”

Manager ofa l a r ge resea rch or gani z a t i on

M a ny or ga niz a t ions have l ea rned t he benefit s ofa d opt i g a n environment a l ma na

ge-ment system (EMS) u nd er t he ISO 14 01 or BS 8 5 st a nd a rd s, or reg ist ra t ion u nd er

a n a cc red ited Eco-Ma na g ement a nd Aud i t Scheme (EMAS)

These a dva nt a ges i nc l u d e t he fol l ow ing

• Cu stomer s t ha t have a n EMS or EMAS often requ ire or fv u r su ppl ier s t ha t a re a lso

cert i ed

• The E vironment Agenc y d etermines t he frequ enc y ofvisit s to t he proceses t ha t it

regu l a t es u nd er t he system know a s Opera tor a nd Pol lu t ion R k Ap ra isa l (OPRA)

Firms w it h a n EMS cou l d p ten a l l y rec ei ve fwer vi sit s t ha n simia r fi rms w i t hou t

one

• Cert i ed fi rms a re l es l ikely to c a u se p ll u t i on inc id ent s a nd ,ift hey d o occ u r, a re

more li kel y to be a bl e to mini mi ze t he i mpa c t ofa ny inc id ent s

• The EMS or EMAS proces hel ps firms i d en fy a rea s where ener gy a nd ma teri a l a re

wa sted ,l ea d ing to improvement s in resou rce efi c ienc y a nd hence a red uc t ion in cost s

• Poten a l sha rehol d er s a re more l ikel y to inves in a cert ifi ed compa ny t ha n a n u

n-cert ifi ed compa n y Simil a r l y, ba nks a nd i nsu ra nce compa nies a re l ikel y to t rea t

EMS-cert ifi ed compa nies more fv u ra bly

• The existence ofa cert ifi ed environment a l ma na gement system su c h a s ISO 14 01,

EMAS or BS 8 5 provid es i nterna l a nd externa l rea ssu ra nc e of f c t i ve working It

c a n a l so be u sed b a bu si nes for pu bl ic ity pu rp ses

5 S e Cha pter 6 for d et a il s oft hese schemes

Environment a l ma na gement ystems d o not presc ribe spec i fic st a nd a rd s for d ea li ng w i t h

wa ste (or ind eed a n y ot her p tent i a l p l l u t a nt ),bu t t hey d o requ ire t he a d opt ion ofa

c u l t u re ofcon nu a l impro ement As pa rt oft he EMS,a compa ny wou l d have to:

• id en fy a l l sources ofwa ste a nd t he size a nd comp sit ion ofea c h wa ste st rea m;

• invest iga te a nd impl ement pra c t i c a ble ways ofred u c i ng wa ste t hrou g h c ha ng es to t he

proces es a nd raw ma teria ls used ;

• invest iga te a nd i mpl ement pra ct ic a bl e ways ofred uc i ng t he environment a l impa c t of

t he u nav id a bl e wa ste genera ted

In short ,ify u r or ga niz a t ion w i shes to o t a in cert ifi c a t ion u d er a n EMS or EMAS,it

m u st t a ke wa ste ma na gement is u es into a ccou nt

Many bu sineses have recog nized t he compet it i ve ed ge t ha t good environment a l p l ic ies

a nd pra c t ice g i ves t hem, a nd a s a resu l t have joi ned a va ri ety ofbu si nes c l ubs a nd

networks w it h t his in mind

One su c h or ga ni z a t ion, Bu sines in t he Commu nity’(BITC),ha s some interest i g p int s

to ma ke a bou t environment a l per forma nc e a nd bu si nes It t a tes t ha t in i t s ex erience,

consu mer s, bu si nes cont ra c tor s a nd su ppl ier s prefr compa nies w i t h a ‘ c lea n record ’

As compa nies become l a rger a nd compet i on to su ppl y t hem inc rea ses, i nd i vid u a l

pu rc ha ser s have become more p wer fu l a nd d ema nd ing.As a resu lt , t here w il l be a n

inc rea sing requ irement for up li er s to d emonst ra te t ha t t hey of r not onl y good va l u e

for money,bu t a l so zero risk (www.bitc or g u k)

