Resource Consumption and Waste Management

by Sam McCloskey, Envirowise

Did you know? In 2005/06, 818,699 tonnes of municipal waste was sent to landfill in Northern Ireland an that household waste accounted for 88.14 per cent of the total municipal waste in 2005/06.

The voluntary and community sector makes a significant contribution to the achievement of waste reduction, reuse and recycling both through its involvement in the delivery of services and through its education and campaigning activities on waste issues. But many in the sector could improve their own resource consumption and waste management. There are two main strategies which the sector as a whole should consider:

Resource efficiency involves maximising output of product or service from a given level of materials and energy. It is about increased productivity and hence profits; about ensuring the greatest return on investment; and about the identification and exploitation of competitive advantage.

Waste minimisation is a systematic management technique for reducing waste. If applied effectively, it is a powerful tool for reducing resource use. For waste minimisation to bring the greatest environmental and cost benefits, it needs to include all wastes and focus on reducing waste at source by employing the waste hierarchy.

The steps in a typical waste management programme:

Waste minimisation will often lead to rapid cost savings with very little input. As a general rule, manufacturing companies can expect to save about £1,000 per employee through effective waste minimisation. Reports from Envirowise waste minimisation clubs show that about 60 per cent of the cost-saving projects companies have undertaken involved little or no capital cost.

Many organisations seek help from Envirowise regarding waste disposal issues. We encourage them to look at waste further up the hierarchy and challenge them. "Why do you have the waste in the first place?" Waste minimisation is about combating the source of waste, eg eliminating some packaging, redesigning components, putting trigger valves on hoses (thereby reducing water usage). As you move through the waste hierarchy to recycling and ultimate disposal options, the costs, both environmental and financial, increase.

How to implement the waste hierarchy:

1. Elimination is the most cost-effective means of waste minimisation with the lowest environmental impact.
2. Reduce the amount of waste where it cannot be eliminated.
3. Re-use items as many times as possible to maximise their beneficial use.
4. Recycle what you can, but only after you have exhausted steps 1 to 3. Find out if your waste contractor will provide a free collection service or revenue for your waste.
5. Disposal of waste should only be considered as a last resort, when steps 1 to 4 have been exhausted. Disposal represents the highest cost option and has the highest environmental impact.

Remember you are responsible for your waste. A Duty of Care is placed on producers, holders and carriers of controlled waste and several waste obligations are enforced by Environment and Heritage Service, principally through the Waste and Contaminated Land Order (NI) 1997. It is your responsibility to ensure that your waste carriers and disposal sites are licensed and you must also keep records (normally in the form of a waste season ticket) of your waste disposal.

What you can do:

Office recycling: Using paper on both sides before disposal or recycling (set your printer to default double sided printing). Set up an office recycling scheme, investigating service providers and links to web based information resources.

Purchasing: Firstly, ask yourself if you need the product. If the answer is yes, try to buy the most environmentally friendly option by considering what the product is made of, where it comes from and who has made it.

Energy: In general you should aim to purchase energy efficient light bulbs and office equipment and encourage staff to turn off lights and shared office equipment when they are not in use.

Transport: Think about providing shower facilities and bike lock-ups at the office and offering interest free loans to employees who wish to cycle to and from work. If employees are travelling between sites then encourage public transport, cycling and walking rather than car use.

Envirowise is a government-funded programme aimed at helping companies to reduce waste AND save money. There are a number of initiatives available to businesses, including:

• Fast-Track visits - confidential on-site reviews (lasting up to one day) of waste, by independent experts (available FREE to companies with 250 or less employees). The Fast Track is the first step in developing a waste minimisation programme and provides companies with an action plan and potential cost savings from waste minimisation activities.
• Design Track visits - specialised visits for companies with a desire to reduce waste at source - during the design process.
• Counselling visits - guidance to companies with specific environmental/waste minimisation problems.
• Publications - these provide general waste minimisation information and information that is tailored to suit specific industry sectors. Publications can be downloaded or ordered from the Envirowise website - www.envirowise.gov.uk.
• Helpline - 0800 585794. Call with any environmental query.

Invest Northern Ireland administer the Envirowise programme in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Envirowise Manager, Sam McCloskey, can be contacted on tel: 028 7135 5400/077 7047 1506 or email: sam.mccloskey@wyg.com to deal with your waste enquiries.