 |
|
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||
 |
||||||
|
MAKING A START The Waste Review - What & How Much Waste? You need a basic knowledge of your waste streams and the existing management system to set up an effective recycling programme. You can gain this knowledge through a waste assessment. This involves gathering information on the current waste collection and disposal systems and contracts, and on what is in your bins - the waste quantities, composition and characteristics. The information you gather will provide a baseline from which you can estimate the potential for waste reduction, reuse and recycling. This information is also useful for future contractor negotiations as well as for measuring your ongoing recycling success. If you are a large organisation you may consider employing an external consultant but most businesses have the knowledge in-house to carry out this work. The time required will vary depending on available information but you should expect to spend at least 2-3 days. You can download the following resources to help you with th Recycling Rate Calculator: This spreadsheet tells you what you should collect as a minimum and calculates your recycling rate. The information required is usually easily accessible and you can ask your waste contractor to let you know how your waste is disposed of. This is good practice, as under the Duty of Care businesses should know where and how their waste is disposed of (see Waste Law section). Container size sheet: This provides information about container sizes, if you cannot find this information on your contractor bills. To gain a more detailed understanding you may want to carry out a waste composition study. This will take more time and involves weighing waste types over a sample period before they are put into skips. Waste composition studies can provide more detailed information about different types of waste streams and are useful for identifying the waste composition in larger and complex organisations.
Your Baseline Recycling Rate In some instances you may find that your waste contractor can supply accurate weights for the different types of waste you produce. Mostly however you will find that contractors do not weigh individual collections. Even if your contractor does not charge by weight you should be able, as a minimum, to count the number and type of waste containers on your site. You can then convert these figures into estimated weights and calculate your recycling rate using our Recycling Rate Calculator. This calculation can be repeated on a periodic basis to calculate your recycling progress. With the information you collated in the Recycling Rate Calculator you can also calculate the cost per tonne of waste. This figure may be useful in evaluating new recycling contracts or waste management arrangements.
|
||||||
is process: