Environmental and waste advice

Undertaking environmental best practice can be economically beneficial to businesses and can open new markets and opportunities. This section contains information on all aspects of environmental issues affecting businesses including recycling and waste management as well as links to local environmental networks.

According to the Environment and Energy Helpline of the Environment Agency, by using waste minimisation and energy efficiency measures your business could save:-

▪ Up to 80% of packaging and water costs
▪ Between 1 and 5% of raw material costs
▪ between 10 and 20% of energy bills

For free advice call the helpline at 0800 585794. To subscribe to a free e-newsletter simply e-mail benews@environment-agency.gov.uk

Recycling Information for Businesses

Environment and Efficiency Guides

Bring Your Water Bills Under Control

The cost of water is becoming more of an issue for businesses, with the cost for mains, sewerage and trade effluent charges all rising. But companies reducing water usage could make a big impact on their bottom line, with utility cost savings of as much as 50%. Businesses will equally be playing their part in relieving the water shortages currently affecting parts of the UK.

Figures from Envirowise (an organisation offering free confidential business advice)show that office workers use as much as 35 litres of water every day(1) – 86% of which is a direct result of flushing toilets. With more than 22 million office workers throughout the UK(2), this alone equates to 663 million litres a day, or enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall nearly seven times.

However, if every office were to put bottles in their toilets’ cisterns, daily water wastage could be reduced by a fifth (132 million litres) – the equivalent of 35 Olympic swimming pools. By installing push or spray taps, water wasted from hand washing could also be reduced by a further 20 million litres.(3)

For quick and cheap ways to save water, Envirowise recommends you:

- Turn taps off fully and replace leaking hoses and worn tap washers.
- Fit push-button taps in staff washrooms; these can use as little as half the water used through conventional taps and help prevent floods in event of a sink becoming blocked.
- Check your water system for leaks, which can be expensive and cause damage to your building. Take meter readings regularly and carefully – if you are paying for water that you cannot account for then you may have a leak.
- Reduce your need for mains supply water by looking at ways you could recycle ‘grey water’, from sources such as cleaning equipment, vehicles or outside areas.
- Reduce the amount of clean water used in every toilet flush, by fitting a water displacement device into cisterns – these are often available free of charge from your local water company.
Contact your water services provider – it can supply you with a range of water saving tips. Water companies can conduct visits and provide advice on minimising water use for all types of organisation.

For more information businesses can call the Envirowise helpline on 0800 595 794.

Businesses Urged to stop letting profits going to waste

Businesses could cut costs thanks to a new online savings calculator that allows you to discover the potential savings to be made by cutting down on waste. By simply inputting a few basic details into the tool, businesses can identify the kind of savings to be made on costs such as paper, ink, waste disposal, water, heating and transport. It also includes information on how Envirowise can help identify low cost, high value solutions and develop an effective waste minimisation programme for businesses.

The calculator can be found at http://www.maximiseprofit.org.uk

Tax Incentives to "Go Green"

There are 100 per cent first-year tax allowances available on new energy-saving plant and machinery, as well as on water-efficient equipment. Provided it meets certain conditions, you can write off the whole cost against your business profits in the year of purchase.

For those who want further information on the scheme here are some of the key points.

1. The plant and machinery must appear on the energy technology list which now covers 16 qualifying technologies.

They include boilers, refrigeration equipment, lighting, various types of heating equipment, combined heat and power, insulation, monitoring controls and others.

2. The list specifies the strict energy-saving criteria that each type of equipment must meet.

3. The benefit to your business is not limited to the tax relief. You should save in energy costs and you will be able to show your customers and employees that you care about reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment.

4. Businesses are also able to claim a 100 per cent allowance for water-efficient equipment that reduces water use and improves water quality. The equipment must appear on the water technology criteria list.

This includes items such as efficient toilets, taps and showers, monitoring equipment, flow controllers, rainwater harvesting equipment and filtration systems.

Details of the technologies and criteria are available as Enhanced Capital Allowances

We are indebted for the above information to Dave Barnett, director of Charnwood Accountants and Business Advisors, Mountsorrel who wrote in to the Leicester Mercury about this funding.

Envirowise's Top Tip - don't waste your people

Companies working with Envirowise that implement a full programme of measures to minimize waste and make more efficient use of resources can save up to £1000 per employee per year.(4) However, this can only be achieved if the business has the full support of all its employees.

Some top tips to get you on your way:
· Encourage staff to flag up any waste problems. A good manager will never criticise if waste is brought to his/her attention. Be seen to act. Make waste important!

· Don’t keep costs secret. Employees often don’t appreciate the value of the materials they are handling, because they haven’t been told. Talking about savings in £’s is more meaningful than quoting percentages. Make waste understandable and highlight collective responsibility.

· Provide people with the right tools and equipment for the job. Poor tool design or having to make do can lead to waste and reduced motivation

Other sources of help and advice for business

Waste Advice

(1) GG432 - Envirowise publication
(2) ONS labour market statistics
(3) GG522 - Envirowise publication
(4) Envirowise case study and waste minimisation club data shows companies implementing full resource efficiency measures can save up to £1,000 per employee.