Barry Bolton, Chairman of ACM Waste Management Plc, explains why good waste management is good for business and the environment:

Good environmental performance is essential for business. It can help reduce costs, improve efficiency and attract new customers and investment but, perhaps most importantly of all, it can help to protect the environment and this is vital as the threat posed by irreversible global climate change becomes ever more serious.

As the environment becomes increasingly unstable with more incidents of extreme weather it will become even more difficult to run and manage our businesses; but one simple win is to manage waste more efficiently. To do this effectively our current ‘throwaway economy’ must be replaced by a comprehensive reuse/recycle economy where waste is treated as a resource and not just discarded and forgotten.

In the UK we produce in excess of 434 million tonnes of waste every year and this is rising, so it is vital that we take control of the situation and manage our waste to stop its negative impact on our environment and consequently on our businesses. It is widely predicted that by 2065 the cost of environmental damage will exceed world GDP and if we continue down our current path we will be unable to generate wealth fast enough to pay for that damage

Waste is the opposite of efficiency and if it is not managed properly it has a negative financial impact on our businesses and has a direct link to dangerous climate change. It is a major contributor to the emissions of the harmful greenhouse gasses methane and CO2, but initiatives like recovery, recycling and the use of modern waste management equipment, such as high density compactors and balers, can have a direct and positive impact on reducing waste management costs and improving environmental performance.

Unfortunately many organisations view environmental legislation as something that will have a negative impact on profits rather than recognising the need to embrace change and invest in our future now - or face a much higher cost when the damage to our environment becomes irreversible. The government has set targets for the UK to increase its recycling levels and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill, in line with the rest of Europe, and if we are to achieve this businesses need to adopt a more holistic approach to waste management.

Recycling initiatives encourage reuse, save energy and also reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill and, combined with the use of high-density compaction equipment, drastically reduce the amount of waste collections required – therefore cutting costs and reducing vehicle movements and the associated CO2 emissions. For example, materials such as cardboard, paper, food, glass and plastics all make up a major part of the waste generated by most UK businesses and all of them can be removed from the general waste stream and recycled.

Climate change is now constantly in the news and every day we see more and more businesses promoting their ‘green credentials’ as they realise that in order to continue to attract new business, as well as retaining existing revenue, they must demonstrate their commitment to the environment.

The UK is the fist country in the world to introduce a climate change bill which is a very positive step and will position the country as a world leader on this vitally important issue so UK businesses need to get behind the government and demonstrate their support by taking the necessary steps to clean up their environmental act.

If you would like more information about ACM Waste Management Plc, visit: www.acmplc.com, call: 0208 344 3064 or email: green@acmplc.com.

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