E vironment a l is u es c a n su bst a nt ia l l y a ffct isk.A recent o inion p l fou nd t ha t 8 %

ofa ll UK a d u l t s t hink t ha t t he environment is very imp rt a nt for soc ia ll y resp nsibl e

busines es.BITC a l so p int s out t ha t i t is a cond it ion ofinsu ra nce cover i n some bu

si-nes sec tor s t ha t a n envi ronment a l a u d it is c a rried out – a nd t his i s sprea d ing to more

bu si nes sec tor s yea r on yea r

Fina l l y,d on’t for get t ha t t he wa st e y u physic a l l y prod u c e is not t he beg i nning or en

oft he c ha in

“The gren cusomer wa t to knowwhether your prod ct,your manufacturin tehniq es and

your cmpan policies ta e envirnmental impact into acount – a d incidentaly wi expect you

to ask those vrysame q esions o yoursu plies in turn.Ultimately,al o these rasons af ct

the botom lne; al o them,therfr,make go d b sines sense.”

Si r Ant hony C a e,forme Chair ma n IBM UK

As a n environment a ll y resp nsible compa ny y u may a lso a sk t he sa me ofYOUR

su ppl ier s.Ify u r compa n y is fou nd to be bu ying from a n irresp nsible o era tor who is

t hen prosec u ted , y u r na me cou ld , in t u rn, be ome t a rnished b a ssoc ia t ion You r

investor s cou l d l ose con d ence in y ur bu sines ,whic h coul d a ffc t i t s va lu e

You may be wond ering why we ’ve let t he environment o t he en oft his sec t ion.S fa r,

we have l oo ed a t rea sons i mp sed on y u b t he l aw,b y u r fi a nc ia l cont rols a nd b

y u r c u stomer s a nd p ten a l c u stomer s.At t his p i nt we consid er t he su bjec t ofwa ste

ma na gement from a more a l t rui st ic p int ofview.We su gges t ha t y u shou ld b t her

wit h wa ste bec a u se ‘it’s t he ri ght t hi ng to d o’

Al so consid er t he fu t ure.As wel a s l oo ing a fter ou r ow n ne d s,we have a mora l d u ty

to be concerned a bou t peo le yet to be b rn.Ifwe know t ha t somet hing we a re d oing

wil c rea te a pro lem t ha t mu st be solved in 50 yea r s ’t ime,we ne d to qu est ion whet her

i t is rig ht to be d oing it

Fir st l y, l et’s t hi nk a bou t t he ma i n d i sp sa l met hod for wa ste i n t he UK : la nd fi l l It is

i mp rt a nt to st res t ha t l a nd fil l ha s be n c a rried ou t for cent u ries a nd t he sc ience a nd

technol og inv lved a re wel u nd er stood You mu st a l so bea r in min t ha t la nd fi ll s a re

t ig ht l y regu l a ted a nd o era ted to ext remel y hig h st a nd a rd s.Having sa id t ha t , we m u st

consid er t he fo ow ing:

• L a nd fi ll s prod u ce l ea c ha te (a li q u id t ha t c a n cont a in high level s ofor ga ni c cont a

min-a nt s, he v met a ls a nd sa l t s) a s t he biod eg ra d a bl e comp nent s i n t he wa ste brea k

d ow n.Iflea cha te esc a pes from a l a nd fi ll site i t coul d ,in t he wor st c a se,p l lu te flow ing

u nd er g rou nd wa ter (a qui fer s) a nd ri ver s t ha t cou ld ot herwise be u sed a s d rinki ng

wa ter su ppl ies

• As wel a s prod u c ing l ea c ha te,decomp sing wa ste genera tes l a nd fi l l ga s,a mixt u re of

met ha ne a nd c a rb n d io xid e.M et ha ne i s a p wer fu l gre n ou se ga s cont ribu t ing to

g l oba l c l ima te c ha nge (or g l oba l wa rming) Cu rrent evid ence su ggest s t ha t gl oba l

c l ima te c ha nge is l ea d ing to u nst a bl e a nd c ha ng ing wea t her pa t terns t ha t may have

seriou s impa c t s on fo d prod u ct ion a nd t he con nu ed exi stence oflow-l ying a rea s

ofl a nd La nd fi l l ga s is ca pt u red a nd u sed to genera te p wer,but t he col lec t ion systems

a re not 10 % efic i ent so a l l l a nd fi ll ed biod eg ra d a ble wa ste (remember t ha t t his

i nc lu d es pa per ) cont ribu t es to g lo a l c li ma te c ha nge to some extent

