The Mail Centre site
at Mallusk is one of Royal Mail's pilot sites in the UK where it is progressing
towards World Class operating standards.
One of the key pillars
of this activity is its Environmental management systems.
One example of progress in this area is its waste management at the site where it has increased recycling rates from 16% in March 2010 to 85% in September 2011. It has a target of zero waste to landfill.
Working in conjunction
with its waste contractor BIFFA it
initially introduced a dry mix recycling stream.
It has since achieved
further progress by using the 5Rs - REDUCE, RECYCLE, RECOVER, REUSE and REJECT and further advantage in cost
reduction by use of 6th R - REBATE.
Various projects were
initiated under each of the headings
eg projects organised to collect
and reuse elastic bands and container labels thus reducing our volume of waste.
It introduced further
waste streams when it identified markets for its waste and it now receives
rebates for cardboard, paper, metal and plastic.
In the last year its has seen our overall waste level drop by 10%
and with the rebates now received it has cut its waste costs by 50%.
The improvements being made at this site are now being passed on and
expanded to all operational sites in Northern Ireland
The main target for
the next year is to
have zero waste going to landfill, be completely cost neutral and have the overall volume of waste
reduced by a further 10%.
