Business Waste
Trust to help tackle Business waste
“Waste, and its disposal, is an ongoing problem, and with the success in
recycling household rubbish on the Island, the impact of commercial waste is of
growing importance. It now forms two thirds of all waste, and 90% of it goes
straight to landfill” says Don Roe of the Footprint Trust.
The Isle of Wight Council is taking a lead on reducing commercial waste and has
started work, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, to produce a Business
Waste Strategy. The aim is to reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal
and to improve business profitability. This project will also take the
opportunity to advise on the more efficient use of materials, water and energy,
as well as waste minimisation.
The first piece of work is a detailed survey to identify the volumes and types
of commercial waste generated on the Island. This work is being carried out by
the Footprint Trust, a local environmental charity, in co-operation with major
waste companies on the Island.
A wide range of commercial organisations are being asked to complete a survey
form showing what, and how much, they throw away.
If you manage an organisation which produces waste, and you have not already
been asked, please take a few minutes to complete a form and send it to the
Footprint Trust by the end of August 2006.
Using the results of the survey, options for reusing, recycling and disposing of
each major type of waste will be researched, taking into account costs and
benefits to business. The infrastructure requirements to enable the separation,
collection and processing of waste will also be identified, in order to maximise
recycling and reuse.
Because of the additional costs of transporting recyclable waste to mainland
processing sites, a greater emphasis will be put on the local reuse and
marketing of materials in innovative and enterprising ways.
The project is in its infancy but it is hoped that it will lead to similar
reductions in the land filling of commercial waste to those that have been seen
for household waste.
Footprint Trust ~ The Riverside Centre ~ The Quay ~ Newport ~ Isle of Wight ~ PO30 2QR
Registered Company Number 0458 7815. Registered Charity Number 1106024
telephone / fax: 01983 822282