SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING
Northern Rock maintains the commitment to reuse, recycle and wherever possible reduce its waste streams and a proactive, imaginative approach is adopted to assist the Company in managing this activity.
Almost 9 years ago, at the inception of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, Biffaward commenced funding a number of studies looking at resource flows/mass balance in the UK economy. In the intervening period - until the funding rules were amended in 2004 - almost 50 projects emerged from this stable, analysing the flow of physical resources through the UK economy in a geographic, industry sector and material stream series of dimensions.
The Company's involvement as part of the Steering Group to establish the Environmental Footprint of the Financial Sector was finalised during 2003. The project co-funded by Biffaward, as part of their strategic approach to Landfill tax funding, was part of a wider initiative known as "Mass Balance UK" which aimed to map resource flows in a number of sectors in order to help understand where materials are entering the sectors, how they are utilised and how they are finally disposed of.
The project was managed and delivered by Wastebusters Consultancy, and was co-ordinated by KPMG with the support of other major financial sector institutions. Wastebusters Consultancy are the leading UK environmental consultancy who specialise in auditing the service sector and are frequently referred to as "The Green Office Experts." The project examined resource use of the day-day service provision activities of the financial sector. In accordance with this only sites representing some of the service provision activities in the following sectors were chosen: insurance, accounting, investment, banking and building societies.
Information from each site gathered during and after the auditing process is being extrapolated to form a sectoral report and will included in the UK Mass Balance Database.
The full final report "Rethinking Waste Management to Reap Rewards -
minimising waste for business benefits" can be obtained on:
Waste Watch
Biffaward has now produced a report to collate all of the mass balance projects. This report was launched at the House of Commons on 28 February 2005.
Significant efforts are made to produce a quality system to record our main waste streams.
Waste Minimisation ReviewIn 2000, the Company commissioned external environmental management consultants SEQM to conduct an internal report on waste minimisation. The report has set the foundation for waste reduction and greater resource efficiency by examining the paper-based inputs and outputs of each process and the interaction between processes. A total of 54 waste minimisation findings were raised and a number of common themes emerged.
The report has allowed reviews to be conducted and specific initiatives to be identified to take forward over the medium and longer term. This includes the assistance of Information Technology department to review the potential of existing software systems or those under development to minimise the Company's use of paper for printing.
Withdrawal of Pre-printed Letterhead PaperPre-printed letterheads have been withdrawn from all distribution network sites and this was followed during 2004 in Head Office sites. Software amendments to the print programme have abolished the need to hold substantial stocks of pre-printed letterheads, which reduces waste when offices re-locate, or address details alter.
Computer Based Internal PhonebooksA PC based internal telephone book is available to all staff with PC's. Printed copies of internal phone books are now produced on a needs-basis only in a double-sided format.
Reduction of PrintoutsThe Computer Operations Department has reduced the volume of paper and energy used in the production of essential printouts. Wherever possible, printouts are produced on double-sided A4 paper, with the option to produce 8 sheets on one A4 double-sided sheet where appropriate
Revison to Working Practices and SystemsThe Company can now store and view data on line that previously required our Computer Operations Department to microfiche e.g. copy letters to customers.
The use of specialist outsourcing facilities for some of our bulk printing projects which were previously produced by Computer Operations Department has reduced the level of paper end wastes.
The success of the paper minimisation project can be demonstrated by the reduction in monthly paper use by Computer Operations from 1.2 million sheets (peaking at 1.6 million sheets in November 2003), to the current level of 800,000 sheets per month despite the growth in business over this period.
Reduction of Computer TapesRevisions to software have reduced the volume of tapes required for computer back ups by 70%.
Where it has not been possible to reduce the quantities of waste, the Company has, wherever possible reused or recycled materials.
Waste recycling is conducted in Head Office sites. Can and plastic bottle banks are available for staff use and all paper waste at Gosforth and Sunderland Head Office sites is recycled.
Security waste streams including paper, pamphlet and card are segregated by staff and collected by a specialist recycling company.
All remote site security waste is recycled.
Mobile PhonesMobile phone batteries, reaching the end of their useful life and old handsets are returned to Orange for recycling/secure disposal
IT EquipmentAll PC's and printers and other IT products are subject to contractual agreements and returned to the supplier at the end of life.
Implementation of the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (the WEEE Directive)During 2005 Northern Rock arranged special waste electrical disposal facilities via Matrix Direct Recycling to ensure compliance with the above Directive.
The DTI announced in December 2005 that the Energy Minister had instigated an immediate review of proposals for implementing the WEEE directive in the UK. This decision reflected the continuing concerns expressed by businesses and stakeholders. It also reflected the Government's commitment to implementing the Directive in the UK in a way that maximises the environmental benefits associated with the Directive and minimising the costs to business.
As all necessary audits and procedures had been effected by Northern Rock, to allow the negotiated contact to proceed, Northern Rock has taken the decision to ensure that waste electrical recycling will continue until further information arising from the consultation is released by DTI in Spring 2006.
