PHS Waste Tech Guide To Waste Management For Businesses

1. WASTE MANAGEMENT.
A PHS WAST ET ECH G UI DE

2. INTRODUCTION
• Today, it's more essential than ever before for companies to
handle waste correctly. Strict environment rules apply and the
onus is around the waste producer to get rid of waste material
effectively. The EU Waste Framework Directive sets out a
hierarchy to supply guidance to companies when prioritising
waste management.
• In order of importance, they are: prevention, preparation for
re-use, recycling, other recovery (e.g. energy recovery) and
lastly disposal.

3. DEPARTMENT FOR ATMOSPHERE, FOOD
AND RURAL MATTERS (DEFRA).
Furthermore, the Department for Atmosphere, Food and Rural
Matters (Defra) provides a lot of what these recommendations
encompass:
• Prevention - This encourages keeping items for extended, re-
using products and taking advantage of better materials in
manufacture.
• Preparing for re-use - You should clean, repair or renovate
products or spares to extend their lifetime.

4. DEPARTMENT FOR ATMOSPHERE, FOOD
AND RURAL MATTERS (DEFRA).
• Recycling - Turning waste materials into new substances or
items, which could include composting.
• Other recovery - Relevant to actual disposal of products, by
anaerobic digestion and incineration with energy recovery,
gasification and-creating pyrolysis.
• Disposal - Integrating the greater traditional techniques, for
example landfill dumping and incineration without energy
recovery.

5. DEFRA’S WASTE HIERARCHY
• Defra advises that all businesses or organisations that produce
or handle waste must take all reasonable measures to both
prevent waste and to apply the waste hierarchy when waste is
being transferred.
• The agency also offers suggestions on preventing waste, which
can also save businesses money including:

6. WASTE PREVENTION GUIDELINES FOR
BUSINESSES .
• Reducing food waste.
• For designers and manufacturers to use fewer materials or less
hazardous materials in the design and manufacture of goods
(where possible). Redesign of products to extend life.
• Reduction in packaging used in shipping.
• Utilising of surplus materials by other businesses.

7. WASTE PREVENTION GUIDELINES FOR
BUSINESSES .
• Selling/donating or swapping items where possible e.g.
furniture, electrical and electronic equipment and textiles.
• Retaining equipment for longer and repairing where possible.
• Hiring or leasing equipment rather than purchasing.

8. WASTE PREVENTION GUIDELINES FOR
BUSINESSES .
• Maximising life of company vehicle tyres through efficient
logistics practices.
• Re-using carrier bags, refilling water containers from the tap
rather than buying bottled water, using durable rather than
disposable cutlery and containers. Asking suppliers to use re-
useable packaging and do so with your customers.

9. CONCLUSION
• Businesses should have a culture of recycling to ensure their
waste is managed properly, and to Defra guidelines, as its their
social corporate responsibility to make sure any waste
generated by them is deposed correctly.
• Businesses should engage a waste management company to
take their waste products away and depose of them safely and
which protects the environment.