Since prehistoric times, man has used burial – or landfill - as a means of getting rid of waste. Landfill, the oldest form of waste disposal, is possibly also the dirtiest.

It’s a land-hungry, polluting, anti-social and expensive pursuit.  With ever-increasing demands on land for building and agriculture, and the problems from landfill, including methane gas and noxious cocktails of liquids leaching into the land and water table, governments across the globe are now acting to reduce landfill dramatically. The latest UK landfill tax burden – an increase of 30% - arrived in April 08, with the promise of “plenty more to follow.”

In January, Nisbets the catering equipment giants, announced their intention to go zero-landfill by the end of the year.  Jerry Beeston, Nisbets’ Facilities Manager discusses the newest “corporate grail”, and how Nisbets intends to reach it.

On a hot afternoon in June this year, we made a knee-buckling promise to our staff and stakeholders that we were launching “Project Zero” - zero landfill by end of the year.  It was sheer coincidence that our announcement just happened to fall a few weeks after Marks and Spencers released their plan to the public (zero-landfill by 2012).  And the media exposure on M&S may certainly have helped our case - our own announcement was greeted with enthusiasm and pride…. especially as we were aiming to get there four years before M&S

Here at Nisbets, we were already working to reduce our waste.  Since 2006 we have been using waste consultants, Waste Efficiency Ltd  for legal compliance, sales of waste materials and total waste reduction.  Taking this further - the “Zero Landfill” goal for Nisbets was the brainchild of the Nisbets’ MD, Paul McMahon, in 2007.

To get to Zero in such a short amount of time we needed to seriously redouble our activities.   Working with Waste Efficiency on a partnership basis, was key to this. They already had a great knowledge of our company and industry, and they had already worked with many clients through extreme waste reduction processes before.  This meant we could be quick off the mark,  first utilising their expertise to design the strategy, then working with them for implementation including training our own staff and innovating change.

14-point plan
Waste Efficiency designed a complete 14-point plan, allocated timescales and targets.   Our overall goals were quite complex, with many interweaving, however there were three distinct strands:

• To get staff and customers on board with it – promotion.
• To reduce waste output – through “reduce, reuse and recycle” routes
• To reduce the waste coming into the organisation – through supplier relations.

Putting it into action at Nisbets

1)    Define project team

To ensure that the project is well managed, motivated and supported throughout the organisation we needed a project team that is made up of the correct mix of talent, and has representation from all departments:

• an inspirational sponsor,
• an influential chairperson,
• a focused, determined and highly-efficient secretary
• enthusiastic team members from all across the departments, each bringing different skills and perspectives.

2)    Kick off/planning meetings

The kick-off meeting to bring team together, and as a group, then go on to devise schedule of planning meetings, working theme groups, etc,

3)    Define and document publicity schedule

Important to promote and publicise activities, quick wins, and overall objectives.

Suggested methods of publicity include:

• Internal/staff noticeboards
• Company newsletter
• Intranet
• Local press
• Information to customers
• Staff suggestion incentive scheme
• Messages on payslips
• Messages on outgoing packaging

4)    Evaluation/detail of general waste fractions

To drive recycling to the maximum level a detailed study of all the material in the general waste stream, reducing it to waste fractions and then identifying the best means of capturing data on waste and segregation.

5)    Evaluate and define opportunities for waste fraction elimination/reduction

Once the fractions were fully defined and before looking at recycling opportunities, a full evaluation to be carried out of any possible elimination or reduction.

6)    Identify potential recycling routes where possible

Waste Efficiency Ltd will actively seek recycling routes for all fractions, including reprocessing and machinery available.

7)    Identify sources of non recyclables and negotiate with suppliers to eliminate

All waste with no existing recycling route, and waste that is prohibitive due to excessive costs will be identified. The source of each of this waste will also be identified with a view to eliminating the need or changing the materials to those that are recyclable.

8)    Identify waste-to-energy plants for essential non recyclables

Where the waste identified in section 7) above cannot be removed or substituted for a recyclable material, the final option is to recycle the material into energy via an incinerator plant designed for purpose. This will always be the last option but it is acknowledged that it may be required for a very small quantity of the waste stream.

9)    Define segregation methods and disposal modes for fractions

With knowledge of waste materials involved, a segregation process will be planned, taking into account:

• Available space for containers
• Quantity produced
• Proximity of containers to waste production point
• Clear and consistent labelling and colour coding of containers to reduce confusion
• Resource to keep containers serviced
• Route the waste must take to storage point – transport methods
• Practicality of emptying area container into bulk storage/removal container.
• Location of bulk storage removal container.

A full plan per waste production area will be drawn up detailing the above and a purchasing requirement drawn up where necessary.

10)    Identify waste storage areas and draw up plan

A plan for the storage of bulk waste containers ready for removal will be drawn up to formalise the system, taking into account:

• Container type
• Waste type – is it affected by elements?
• Is external storage suitable – can anything escape to ground, water, air?
• Vehicle access for collection.
• Collection frequency
• Does access need to be limited – is it flammable/hazardous?
• Proximity to buildings, walkways, drains, public areas.
  

11)    Continual assessment and changes to map to zero point

The plan notes detailed in section 1) to 10) above are intended to be added to as the project progresses and this will form the basis of the detailed plan when point zero is reached.

12)    Submit justification/gain approvals for any costs

Any major capital expenditure that is anticipated will be identified as early as possible and submitted for approval if the project team is in support.

13)    Set up progress monitoring

Project monitoring will be set up at the start, including a league table for publication.  It should also be used as a KPI in the departmental management team. Throughout the process, attention will be paid to legal compliance, good management and the most efficient/local manner of waste treatment, keeping Nisbet’s carbon footprint as low as possible.

