Waste Recycling

Landfill is still a cheap option, but charges are rising. Since 1995, landfill site charges and landfill tax have increased the disposal cost per tonne to businesses by 300%. In July 2002 the European Union Landfill Directive becomes part of UK Legislation.

It is the most significant single piece of legislation on waste for over twenty-five years and will bring about major challenges to the way waste is handled and landfilled. It will have a major impact on nearly all-waste producers. It requires that certain wastes are banned from landfilling and will have to be pre-treated before ultimate disposal at landfill.

• AXIS participate in a number of schemes, in partnership with regional reprocessing companies, to increase the generation of recyclable materials from customers wastes, arising from the need to conserve and recycle the world's resources wherever possible.
  
  
• Economies of recycling are determined by balancing the equation of the cost of extracting materials from the waste stream and their market value as reclaimed material.
  
  
• AXIS are working in conjunction with one of their major customers, a member of The DIFPAK compliance scheme, to recover and reprocess virgin and contaminated plastic packaging into raw materials for the manufacture of plastic seedling/plant trays for the horticultural industry.
  
  
• Segregation of wastes can and does provide savings e.g. customers with large quantities of wood pallets to dispose of have an additional container on-site, allowing AXIS to transport them for reprocessing to be made into kitchen worktops and laminated board.

What wastes can be recycled?

Waste Minimisation

• With the reduction of waste at source, waste minimisation recognises that it's cheaper not to produce waste in the first place. A scheme to reduce waste generation by the control of material and energy resources is good for business and good for the environment. It is a win-win situation.
  
  
• For waste minimisation to be developed within an organisation there must be a stimulus to prompt the necessary action, the first part of which is a review of waste production. AXIS has the experience to undertake waste audits, which can then be incorporated into a comprehensive site environmental and management audit.

Waste Recovery/Producer Responsibility for Packaging

• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997, implementing the European Community Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste, are intended to minimise packaging waste and encourage recycling/recovery to meet national targets.
  
  
• AXIS supply accredited reprocessors with recovered packaging materials and can obtain Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs) which outline the packaging waste material they have received for recovery or recycling on behalf of an individual obligated company. These can then be used to support their annual certificate of compliance.