Best Practice Waste Management
Here at Zest Recycle, there are certain guiding principles that we follow to ensure that we are always delivering the best possible service to our clients. For full transparency, we have detailed on this page a full breakdown of these principles and the waste management best practices associated with them, so you can always have full confidence in our team.
The Waste Hierarchy
At Zest Recycle, we are committed to managing client resources in line with the waste hierarchy, which is a requirement of The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011. This just means that, with the waste we handle, the priority is prevention first, then preparing it for reuse, then recycling, then other processes such as energy recovery – and last of all: disposal to landfill. We do not direct any waste to landfill for our clients, we aim to reduce, reuse and recycle as far as possible and any remaining waste is sent for energy recovery.
At Zest Recycle, we take the waste hierarchy very seriously, which is why we always keep it in mind when carrying out analysis, waste audits and creating bespoke waste management strategies for our clients. So when you choose us, you can be completely secure in the knowledge that you are compliant with this.
Circular Economy
The idea of a circular economy is now central to sustainable waste management practices. The premise is simple: rather than making, using and disposing of resources in a linear fashion, a circular economy encourages us to keep resources in use for as long as possible, squeezing out the maximum value from what we produce.
We truly believe that the adoption of this way of thinking will be crucial to the longevity of our planet and its resources, which is why we try and weave it into our business model, and those of our clients, as far as possible.
We seek to move our clients towards a more circular approach by:
- Identifying reuse and refurbishment opportunities for key waste streams, such as wooden pallets or office furniture.
- Identifying opportunities within the supply chain to reduce waste and increase recycling – for example, by moving away from single use plastics to compostable catering items.
- Focusing on niche and problem wastes such as single-use coffee cups to provide bespoke solutions.
Zero Waste to Landfill
With businesses under increased pressure to demonstrate environmental responsibility, the team here at Zest Recycle has been very clear about its zero-waste-to-landfill approach.
However, we believe that simply diverting waste away from landfill to energy recovery isn’t good enough. At Zest Recycle, we make sure that we are always maximising materials and seeking opportunities to reuse and recycle making energy recovery a last resort. We work in partnership with our clients, looking at ways of initial prevention, then work on reducing waste and discovering avenues to reuse specific waste streams.
Net Zero Carbon
Net zero carbon refers to a balance between the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the environment and the amount removed.
The driving force for achieving Net Zero Carbon is the effects of climate change. Climate change refers to the effects of Global Warming, the heating up of our planet, which is largely due to human activities, such as industrialisation and the use of fossil fuels alongside widespread deforestation. The outcome of this heating effect is more extreme weather conditions including the melting of the polar ice, which presents a clear and present threat to the future of our planet as we see it.
In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to pass a law to end its contribution to global warming by 2050.
We recognise that over the coming years, bid and procurement managers will have to plan for this transition and will be exploring frameworks and science-based targets to support the transition process. As a business we will be taking steps to engage with our supply chain to fully understand the roadmap towards decarbonising their operations.
Education and Awareness
Education and awareness play a vital role in the introduction and success of any recycling and waste management programme, which is why we make it a central component of our service.
When creating a bespoke waste strategy for our clients, we always ensure that we support our clients in communicating the programme to all relevant stakeholders and service users, with the aim of achieving the highest levels of engagement and participation in the scheme.
We take a structured approach, initially engaging with key staff and suppliers – such as managers, operations employees, catering teams and cleaners – involved in the waste segregation and waste management processes. From there, we go on to communicate the strategy with the wider audience to ensure everyone is on board.
We use a variety of methods and media, such as waste awareness days, to launch a new recycling system and provide marketing support where necessary.
Zest Recycle adheres to these waste management best practices when working with all of our clients across the UK.
To learn more about our services and start revolutionising your waste operations, call us today.
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