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In any definition of the waste management hierarchy, waste minimisation comes at the top Both environmentally and economically At makes no sense to produce Items which are not necessary and which rapidly become waste However, we have become so used to a culture in which manufactured Items are readily and cheaply available, where materials and energy are undervalued, that we have to make a conscious effort to question this situation On the world stage, the Immanent threat of climate change through global warming is Increasingly calling into question how long the developed nations can continue to consume energy and resources at their current rate Consuming less is the most fundamental step in moving towards a more sustainable society and in reducing waste However, since it involves fundamental changes In attitude, It is a much more difficult thing to achieve, and to measure, than recycling.
Adding it up -
Waste Audits
An Important step in instituting a waste minimisation programme is to conduct an audit to measure the usage of consumables, and the types and amount of waste produced. It provides a baseline from which to measure the effectiveness of the programme. This can be very significant in terms of motivation, as many waste minimisation measures seem, on the face of it, to be quite trivial. The results, though, are cumulative, and often quite startling. For example, one office found that using both sides of A4 paper would save £4000 per year. The audit can either be undertaken by company staff, or by an outside organisation, such as an environmental consultancy.
The basic role of a waste audit is to Identify the what, where and how of waste generation. It should include both the nature and amount of waste, and its cost to the company. As well as providing a bench mark by which to measure the success of waste minimisation procedures, it will identify opportunities for implementing such procedures. A waste audit should:
Safeway Stores plc
Safeway Stores plc set out to identify a suitable a measure of the amount of waste generated in its stores, in order to achieve a 5% reduction in incoming waste and a 20% increase in recycling the remaining waste .
The chosen performance measure was average daily weight in kilogrammes. In the procedure adopted the types of waste (cardboard, plastic film, hard plastic, organics, miscellaneous) were separated and weighed daily in a trial store. Over two months, the daily weight in kilograms of the different materials, and the average total of waste per day were measured. The information will enable Safeway to monitor the success of it s waste reduction programme.
Making it Last -
Durability and Obsolescence
Product durability and life span are now receiving Increasing attention In the office, these Issues are particularly relevant to capital items such as computers and similar hardware. Increasing the life span of products is a key factor in reducing their environmental impact, since, on average, for one tonne of waste at the consumer end of a manufactured article, there are 5 tonnes at the manufacturing stage and 20 tonnes at the site of initial resource extraction The New Economics Foundation have found that there are complex influences which determine why products last for particular periods of time some relating to design and technology, others to cultural and economic factors
A recent American study found that the production of a computer workstation led to 60kg of factory waste, 27kg more than the weight of the workstation itself.
Information about product life is scarce, but it appears that the average life of many consumer durables has been reduced. A strategy to Increase product life would operate on two levels - designing products for a longer life and extending that life span through repair and reconditioning which might also Include upgrading.
This would benefit the environment through the reduction in resource use, reduced pollution and less waste There would also be economic benefits, since service and repair work would be carried out mainly in the UK, whereas the product may well have been imported. This would provide more employment and improve the country's trade balance. There are possible disadvantages. A product designed to last longer may require an increased use of materials and different types of materials some of which may be less easy to recycle once the product has to be discarded. Another concern is that keeping products in service longer will mean foregoing the benefits of improved environmental performance, for example in energy efficiency, until a later date. However, this has to be set against the energy used in producing the product in the first place, which can be greater than the energy used during its lifespan. The aim is to achieve the optimal life span rather than the maximum life span for a product.
To encourage product durability the Government could introduce various measures, such as reviewing legislation on guarantees and changing VAT so that repair work is zero-rated. Some manufacturers have already taken steps to extend product life. IBM is now designing its PCs so that the outer casing can be reused with upgraded components. The drum in Kyocera's Ecosys laser printer is coated with silicon rather than plastic and lasts for 300,000 pages, or about five years, compared with 5,000 - 20,000 pages for the conventional printer.
Disposables vs long life products
There are many products which are designed for single, or short life usage which are commonly found in the office or workplace. Examples are non-refillable ball- point pens, marker pens, plastic cups and cutlery, plastic pots for single portions of milk, disposable wiping cloths, paper towels and metal staples. All these products require raw materials and energy for their production, and resources to deal with their disposal, each process producing environmental impacts. In many instances longer life products can be substituted, sometimes through rediscovered old technology, such as the fountain pen, sometimes through new products, such as refillable marker pens, or low energy (compact fluorescent) light bulbs, which last as long as eight standard bulbs These will also reduce energy costs and cut down pollution. Paper clips and staples can be replaced by a new type of stapler which does not use metal staples. In other Instances, organisational changes may enable long life products such as real mugs, to be used in place of disposable cups
Waste MinimisationStrategies -
Ask Yourself-...
Whether or not a waste audit has been undertaken, there are certain basic questions which can be addressed which will reveal possibilities for minimising waste. These are :
Answers to some of these questions are explored In Section 2
Use Your Purchasing Power
Although much can be done to minimise waste and encourage reuse at an individual or departmental level, there are Instances where the purchasing strategy of the whole company needs to be involved This will most probably form part of a broader environmental management policy For example, there may be more scope for buying in bulk to reduce packaging if this is instituted as company policy.
Transit packaging may be reused, particularly if the deliveries are regular, or are within the same company
Boots The Chemist
Boots the Chemist are now reusing the trays used to carry sandwiches to their high street shops, and have found cost savings of £200,000 pa and many other benefits
Involving Everyone in Everything
Communication amongst employees is vital for the success of waste minimisation schemes. Internal newsletters, presentations, stickers and posters are ways of communicating new initiatives and the progress of projects to staff in large organisations. It should be clear who are the people coordinating such schemes, and they need to be accessible to all staff. Leading by example will also help communicate the waste minimisation message to employees. One example is to develop a small system within the organisation to cut down on paper usage. Some of the cost savings resulting from reducing waste could be passed on to a charity chosen by the staff, to strengthen their motivation.
Thames Water Plc
Thames Water Plc has instituted various waste minimisation measures including printing each document or report on waste paper, to check for errors, before printing the heal draft on to unused paper.