14)    Progress monitoring and review of project plan

It is important for the continued success of the project that focus is not allowed to slip and that departments including finance and purchasing are fully aware that the introduction of new products may mean the introduction of new waste streams unless it is carried out in a controlled fashion.

Segregation
Accurate and effective segregation is key to the waste recycling process.  Without this, you end up with cross contaminated waste that is of no interest to industry and cannot be recycled without expensive re-segregation.

The most cost and labour efficient way to segregate waste is at the point of its use.  Once a drink-can ceases to be a beverage container, it becomes waste, and it is precisely at this moment that segregation is most effective.

So we always work to keep segregation local.   We supply a vast number of bins at every possible point.  There are over 20 different bins in the canteen, offering recycling points for cans, bottles, paper cups, tin foil, plastics, etc.  In offices where there used to be one bin, there are now three or four.  Paper, cans, bottles.

In the distribution area where packaging is prolific, we have wheelie bins for cardboard, paper, plastic, polythene, polystyrene, foam and metals.   As well as the general “personal use” recycling bins for cans, bottles and paper.

Bin it to win it.
There may be up to ten bin options in any one area, so the busy employee needs to be motivated to use the correct option.

Fortunately the team spirit at Nisbets is terrific.  I don’t think we could have come this far towards zero-landfill if the teamwork and support hadn’t been so strong throughout the company, and in every department.

Communication has always been an essential part of the success of our company, and it’s very much part of our Zero Landfill project.   We’ve taken every opportunity to communicate and engage with every single employee.

Of course we’ve done the obligatory newsletters, intranet, noticeboards and even included information with wageslips. But the one communication route that towers over the rest for effectiveness is the direct face-to-face communication that each member of the project team delivers.  Their enthusiasm and commitment is simply contagious.

QUICK WINS
Quick wins have been essential for the project, as they show our staff where we are succeeding, and create immediate recognition for those who implement the quick win process:

Just a few of our quick wins:

• Considerable increase in % recycled just by providing more dedicated bins for Card and Polythene (and increasing awareness of the project)– the two main packaging components
• Old catalogues wrapped in polythene were going to landfill as considered non recyclable – research found a recycler that could accept them.
• Ceramics – returned broken ceramics are now recycled into aggregates for road building.
• Slightly damaged pallets now repaired
• By employing the correct machines – balers and roll packers, the recyclable material can be presented in a fashion that is more acceptable to the recyclers and in a more compact form, thus reducing transport costs and therefore carbon footprint.

PROGRESS SO FAR
Before announcing our goal of Zero waste to landfill we made sure we were in pretty good shape to achieve it and as the graph below shows, Waste Efficiency had already helped us to achieve an excellent recycling level. We knew however that the last few percent would be the hardest and that Project Zero was just what we needed to give us that last final push. Our average recycling figure for 2007 was around 78% and since starting the project it has come up to 90% and the trend is continuing in the right direction. The one month blip at 100% is not seen as the achievement of our goals but a step in the right direction as phasing issues will see this figure fluctuate month to month.

We are happy to be on target but effort must increase towards the end of the project as the waste streams that are left are always, by definition, the hardest to recycle.

MAIN CHALLENGES/BENEFITS
The main challenge in this project has been the sheer size of our organisation.  We employ 636 people in the UK alone – giving us a sizeable communications challenge.  And with a turnover of £104million and thousands of different products, each presents a different waste challenge.

I’m sure it may have been easier if we were a much smaller organisation.  But the upside of our size is that our recycling outputs can be large enough to be very financially viable.

Another great benefit of our buying power is that we can help our customers to reduce their landfill by the reduction of waste throughout the buying chain.  By ensuring suppliers concentrate on waste reduction it means less resources are used.  So less waste ends up with our customers. They in turn appreciate it, and it makes landfill reduction easier for them. It’s a knock-on effect.

Throughout this project, two things have become abundantly clear.  First that nothing ever happens in isolation – for a great result, you need great teamwork and excellent preparation.

And second - once you make a knee-buckling claim, you have to follow it through…and sometimes the results can be quite the opposite of earth-shattering.

Lessons learned – a five point guide if you are planning to take the Zero Landfill route.

1. Preparation is everything.  It isn’t until you start on the journey that you realise just how long and involved it can become.  Prepare well and get a good, experienced partner or consultant on board.
2. Teamwork is vital.  You need every member of your company to be on board.  Pay great attention to your recruiting process at the beginning.  You need an ace project team who will inspire and motivate.
3. Don’t abdicate – work in partnership.  This isn’t something you can just pass on to a supplier or consultant, you’ve got to work closely and share the same goals.  They may have all the credentials and expertise you need, but they also need your insight into the company, from purchasing and supply chains to the corporate culture, ethics and history.
4. Consider talking to a company who has already achieved zero landfill, or at least “EWR”, extreme waste reduction.   Ask Waste Efficiency for a site visit to us or another one of their clients.  www.wasteefficiency.co.uk
5. Smaller companies who want to go zero-landfill might like to work together with nearby organisations, perhaps on the same business park.  Together you may be able to bulk up your recycling waste so that it becomes more attractive to a purchaser, or at the very least – less expensive to recycle.

About the Author
Tim Reed, is the MD and founder of Waste Efficiency Ltd, a UK waste & facilities management organisation, with a client list of blue chip and household names.  Tim has designed a number of essential WE business processes, including:  Zero Landfill, and Extreme Waste Reduction (EWR).  These support businesses with a step-by-step approach, 360 degree implementation and full legal compliance. www.wasteefficiency.co.uk