Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111

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Waste as a resource: report, recycle, re-use

The UK generates approximately 200 million tonnes of total waste in a year. About half of this is generated by construction, with commercial & industrial activities generating almost a quarter (24%), and households responsible for a further 14%. About a quarter of that total is sent to landfill.

Working with its clients, who range from the UK's largest social housing providers through to leading commercial property owners, construction companies and insurers, specialist property services and security company, VPS, has as its goal the need to minimise waste sent to landfill and maximise re-use and recycling.

"Our bulk waste disposal teams are driving down the waste sent to landfill way lower than the national figures by combining effective client-partnerships with powerful reporting management systems and a dedicated approach to recycling and re-using items," explains Gavin Pringle, managing director of VPS.

"Using a registered upper-tier waste disposal company like VPS helps ensure the correct disposal of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste. And we have reduced the costs of waste for clients too.

"The removal of combustible and hazardous materials also helps to reduce the chances of arson or of health and safety risks.

"Our portal provides a 24/7 waste dashboard for clients that gives them greater transparency and control on their waste disposal programme.

"The case study below, outlines examples where we not only proactively inspect items such as white goods for reuse or redeployment through our charity partners, but also we work with local communities to encourage positive action against littering and fly-tipping.

VPD completes weekly collections of bulk waste from residents and tenants, for this client. Following a number of complaints in relation to items not being collected, VPS completed a review of the waste volumes and operational procedures to establish the root cause of the issue.

Following this review, the contractor implemented an increased frequency of collections, collecting twice a week. This approach allowed it to manage smaller collection volumes, ensuring all items were collected and processed during each week, resulting in improved customer satisfaction.

The collection of white goods on the same contract resulted in the vast majority of items being collected within a mixed load, leading to in sub-optimal processing and redeployment of goods where feasible. Again, in consultation with the client, VPS now provides a dedicated white goods collection service on a monthly basis. This has allowed the contractor to drive operational efficiency, complete inspections of items to determine those suitable for re-use/redeployment through charity partners, whilst delivering a cost saving of 7% to the client.

Following the collection of bulk waste, VPS received complaints about the amount of litter that was left behind. The contractor has countered this by introducing monthly community action days where it can support local residents with training and employment opportunities to complete litter picking. This approach has driven ownership of the community by local residents, facilitates the development of work skills and experience and supports the ongoing maintenance of clean and safe estates.

"We work with our clients to deliver a full reporting suite, available through a secure 24/7 web based portal," explains Gavin. "Each client has access to a wide range of reports and data, providing complete transparency to key stakeholders across all waste processing activities, evidencing the continued delivery of our sustainability agenda.

As a minimum, VPS's core reports package includes individual task summaries, weights and types of waste collected, disposal route and waste transfer notices. Information can be filtered by collection site or region, cost centre, date range, or disposal route.

T: 0330 005 5300
W: www.vpsgroup.com

14th July 2016