Corporate Uniform Replacement ProgrammeNorthern Rock continues to donate replaced corporate uniforms for distribution to refugees and Internationally Displaced Persons (IDP's) in Serbia. This is co-ordinated with the help of Blythswood Care to assist in sorting, transportation and co-ordination of the project. The Ecumenical Humanitarian Organisation distributed the uniforms in Serbia.
Surplus FurnitureDuring the year, Northern Rock has continued to donate our surplus and obsolete furniture to community projects.
From 2005 all furniture donations to the community have been recorded, goods to the second hand sales value of £3294 have been donated to various causes, however, mainly Newcastle Education Business Partnership.
An effective, verifiable system for waste measurement has been established, we will continue, where practicable, to measure and report the main waste streams in the Company. Using 2000 as a base year, this will be summarised (as in energy) as total output/recycled figures against staff levels and managed assets on a year on year basis.
Aluminium can recycling at our head office site was 61. During 2005, 865 kg of cans were recycled and the sale of the aluminium cans has generated an income of £314.13 which has been matched by the Northern Rock Foundation. A donation of £628.26 has been made to St Oswald's Hospice Appeal. St Oswald's Hospice is adjacent to our Gosforth Head Office site and our staff and stakeholders closely identify with the Appeal.
ARAMARK, in conjunction with Northern Rock have ensured that, as part of our extended Head Office operations all staff will have access, if required to varied catering facilities on site - increasing the potential for work-life balance for our employees.
Measurement of catering waste from the outsourced catering provider Aramark continued during 2005. Following meetings with ARAMARK in 2004, packaging and delivery systems will be reviewed and the Company will promote further recycling initiatives jointly with ARAMARK.
Plastic bottle recycling was introduced into all Head Office sites in 2005, minimising the amount of waste despatched to landfill. This resulted in a total of 2.193 tonnes of plastic bottles being recycled during the year and a 26% recycling rate.
Head Office plastic cup recycling undertaken via the Save a Cup scheme has continued and during 2005 53% of cups were recycled - a total of 7.068 tonnes.
During 2005 a trial to recycle waxed paper cups has been introduced at Head Office and will continue during 2006 to assess feasibility for expanding to the whole Head Office network.
Internal awareness on recycling issues are promoted internally during the year via a number of mechanisms including; regular articles in the staff weekly newsletter, discussions in each quarterly Green Representative meeting and presentations to staff. Head Office plastic cup recycling undertaken via the Save a Cup scheme has continued and during 2005 53% of cups were recycled - a total of 7.068 tonnes.
A full review of trade waste collection was undertaken during 2002. Representative branch wastes were sampled and measured, the data then extrapolated over Northern Rock's network portfolio.
Using the extrapolated data as a benchmark calculation, during 2004 the Company produced revealed that 186.71 tonnes of trade waste are produced from the Company's remote sites. This is equivalent to 109.38kg of trade waste per employee in the remote site network. Due to the scale of the exercise and the stability of the staff/waste streams in our remote sites, we have retained this figure for our future remote site trade waste measurement.
The waste compactor sourced from Capital Compactors in 2002, for the Gosforth Head Office site, continues to provide efficient trade waste collection and disposal facilities. All trade waste on this contract is accurately weighed on each collection.
At the Sunderland Head Office site, the quantification of trade waste is normally undertaken on a quarterly basis and extrapolated over a 52 week period.
Total trade waste per member of staff equates to 0.055 tonnes.
All security waste contracts tendered include provisions that all security waste is recycled. All contractors are fully checked via The Environment Agency for current waste transportation and waste management licenses. Northern Rock reviews all corporate end wastes on a regular basis and currently only corporate trade waste and special hazardous wastes are not directly recycled, being submitted to local authority and licensed special waste disposal contractors.
There has been a 57.73% decrease in the volume of security waste in remote/archival sites during 2005, which is directly attributable to a decrease in the destruction of archived records disposed of by the Company during the year. Overall, the Company has sought to minimise and control levels of security waste.
All Head Office paper, pamphlet and cardboard waste are weighed when necessary from individual departments in key areas during key project reviews. Each department's Green Representative has worked with staff and management to achieve control and where possible, reductions and control in the total wastes produced.
The table above shows a summary of the above wastes, benchmarked against total staff levels. Total specified wastes per employee is 0.14 tonnes a reduction from 0.18 tonnes in 2004 (22%).
The sale of card/pamphlets produced an income of £427 to the Company during 2005.
The level of Head Office paper, pamphlet and cardboard waste outputs increased by 34% against managed asset increase of 25%, against the data held for 2004. This figure exceeded target for the Company which was a 5% reduction in wastes against managed assets (20% increase).
Based on the above data Northern Rock waste statistics 2005 are:
| Total wastes recycled - Head Office | 63% |
| Total wastes recycled remote sites | 48% |
| Total recycling rate of end wastes | 60% |
| Total waste per employee | 0.13 TONNES |
| Amount of recycling per employee | 0.08 TONNES |
| Non recycled waste per employee | 0.05 TONNES |
| Overall waste produced decreased | 12% |
| Plastic bottle recycling | 71% |
| Plastic cup recycling | 26% |
| Aluminium can recycling | 53% |