SOUTH WESSEX WASTE MINIMISATION GROUP: 9th December 2008
MINUTES OF MEETING
1. Present
(see attached)
2. A Study into the Effectiveness of Waste Management at Poole NHS
Foundation Trust (Rachel Sharp)
Rachel conducted a study at Poole Hospital as part of her degree course at
Bournemouth University.
The objectives of the study were:
 Investigate methods to reduce the amount of clinical waste by increased
segregation
 Determine staff awareness of waste management
 Investigate legal compliance in the storage and transportation of waste within
the hospital.
The data for the study was collected from September to November 2007.
The approach to the research was as follows:
 An audit to identify which type of bin and where they were placed on each
ward
 Waste was collected from each ward area to be weighed and recorded
 A questionnaire was devised to investigate staff’s perception and habits
towards waste management
 Training of staff in waste awareness
Rachel then described the different colour coding system for types of waste in
hospitals. These are segregated as follows:
- Infectious clinical waste
- Domestic waste
- Sanpro/tiger/offensive waste
- Yellow sharps bins
- Recycling (BOP) blue bins
- Large cardboard boxes
Rachel then detailed the wards selected for the study, the bin types available on each
ward and the number of bays, single rooms and total beds on each ward.
Objective: 1 Improved waste segregation:
Waste was collected from each ward once a week for 6 weeks to gain an
understanding of the type of waste generated at that time
The waste was weighed and recorded for each ward
Objective: 2 Determine staff awareness of waste management:
A questionnaire was designed to approach the understanding of staff perception and
habits towards waste management. The advantages of this are impersonality and the
fact that more staff could be questioned using this approach.
Rachel then went through some of the results f the questionnaire.
Objective: 3 Investigate Legal Compliance in the storage and transportation of waste
within the hospital:
Rachel showed some photos of the storage areas and transportation modes used. They
indicated that this was a problem area.
Conclusion:
Clinical waste can be reduced by improved waste management.
For full details of the presentation go to www.swwmg.co.uk on the meetings page.
3. Trade Slot: Kings Waste Solutions Ltd. (Keith King)
Keith King introduced the company who kindly sponsored the meeting.
Kings Waste Solutions Ltd. aim is:
 To reduce a companies waste costs
 To look into recycling wherever possible
 To introduce companies to the most competitively priced waste collectors and
recyclers
 To install the correct piece of equipment at the best price
 To offer excellent after sales service to ensure companies are always getting
the best prices from waste collectors and recyclers.
For a free site survey or discuss any waste issues please contact Keith on 01202
820548 or 07779 126556
e-mail: kingswaste@btinternet.com
4. PAS 2050 The Carbon Footprinting Standard (Nigel Carter: En-Venture)
Nigel provided comprehensive information in regard to the specification for the
assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services.
This has been developed in response to the desire for a consistent method for
assessing the life cycle GHG emissions of goods and services that are released as part
of creating, modifying, transporting, storing, using, providing, recycling or disposing
of goods and services.
The standard – called PAS 2050 – is a consistent way of counting the greenhouse gas
emissions embedded in goods and services throughout their entire life cycle - from
sourcing materials through to manufacture, distribution and use and disposal.
The aim of the standard is to help businesses move beyond managing the emissions
their own processes create and to look at the opportunities for reducing emissions in
the design, making and supplying of products. This will then help businesses make
goods r services which are less carbon intensive and ultimately develop new products
with lower carbon footprints.
The Carbon Trust has already piloted PAS 2050 with 75 product ranges across a wide
range of companies including PepsiCo, Boots, Innocent, Tesco, Cadbury, Halifax,
Coca Cola, British Sugar, Sainsbury’s, Morphy Richards and Danone.
For its Botanics shampoo, Boots has redesigned its logistics networks so that products
could be delivered direct to stores, reducing road miles and packaging. This alone has
reduced the carbon footprint of making the shampoo by 10%.
A full copy of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050 can be found at
www.bsigroup.com/pas2050
For full details of the presentation go to www.swwmg.co.uk on the meetings page.
5. Success Story: Lush: Fired Up (Ruth Andrade
Ruth provided details of the new biomass boiler which is in operation at one of the
Lush manufacturing sites in Poole.