• Tod ay’s l a nd fil ls a re ex ec ted to rema in a c t i ve (prod u cing l ea c ha te a nd ga s) for ma n y

d ec a d es,or even cent u ries,a fter t he si te ha s be n c losed S we have to t ry to be cer

-t a in t ha t fi a nc i a l ,ma na g eria l a nd tec hnic a l mea su res w il l be ava i la bl e to c a re for t he

site for ( ay) 10 yea r s.We a lso ne d to a ccept t ha t we w il l be a sking fu t ure genera

-t ions to put ig ht a ny problems t ha t may occ u r a s a resu l t oftod ay’s l a nd fil l pra c t ices

H ow d o y u pl u g a hol e in a membra ne l i er it u a ted bel ow a mi ll ion ton es ofwa ste?

Ot her wa ste ma na gement o era t ions a l so have t he p ten a l to c a u se p l l u t ion

• Inc inera tor s emit nit rogen o xi d es a nd ot her ga seou s p l l u t a nt s a nd prod u ce resid u es

t ha t requ ire d i sp sa l in ha z a rd ou s wa ste sites

• Rec yc l ing fa c il i es ca n genera te l oc a l d u st which mig ht be biolog ic a ll y a ct i ve),noise

a nd od ou r pro l ems a nd t here a re concerns a bou t t he i mpa ct oft he o era t ion on

t he hea l t h ofi t s emplo e s

• C omp st i g sites c a n rel ea se biol og ic a l ly a c t i ve d ust s a nd od ou rs

Al l wa ste ma na gement ites c rea te a d d it iona l t ra ffic in t he l oc a l a rea a nd c a n be vi su a l ly

int r u si ve They a re ra rely consid ered to be ‘ good neig hb u r s ’ a nd , rig ht l y or w rong l y,

pl a nning a ppl ic a t ions for new fa c il i es a re a l mos a lways o p sed

Having sa id t his,recovering ma teria ls a nd ener gy from wa ste c a n have severa l

environ-ment a l a dva nt a ges

• Ma king newsprint from rec yc l ed fi bre u ses 30% l es ener gy t ha n newsprint ma nu

-fa c t ured from virg in wo d

• A 10% inc rea se in t he a mou nt ofwa ste gl a ss a d d ed to a gl a ssma king fu rna ce red u ces

ener gy consu mpt ion b 2.5%,pa rt ic u l a t e ma teria l emisions b 8%,nit rogen o xid es

emi ssions b 4% a nd su l phu r d io xid e emisions b 10%

• Every ton e ofst eel prod u ced from sc ra p steel saves 1.5 ton es ofiron ore a nd 0.5

ton es ofcoa l,a s wel l a s red u c ing wa ter a nd li mestone u se

• Ma king a lu miniu m c a ns from sc ra p a c hi eves a 95% saving in ener gy u se in compa r

-ison wit h a l u miniu m prod u c t i on from t he raw ma t eria l ba uxite

• Bu rni ng one ton e ofwa ste i n a mod ern inc inera tor genera tes enou g h p wer for

3,50 shower s,a nd a l so prod u ces 4 k ofiron a nd 3 k ofa l u miniu m for rec yc l ing

