Thank you for visiting our website today. My name is Steph Hutchings and I am the new Managing Director of Wastetech. I was appointed in February this year with a mandate to enhance customer service and build the business. I’ve been speaking to a wide range of customers over the past few weeks to really understand what you think we do well and where there is room for improvement. We have already implemented a number of important initiatives, such as extending opening hours for our customer service centre and introducing ‘customer call backs’ for busy periods. I have also appointed a new Commercial Director, Anthony Pearlgood and we are working hard to resolve any difficulties customers may have experienced in the past.

 I have a real commitment to delivering the highest standards of customer care and would welcome your feedback. If you have any comments, positive or negative, then please do not hesitate to contact me personally at stephaniehutchings@phs.co.uk.

 Yours,

 Steph

PHS Wastetech presents an overview of the Forward Commitment Procurement in relation to clinical waste.

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills at the behest of the government, recognized procurement as the essential driving force which can encourage innovation when giving contracts of work. The model is called Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) and it is seen as a good tool in driving innovation to enhance public services. In the past, among the obstacles to innovation was an insufficient demand within the private sector to justify the funding. The United Kingdom’s public sector expends £236 billion per annum on products or services which can offer the financial influence to incentivise innovation in areas such as clinical waste collection.

Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) matched along with other governmental departments elected to put the FCP model into practice, to resolve the problem of clinical waste relevant to mattress in prisons. Their objective was to have a zero mattress solution. Once the need was recognised, HMPS contacted the marketplace to find a way to satisfy their needs in a cost effective manner. In March 2009, at the end of the process, the conclusion would be a fully handled zero waste mattress and pillow solution, including new covers that will reduce turnover and practically eliminate the requirement for clinical waste disposal. The believed financial savings is going to be £5 million over the duration of the contract.

Recycling of clinical waste area of study which has attracted attention recently, as there’s possibility of innovation to greatly improve lives all over the world, especially in the third world. In July 2011, “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation” had granted a college within the Netherlands a grant to ‘Reinvent the toilet’, changeling the academics to develop new technology for processing waste without links to water, energy, or sewer lines at a price which was reasonable for poor people in developing nations. The amount of individuals believed to lack use of safe and affordable sanitation is believed at roughly 2.6 billion people.

From scheduled collections of the day-to-day waste to 1 off skip and finish waste management programs, PHS Wastetech is a practical means to fix answer your waste management needs.

We operate an array of automobiles through the United Kingdom including Rubbish Collection Vehicles (RCV’s) for clearing wheelie bins and collecting commercial waste sacks. These range from 26 tonnes and 7.5 tonnes for sites with restricted access we operate caged 3.5 tonne vans, Front and Rear End Loaders, Skip Loaders and Roll-on Roll-off Hook Loaders.

With an extensive number of operational vehicles we’re well outfitted to deal with most waste management requirements.

With our Head Office team providing centralised services, for example invoicing and credit control, all operational depots are free to focus on getting the job finished. All of our depots have dedicated telephone lines helping you to talk directly with person accountable for controlling your service.

We’re equally comfortable and experienced in most amounts of waste management from collecting just one sack of waste every week to completely controlling a 24/7 operation at heavy industrial or construction sites.

PHS Wastetech would welcome the chance to help you out to find probably the most practical and price effective waste management choice for your waste.

Alongside our waste management services, PHS Group has the unique ability to provide a selection of services to cater for the workplace environment. PHS Group offer services including chemical waste disposal, clinical waste collections, secure disposal of confidential waste and provision of waste compactors and bailers.

Call 0870 241 7491 to speak to a PHS Wastetech Sales Representative for a free no obligation quote.

PHS Wastetech – provides an overview on the recycling legislation

Within the UK, we generate roughly 280 million tonnes of household waste every year. In a broader context, the UK created 526 kg per person of 2009, higher in comparison to the EU average of 512 kg.  However, the UK figure has fallen consistently in the last 10 years and is at its cheapest level since 1996.  Allied with this, the quantity of household recycling has substantially risen during the last decade. In 2000-01, roughly 11% of household waste was recycled.  However, by 2010-11, this figure increased to 41%, meaning the UK is on course to satisfy the country’s obligations under the EU Waste Framework Directive, requiring a rate of 50% by 2020.

