Under pressure facilities managers should consider appointing a specialist waste management company to help them achieve sustainability targets.
That’s the view of Helen Bentham, TWM contracts manager at waste management specialist CSG, who said many FMs are struggling to keep up with frequent changes to environmental legislation.
She said: “Our services are often called upon when facilities managers have taken their waste recovery as far as they can. At that point they need to bring in the experts to hit the stringent metrics required of them by their bosses.
“Whether its day-to-day waste produced by a business – such as paper or packaging, or hazardous waste like chemicals or oil – a full-service waste management company can advise on the best way to recover those materials and prevent them from being sent to landfill.”
For example, CSG has a long-standing partnership with Safran Landing Systems, the world’s leading manufacturer of aircraft landing systems. CSG is responsible for the collection, recycling and disposal of all day-to-day waste generated on Safran’s 27-acre Gloucester site, including over 20 hazardous waste streams.
CSG has a dedicated team of four personnel based at the Gloucester site five days a week, 24 hours a day, advising on all issues relating to waste. The proportion of waste, including hazardous, being diverted from landfill is now 98.72%. Dry, non-hazardous waste is 100% zero-to-landfill.
Another of CSG’s largest clients produces a significant amount of waste wood. Rather than sending the wood from site as waste, CSG implemented a change to make the wood into briquettes, which could be sold as fuel.
Ms Bentham stressed: “One of the most important changes a facilities manager can implement to reduce the carbon emissions of a business is to minimise the number of waste disposal vehicles leaving site.
“We would urge businesses to ensure every vehicle leaving is at its maximum payload. This can make a tremendous difference.
“Engaging with a waste management specialist can also help ensure you stay ahead of new legislation. For example, changes under the Environment Act that come into force in 2024 will require all businesses to segregate food waste. The waste can then be sent to biomass and can often create energy.
“Without outside help, it will be difficult for many businesses to implement this fundamental but necessary change – and to communicate it effectively with employees.”
Waste management companies will produce tonnage data on the amount of waste recovered, which help facilities managers to produce the reports they need to demonstrate progress within their organisation.
And Ms Bentham stated good waste management is not just about hitting sustainability targets – it can also help a business reduce overheads and increase profitability. CSG has helped businesses improve bottom lines by four or even five-figures with simple, overnight changes.
She said: “The first thing we will do when we visit a new customer is to conduct a thorough waste mapping exercise so we are able to determine where waste streams can be eliminated or, at worst, reduced.
“We’ll then look to streamline the disposal of the remaining waste and examine whether some materials can be reused or recycled.
“Even a change as simple as cutting the number of office bins and introducing communal waste stations located in central points can encourage staff to segregate waste properly.
“For one of our major customers, we discovered that there were 290 internal bins being emptied daily. We removed 79 of them, meaning a cost saving of over £2,000 annually in bin bags alone. At a time when margins are being squeezed, this is not something to be ignored.
“The modern facilities manager has a very wide remit so appointing waste professionals can help to ease the load – and allow them to focus on other priorities. “