Anyt hing t ha t a bu sines c a n d o to red u c e t he a mou nt ofwa ste t ha t ha s to be ma na ged

in the fi r st pla ce is t he bes envi ronment a l o t i on.Fa i ling t ha t ,red u c ing t he i mpa c t of

t he wa ste t ha t is prod u ced shoul d be consi d ered – espec ia l l y when t he mea su res t a ken

a lso gi ve some oft he a d va nt a ges d isc u ssed a bo e

3.6 What should I do wit h my wast e?

Sec t ions 3.2 to 3.5 g i ve su ggest ions a bou t how bu si nes es c a n d ea l w it h t hei r wa stes in

genera l , bu t how shou l d a pa rt ic u la r firm d ec id e wha t to d o? In t he shor term, t he

simples a nswer may be to d o wha t ever is c hea pest This a pproa c h may provid e a temp r

-a ry sol ut ion,bu t ,a s y u w il l se in Cha pter 6,i n t he longer term y u w il l ne d to t a ke

m u c h more rega rd oft he envi ronment a l impa c t ofy u r wa ste

The E ro ea n Wa ste Hi era rchy wa s orig i na l ly d evel oped b t he Eu ropea n Uni on a nd

u nd erpins a l l wa ste-rel a ted l eg isla t ion a nd t he UK ’s wa ste st ra teg ies The hiera rchy is

show n i n Figu re 4 a nd t he a im is to sel ec t wa ste ma na gement olu t ions t ha t a re a s c l ose

to t he top oft he hiera rc hy a s p sible

• Ify u d on’t genera te wa ste in t he fi r st pl a ce it d oesn’t ne d to be ma na ged a t a l l ,so

‘red u ct ion’t a kes fi r st pl a ce in t he hiera rc hy.Ca n m y ma nu fa c t u ring proces be a d ju sted

to red u ce t he wa ste b -prod u c t s, c a n m y offi ce red u ce t he a mou t ofprin ng t ha t

t a kes pla ce?

• Ify u c a n re-u se a wa ste item it mea ns t ha t y u have a t l ea st t wo o p rt u ni t ies to

ma ke t he mos of prod u c t beore i t is d isp sed of.Ca n ol d fu rnit u re or equ ipment

be u sed b c ha rit ies or c a n wa ste pa per be u sed for w rit i g interna l memos a nd li st s?

• S me wa ste i s i nevit a ble,bu t some u se c a n be ma d e ofmu c h ofit t hrou g h ‘recovery’

– be it send ing pa per, met a l s or gl a ss to a merc ha nt for rec yc l ing , send ing ga rd en

wa ste to a comp st i g sc heme or send ing non-rec yc la bl e wa st e for ener gy recovery

• Fi na ll y,wa ste t ha t rema ins ne d s to be d isp sed of,a nd t hi s wou l d usua l ly be b la nd

-fil l

The hiera rc hy provid es a useu l gui d e,bu t y u st il ne d to t a ke c a re.Ma na g ing wa ste

is a l l a bou t protect i g peo l e ’s hea lt h a nd t he environment a nd t his ne d s to be b rne

in mi nd Beore enga g ing in a ny reu se or reco ery o t ion y u shou l d a sk y u r sel ft he

fol l ow ing qu est ions

• Does t ra nsp rt i g t he wa ste to t he recovery o era t i on a nd t he reco ered prod u c t s

ba c k to i nd u st ry consume more ener gy t ha n t he proces saves?

• Does t he recovery o era t ion genera te a ny p ll u t a nt s a nd wa ste i t self, a nd how a re

t hese d ea l t w it h?

• Does t he recovery proces o era te to t he hea lt h a nd sa fety st a nd a rd s t ha t y u requ ire

in y u r work l a ce? (This is pa rt ic u la r l y imp rt a nt ifwa ste i s being proces ed in d evel

-o ing cou t ries where hea l t h a nd environment a l st a nd a rd s may be mu c h lower.)

• Ify u a re sepa ra t ing ou t ma teria l s, wha t spa ce a nd stora ge isu es d o y u ne d to

consid er ? Previou sly ha z a rd ou s comp nent s ofwa ste may have be n ‘ d i lu ted ’in t he

genera l mix – new sepa ra t ion requ irement s l ea d to t he ne d for a fe stora ge to ensu re

cert a in types ofwa stes t ha t cou ld rea ct w it h ea c h ot her d o not mix