Waste Management
Over the past two years we have continued to develop our waste management processes. We have selected and approved six waste contractors now being used by 86% of our locations. There are a number of reasons why the remaining 14% are not using these contractors: they include client preference, cost and isolated locations.
Through our approved vendors we now have baseline data on our waste arising and the proportion recycled. For those sites which do not participate in the approved vendor schemes, this information has been obtained directly from the site.
| Total waste arising in North America and proportion recycled | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Waste Arising 05/06 | Total Waste Arising 06/07 | % Recycled | |
| Used Oil (m3) | 2,089 | 2,357 | 100 |
| Used Oil Filters (drums) | 2,270 | 1,477 | 100 |
| Anti-freeze( m3) | 168 | 143 | 100 |
| Oil-contaminated Absorbents (drums) | 290 | 233 | 70 |
| Sludge from Oil/Water Interceptor (m3) | 155 | 186 | 0 |
The vast majority of waste arising from our maintenance workshops is recycled. Only a small proportion is landfilled: this consists of oil-contaminated absorbent and the sludge from the cleaning of our oil/water interceptors. A key contributor to our high recycling rates is our relationship with Atlantic Industrial Services, Inc. which enables us to achieve 100% recycling of our oil filters. The proportion of oil contaminated absorbent that is recycled has increased by 12% during the past 12 months and we will continue to seek to improve on this figure.
For general waste arising from our offices and buses, recycling initiatives are run from the local depots and use local contractors to collect this waste. At present we do not have any figures on the proportion of the general waste that is recycled, but we are now collating data on the number of depots actively running recycling schemes so that we can review activity and promote best practices, as seen in the example of Fort Wayne below.
Fort Wayne Take up the Recycling Challenge
Employees at First Vehicle Services Fort Wayne depot in Indiana have established a range of recycling initiatives to divert waste away from landfill. The staff crush and recycle oil filters, steel, used oil, fluorescent light bulbs, cardboard and anti-freeze. They also collect the entire depot's aluminium and deliver it to a local school to raise much needed funds for improvements to the environment and the community.