Tradeteam wins war on waste
Tradeteam has ended the year on a recycling high after successfully rolling out a dedicated waste management programme to all of its operating sites. As a result the UK’s leading drinks logistics supplier has more than doubled the proportion of waste recycled this year in comparison to 2009 totals. Marcus Holden Tradeteam Finance Business Partner and Environmental Champion, who has overseen the ‘go green’ waste improvement project says the achievement has been largely thanks to a series of specialised identification surveys by parent company DHL’s Environmental Compliance and Solutions (ECS) service. “Following a series of independent waste management surveys we have been able to significantly improve Tradeteam’s ability to identify recyclable materials, implement new solutions and crucially better utilise the resources it currently already employs,” he added. “We’ve tasked our waste management champions with ambitious reduction targets but it appears aiming high and regularly communicating successes company-wide has really paid off. “Waste segregation programmes and colour coded recycling stations are up and running at every site and we are recycling more glass, shrinkwrap and drink packaging than ever before. “Smaller sites are joining in too by utilising our existing transport network, sending waste to balers at larger depots via vehicles already bound with customer deliveries for these destinations. “Our Stretton operation now acts as a consolidation ‘centre of excellence for recycling’ and is leading the way by recycling a massive 95 per cent of all its own waste. “We’ve also been working closely on a site by site basis with local firms to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill, for example all used fluorescent lamp tubes are collected in a special ‘coffin box’ ready to be recycled and we are sending printer cartridges to the Roy Castle appeal for recycling.” The drinks distributor has also been getting creative with its waste initiatives, supplying Twycross Zoo with shredded waste paper for use as primate bedding, trialling a tiger worm composter for food and organic waste and harvesting rain water from depot roofs to fill-up floor and vehicle cleaning equipment. Tradeteam is also looking to extend initiatives even further next year and is currently researching ways it can support its customers with recycling their own waste at pub level. Marcus Holden added: “Although in its infancy Tradeteam is in discussion with several of its customers regarding waste management from pubs. There is clearly a perfect fit between our environmental goals and the recycling collection service we are in a position to provide to them. “We hope to achieve even more in 2011 and working with customers is just another way we can significantly reduce the impact we have on the environment.”
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