Ruth provided information about the boiler which is used to burn wood waste from
the workshop (making furniture for the stores) and pallets from deliveries.
It is a 60kW dual fuel boiler and has a 3,000 litre buffer tank for water. There is an
agitator in the chip store to mix new and old woodchip. One of the main challenges
for the company was ensuring feed to the boiler was dry.
70 tonnes of clean wood waste goes to the boiler from the wood workshop, broken
pallets, fruit crates and coconut shells (the flesh being used for some products). 30
tonnes is diverted from landfill with the boiler producing 60kW of power, 6,0008,000 litres of ht water a day and space heating for 60 sq. metres (so far).
The boiler produces 190,000 kWh per year, saving 52 tonnes of CO2 from energy, 15
tonnes of CO2 from waste and saving £10,464 in waste and energy costs.
The boiler equipment, installation and building works cost £46,000.
Lush took advantage of the Carbon Trust interest free loans. Projects that result in
reduction of carbon emissions are eligible for up to £200,000 to be paid in 5 years
with the savings in running costs. Lush were eligible for £22,000 to be paid in 3 years.
It is easy to get a higher loan if the project is displacing electricity.
Some of the problems with the project included:
 Not usual 2 year pay back time
 Need to make sure there are no additional CO2 emissions created
 Sourcing good quality woodchip is not easy
 Delivery and storage of woodchip must be thought through
 Connecting the existing system to the new plumbing
 Time consuming of the boiler has to be manually fed.
The benefits of the system are:
 Micro-generation, energy security
 Use of renewable resources
 Reduction of carbon emissions
 Reduction in waste sent to landfill
 Great feel good factor
 Savings in waste and energy
Ruth also informed the group that through their work with the Dorset scrapstore they
have been able to provide free membership for all schools in Poole to the scrapstore
for a year.
For further details and information contact:
Ruth Andrade: savetheplanet@lush.co.uk
Lush: www.lush.co.uk
Solar Focus: www.solarfocus.at
Oxford Solar: www.oxfordsolar.com
For full details of the presentation go to www.swwmg.co.uk on the meetings page.
6. ‘All I want for Christmas……’ (Gemma Coles: EDDC, Rob Fish and Pat
Southgate: Routes to Roots)
Gemma provided an overview to the work done by East Dorset District Council in
regard to waste reduction and re-use.
EDDC are involved with the real nappy campaign (to promote the use of real
nappies), supporting the Defra Love Food Hate Waste national campaign and
supporting SMART shopping.
Through the Dorset Reduction and Recycling Group (DRRG) there is also a Re-Use
directory which provides details of local schemes etc.
Gemma then gave some detail son the EDDC Give or Take Days.
People donate items fit for re-use (no electrical items or duvets) and these are then
free for people to take away. All items are weighed on the way out in order to
quantify the amount diverted from landfill.
There are usually many items left over. These are either taken to the Household
Waste Recycling Centre (HRC) or to a charity.
The next Give or Take Day will be held on 24th January 2009 at Sturminster Marshall
village hall from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
Pat Southgate then introduced Routes to Roots, one of the charities who takes some
of the left over items from the Give or Take Days.
Routes to Roots is all the local churches working together to assist in transforming
the lives of homeless people.
The charity provides soup kitchens in Poole 5 nights a week and a drop in session at
2 church halls in Poole on another 2 nights. The charity provides the basic needs for
the homeless people such as food, clothing, blankets etc.
Through the Drug Action Team, the local authority and charity donations an outreach
worker, Rob Fish, has been able to assist further with the charity.
Rob addresses the needs to the homeless visiting the drop in centres and soup
kitchens. He builds up relationships with the homeless to help them establish trust.
Rob also works in liaison with supported housing and mental health.
The homeless are helped to make the transition from the streets, to a hostel and then
perhaps to private accommodation.
Most of the accommodation is unfurnished and items from the Give or take days help
to make these places more of a home. The charity also works with Dorset Reclaim to
assist in the furnishing of accommodation.
For further details look on the website at www.routestoroots.org
7. Yuletide Quiz:
Full details of the quiz (including the answers!!) can be found on the website
www.swwmg.co.uk
Prizes kindly donated by Lush.
8. Date and Venue of next meeting.
Tuesday 24th March 2009 at the Crown Hotel, Blandford