Waste and recycling
Waste and recycling policy
We are conscious of the need to preserve resources, minimise waste and reduce our impact on the environment, we believe that waste minimisation is about being efficient. We are aware that we are responsible for the waste we generate from cradle to grave and that we have a responsibility to our customers and the environment to act in a responsible manner when disposing of these materials.
The company aims to minimise the amount of waste generated by its activities and to dispose of residual waste in a responsible manner. We recognise that our key wastes, from three streams of investment delivery, operations and office include spoil, water and wastewater sludge, and office waste. We aim to reduce, re-use, recycle, recover energy from or dispose of these wastes in a responsible manner with the prime focus being to reduce the amount of disposed waste.
Waste and recycling action plan
• Minimise the amount of raw materials consumed by our activities, which will in turn reduce the amount of waste we produce.
• Work towards compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
• Ensure that recycling activities are evaluated to ascertain that recycling is of overall environmental benefit rather detriment.
• Ensure that waste is dealt with in an appropriate manner at a licensed landfill or waste management facility.
• Promote waste recycling and recovery and endeavour to replace the use of non-sustainable natural resources.
• Cultivate a work ethic with a high level of awareness of waste minimisation and recycling within the business.
• Develop a waste management strategy which accommodates reuse and recycling procedures and initiatives for all active sites.
• Provide guidance and information to all employees to maximise their participation in the recycling of their waste.
• Monitor the volume of waste that is sent to landfill and the volume that is recycled.
• Promote the economic use of paper through the selection of efficient print formats and document styles.
• Encourage use of paperless communications whenever practical.
Waste and recycling KPIs
• Ensure disposal routes are acceptable to the code of practice developed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
• Provide facilities for disposal of separate waste streams at all sites, if waste volume does not justify separate collection arrange transfer to another site during routine journeys.
• Use internal communications to educate employees to the importance of minimising resource use and recycling waste making a reduction in office wastes in 2007/08.
• Ensure that all employees are aware of, and comply, with safe methods of disposal of all waste materials.
• Retain and reuse of spoil as landscaping on the sites of large construction projects in 2007/08.
• Recycle 50% of spoil from water mains rehabilitation excavations to use to backfill trenches in replacement of natural stone aggregate.
• Utilise trenchless technologies to repair or replace of pipeline in 2007/08.
• Utilise recycled aggregates in of reinstatement work to minimise the requirement of natural stone aggregate and limiting the amount demanding disposal.
• Recycle materials for charity requests when possible, (currently phone and printer cartridges raise money for WaterAid).
Waste and recycling case study
Spoil recycling
We have an arrangement with Northumbrian Roads to collect and recycle the excavated materials produced by our repair and maintenance works. Where recycling bays exist Northumbrian Roads collect, recycle and return the material in a form that is then utilised for backfill and pipe bedding requirements. The materials are subject to independent assessment and it is our policy to use recycled materials wherever possible.
The ongoing project has proven such a success we are expanding the use of the scheme to other sites within the business.