A few benefits connected with recycling include; a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions a consequence of manufacturing, landfilling or incineration and also financial savings for industries involving cheaper, recycled materials. In terms of targeting those areas that will have the greatest impact, the European Commission has prioritised the following four waste streams for improvement in recycling and disposal:

• Packaging.
• End of Existence Automobiles.
• Batteries.
• Waste Electrical and Electronics (WEEE).

To assist recycling efforts, the federal government has pledged to assist companies in several ways. This pledge is titled a Responsibility Deal which is a co-operative initiative between Defra as well as the Environmental Services Association (the ESA, representing the waste and resource management sector).  Providers in this sector were viewed as essential components in achieving waste management objectives by the government, since they were in an excellent position to help their customers to adopt sustainable resource management practices.

The remit for the Responsibility Deal is for Defra to assist companies recycle more cost effectively and has set out ways to do this including:

• Providing help and advice to businesses on how to reduce waste.
• Requesting local authorities sign up to a new Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitment, which would advise what businesses can expect from local waste services.
• Working with private waste contractors on a voluntary agreement to promote sustainable waste management by SMEs and to increase usage of recycling services.
• Encourage SMEs to pool their waste collection services together.

Today, it’s more essential than ever for companies to handle waste correctly. Strict environment rules apply and also 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. So as worth focusing on, this really is: prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling, other recovery (e.g. energy recovery) and lastly disposal.

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 more secure materials in manufacture.

• Preparing for re-use – You should clean, repair or renovate products or spares to extend their lifetime.

• 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.

Defra recommends that companies or organisations that produce or handle waste will need to take all reasonable measures to both prevent waste and also to apply the waste hierarchy when waste has been moved.

The company also provides suggestions on stopping waste, which could also save companies money including :

• Reducing food waste

• For designers and producers to make use of less materials or more secure materials within the design and output of goods (where possible). Redesign of items to increase existence.

• Reduction in packaging utilized in shipping

• Utilising of surplus materials by other companies.

• Selling/giving or swappin products where possible e.g. furniture, electrical and electronics and textiles.

• Retaining equipment for extended and repairing where possible.

• Hiring or leasing equipment instead of buying.

• Maximising existence of company vehicle tyres through efficient logistics practices.

• Re-using carriers, re-filling water containers in the tap instead of purchasing canned water, using durable instead of disposable utensils and containers. Asking providers to make use of re-able to be used packaging and achieve this together with your clients.

Any business that imports, manufactures or sells electrical goods in the UK, or is involved in the management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has obligations under the WEEE legislation. This is one of the few directives that implement the principle of “extended producer responsibility”, where producers are required to take financial responsibility for the environmental impact of their products when these become waste. The aim is to reduce the quantity of waste from such items and increase their re-use, recover and recycling.

Businesses have certain responsibilities in relation to WEEE under the relevant legislation. Where older equipment is being replaced, the responsibility for collection, treatment and recycling of the old items lies with the producer of the replacement. Older equipment is considered to be any item bought before 13^th August 2005. For replacement of newer equipment the responsibility for waste management lies with the equipment producer. In the event that the business does not replace older equipment (again, bought before 13^th August 2005), the responsibility for disposal rests with the business. The situation for leased or rented equipment is slightly different – here responsibility tends to lie with the equipment producer.

The WEEE Regulations apply to all organisations that handle electrical equipment, irrespective of size, including Producers (i.e. manufacturers, professional importers or re-branders), Distributors to household end users (e.g. retailers, distance sellers such as internet retailers), Business end-users, WEEE treatment facilities and Exporters.

The WEEE Regulations require producers of such equipment to fulfill certain obligations relating to collection, treatment and recycling. This includes taking back products from customers or providing alternatives. The regulations also set out minimum treatment standards and recycling targets and additionally, all waste operators or exporters must be Approved Authorised Treatment Facilities and Approved Exporters.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) waste disposal made up 16% of all Local Authority Collected Waste according to the most recent figures from Defra. This is one of the highest categories of disposal and is only exceeded by paper/cards and food. Notably, the European Commission has prioritised WEEE as one of four waste streams for improvement in recycling and disposal. Currently, proposals are being reviewed to revise the WEEE regulations, which may see an increase in recycling targets, together with other amendments.