What a waste!
Where other small businesses are failing to recycle, BaxterStorey is a good example of a business already tackling a range of environmentally aware initiatives.
Taken from the 'Focus on waste Management' article in the Telegraph on the 15th November . . . Poor government communications blamed as many firms ignore new rules, discovers Jamie Oliver writing for the Telegraph.
One third of small businesses in the UK are not recycling any of their waste, according to official research. That's about 1.6m businesses.
A total of 66pc of all businesses surveyed said they had introduced some form of recycling, meaning that 34pc are failing to recycle their business waste - a fundamental requirement of the Landfill Directive amendment that came into force on October 30.
Under the new regulations governing landfill, all businesses in England and Wales will have to pre-treat all waste before sending it to landfill.
Businesses could do this by segregating or sorting waste themselves and recycling, recovering or composting at least part of it, or by appointing a licensed waste contractor to treat it on their behalf.
Many small firms have not heard of the new rules and do not expect to hear from the Government for non-compliance. And although there is a weary acceptance from many that the rules are a necessary evil, for others the new rules are irrelevant because their business is already tackling a range of environmentally aware initiatives.
A good example of that is BaxterStorey. Alastair Storey is half of BaxterStorey, an independent contract caterer based in Reading. The firm caters for 200 blue chip clients across 300 sites, providing the food and staff for dining rooms, staff restaurants or corporate functions.
"As an individual and as a business, the philosophy is that waste is not good," says Storey. "I don't like to see needless waste and it is something we are continually addressing. Of course every company will say that, but there is a real business case for cutting down on waste, not just in terms of being an efficient business, but also because our blue chip clients want to see that we are doing all we can."
And although he concedes that doing the right thing environmentally can increase costs short term, the business case for doing it is strong.
"Take plastic cups. We're now using corn starch-based cups. They take a fraction of the time to biodegrade but yes they are more expensive. Of course over time, if more people make the switch, the prices will come down."
It's not the only effort the business is making. It is attempting to source fresh fruit and vegetables as locally as possible, and it is insisting its suppliers deliver the goods in recyclable containers.
It is also recycling coffee waste by turning it into compost and moving towards a situation when all its cleaning products are organic and biodegradable. Plus its vans are being run on waste oil converted to bio-diesel.
Finally, it is trialling two innovative approaches to managing its food waste. Firstly by working with a London based company that is taking waste and composting it for parks in the capital. Second, it is having preliminary discussions with a third party to take all BaxterStorey's waste, treat then incinerate it, using the resulting fumes to generate electricity for the National Grid.
"I'd say most of our clients are interested in what we're doing," Storey says. "We have regular meetings with them and they always want to know more. Some clients push us hard to excel in terms of waste and environmental procedures but we're happy with that."
Whether or not the size of BaxterStorey means making these sorts of environmental efforts is any easier, Storey is not convinced. "We were a small company seven years ago and now the turnover is £123m. I think if small firms don't make tackling environmental concerns a part of their core business thinking they will ultimately be excluded from contracts as a result, especially in a sector such as catering."