FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
WHAT CAN FMS DO TO IMPROVE WASTE MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE?
In the FMJ/Grundon survey, nearly 40 per cent said they wanted more help with employee education and employment. “It’s up to all of us in the industry to step up,” says Williams, who advises there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to engaging with customers’ workforces. In most cases a bespoke approach is required. “However, there are some common themes which we find help to educate employees, assist with engagement and help to drive improved waste management performance.
“We believe in a partnership approach, taking our knowledge and expertise of the waste industry and marrying that with the knowledge and expertise that each FM will have of their own sector. By then working together, we can make sure we all take the best approach that will achieve the highest results.”
Taylor argues that it’s all about changing the behaviour of the people that use their buildings and then monitoring and measuring these changes to keep the momentum going.
He also advises that individually assessing the waste coming on to or being produced at a site can lead to successful tailored solutions.
“For one client, we installed newspaper bins in their reception area so people could put their morning newspaper into the right bin as soon as they enter the office. Sounds simple, but many people put their newspaper into confidential waste recycling without realising the impact this has. It’s a little-known fact that a piece of paper can be recycled up to seven times. However, the quality reduces with each recycling round, so you really want to keep the highest paper qualities separate, as mixing them with lower grade paper will reduce the quality of the newly recycled paper, and therefore the number of times it can be repurposed.”
Edward Griggs says that to recycle effectively, you need to create quality waste streams and eliminate contamination – and much of the onus to do this is on the end user. He believes education is key to achieving this. “Waste specialists and FMs need to work in partnership not only to provide the right facilities and create an efficient disposal process, but to inform and engage end users to use them correctly.
“Motivation can also play a huge part in achieving this. By raising awareness of the impact of waste on the environment and limited capacity of landfill, we can inspire a real step change in behaviour. We’ve already seen a movement against plastic pollution, but this level of motivation needs to be sparked throughout all waste streams so end users make the right choices – which will facilitate the entire disposal process.”
There is also, argues Edward Eagle, a need to address a shift in the FM sector towards transactional waste management contracts. “In order to see seismic benefits, there needs to be long-term changes in place, reflected in longer contracts. These contracts must centre around carbon neutrality, as energy usage and recycling and waste performance feed into an organisation’s carbon impact. Aspirational goals need to be put in place to encourage clients to do more and engage all stakeholders in the process.”
HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOU MEET WASTE MANAGEMENT TARGETS IN THE FUTURE?
Prevention is the future, says Taylor: “I think targets will move away from zero waste to landfill and shift towards zero waste production. Instead of asking companies to report on the volume of rubbish recycled, it would be more effective if the government could enforce reporting on how much waste is generated in the first place. The pressure to be sustainable and concepts such as the circular economy will drive behaviours we all need to adopt to combat climate challenge. The ultimate target must be total elimination.”
Veolia has carried out research with Imperial College London into future trends and technology, culminating in its Imagine 2050 report on the circular economy(8). This showed the potential of a £29 billion contribution to UK GDP and 175,000 jobs.
Says Eagle: “This is an opportunity for the UK to lead the world in recycling and sustainability. We need to see changes make system-wide impact while keeping it simple in application – materials to be recyclable by design, collected more consistently and ultimately reprocessed back into high-value products.”
He also predicts that technology will transform the waste and recycling sector, with the increased automation of recycling plants delivering the ability to capture more resources from waste streams – and do it more effectively. “Equipment such as solar auto-compacting bins, which send notifications to collection crews when they are full, will enable more waste to be collected. Electrified mobile plant, supported by a charging network, will further transform the way the industry operates as businesses aim for net zero carbon.
“Vehicles will use on-board weighing equipment to digitally record bin weights at properties, enabling recycling performance to be efficiently calculated. Handheld devices will provide on-the-go reporting and job completion, and all vehicles will be digitally tracked to monitor and auto-allocate tasks dependent on geographical location and capacity.”
However, while all the high-tech stuff has an important part to play, ensuring that every stakeholder is fully educated and engaged remains the most vital element in meeting targets. Grundon’s Williams advocates simple things like introducing new posters and improved signage, investing in new bins and containers that can boost segregation, and adopting an employee engagement platform to help promote positive environmental behaviour change.
“And lastly,” he adds, “I would say remember to reward people too. Whether that’s by naming recycling champions each month, encouraging senior managers to reinvest waste savings for the benefit of staff, or shouting your waste success from the rooftops when you win an award – it all helps to spread positive messages.”
Organisations may do their utmost to recycle and divert waste from landfill, but hygiene waste is too often forgotten as a stream that should be managed as part of a sustainability strategy.
Edward Griggs, Head of Waste Supply and Subcontractors for phs Group, says: “It is not uncommon for us to speak to customers who are striving towards zero waste to landfill, but when they are questioned on hygiene waste, admit that this had been overlooked. As hygiene waste is typically landfilled by the industry and cannot be recycled, it presents a zero-to-landfill challenge. Organisations who are truly committed to sustainability need to review their washroom operations and ensure hygiene waste is both accounted for and disposed of sustainably.”
He points out that landfill is not the only available destination for hygiene waste. “Phs has created a new journey for hygiene waste through its LifeCycle strategy(9), using it to create energy to power homes, thereby diverting waste away from landfill, supporting customers’ sustainability objectives and doing the right thing for the environment.”
REFERENCE NOTES
(2) www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan
(4) Recycling and Waste Management Survey 2020: FMJ in partnership with Grundon Waste Management
(5) www.fmj.co.uk/research-reveals-clearer-signage-is-required-to-get-more-people-recycling/
(7) www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax/plastic-packaging-tax
