this. At one client site, we reduced the amount of single-use plastic
by 90 per cent in just two weeks; this was achieved by giving each
employee a reusable cup (saving 7 tonnes of rubbish), swapping sugar
sachets for small containers (saving 2 million packets) and swapping
plastic bottles for cans or glass (saving 8 tonnes of plastic), among
other e orts. These incredible results show that when alternative
options are given, we can massively reduce the need for single-use
plastic.
And it’s not just plastic we need to consider either. Single-use
products are rife in the industry. Take serviettes for example. We
recognised we needed to do something about this and launched our
‘Save our Serviettes’ campaign in 2017, which resulted in only 100 per
cent recycled napkins being o ered in canteens. This also resulted in
the reduction of serviette waste of 6.69 million napkins over one year.
Another e ective way of reducing the amount of plastic in corporate
o ices is by working with and educating our client’s workforce. If
consumers are armed with the right knowledge, they will be better
placed to make informed decisions when they visit our sites. We need
to make it as easy as possible to help customers reduce their plastic
uptake; just look at the positive impact the latte levy has had on co ee
culture’s attitude to reusing cups. We have seen huge success with
KeepCups (a reusable co ee cup made from eco-friendly material) and
have sold 60,000 since 2017.
As workplace caterers we have a unique opportunity to influence
business and consumers at the same time and we must take our
responsibility seriously in leading the way to plastic free kitchens
dining. We want to see more innovative campaigns that result in
positive action and remain strong in our belief that together we can
transform the industry’s attitude to plastic.
WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY’S VIEW
STEPHEN HILL,
HEAD OF SALES AT GRUNDON WASTE MANAGEMENT
The trouble with single-use
plastics, or any other single-use
item, is that they’re o en so
commonplace that sometimes
even careful scrutiny can fail to
spot a plastic tray or paper cup
– even when it’s right under our
noses.
Facilities managers can do
more to bring their teams
together and come up with
alternative solutions to the
problem of single-use plastics.
By having regular meetings with
their in-house catering teams and
their waste management provider, FMs can look at how best to reduce
unnecessary packaging or implement their own ‘green teams’ to drive
sustainability initiatives.
Easy wins include removing single-use plastic cups, using glasses for
water, refillable bottles and reusable co ee cups.
Companies need to look at all the waste they are generating. And
waste management experts such as Grundon can audit a company’s
waste and give practical advice on how it can be minimised further.
Grundon will review the waste and work out how much of it is
avoidable, as while there might be a higher cost to bringing in china,
glass and other reusable receptacles to replace single-use plastics,
a company can o en easily make that up in the reduced waste
management costs over the longer term.
22 FEBRUARY 2019
The drive to reduce single-use plastics and other wastes is o en
being driven by individuals. There is a definite change of behaviour – I
see it in co ee shops up and down the country where the number
of people bringing in reusable cups has risen dramatically. But if
they work in a company where china and stainless-steel cutlery are
not available, those same people who are choosing to change their
behaviour outside the workplace, don’t have a choice within the work
environment. Facilities managers have a responsibility to meet or
exceed employee’s sustainable behaviour.
Some organisations which are keen to be seen to do the right thing
sometimes make an error in not thinking the problem through far
enough. One organisation wanted to buy in single-use compostable
food packaging that could be safely disposed of, along with any food
remains, at an anaerobic digestion facility.
To them it sounded like a great idea. The problem was that the
closest anaerobic digestion facility that could take the disposed
packaging was a considerable distance away, which further added to
their carbon footprint.
Unfortunately, an organisation’s best intentions can ultimately turn
out to be a hollow victory if they haven’t considered all the options
available to them. Situations like this can be avoided by engaging
with key stakeholders such as the in-house catering teams and waste
management providers who could add value from the start.
But of course, however much an organisation can reduce or reuse
materials, there will always be some items that will need to be sent for
recycling and reprocessing.
We o er a mixed recycling service, where the waste is returned
to our depot and mechanically separated into bales of cardboard,
paper, plastics and other waste types which are then sent o to be
reprocessed.
We’re currently exploring a novel idea to use waste single-use plastic
bottles in a more sustainable way. The bottles, which are made from
the popular plastic polymer Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), can be
sent to a reprocessing facility where the plastic is flaked and recycled
for use in the production of ‘green’ o ice furniture. We can then
o er our customers the opportunity to buy high quality, robust and
attractive o ice furniture made out of the plastic waste they’ve sent for
recycling.
This is proof that the circular economy can work.
Do you have a question that you’d like
answered by the FMJ Clinic?
Email: sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
FM CLINIC
Stephen Hill
ADVICE & OPINION
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