Supermarket staff cut landfill waste in half
9:01am Tuesday 15th July 2008
STAFF from the Sainsbury's depot in Basingstoke have proved they have what it takes to become true environmental champions.
Since a drive to improve the environmental credentials of the Retail Service Centre was launched at the end of last year, the amount of waste sent to landfill has been cut in half.
The depot, in Houndmills Road, Basingstoke, now has a full-time environmental champion and a 10-strong committee of environmental representatives, who encourage staff from all departments to embrace the green cause.
As well as dividing lorry-loads of waste for recycling, staff at the depot have cut the amount of pages printed off and are saving a significant amount of toner by printing in draft quality.
The depot is now acting as a lead centre for 23 other Sainsbury's depots across the country to follow.
The possibility of composting more food waste and increasing the number of on-site composters from one to six or seven, is also being looked into.
The depot has already been assessed on its environmental standards and staff were recently informed it had achieved silver in the BSI 14001 accreditation, which is the industry standard for environmental work.
Ian Jones, the depot's environmental champion, said: "As it was our first accreditation, we were hoping for bronze, so it was brilliant to get silver.
"The changes that have been introduced have received a positive reaction from colleagues and everyone has been playing their part.
"We are now looking to increase our links within the community by making contact with schools and colleges interested in recycling and offering site visits or sending staff to go and speak to pupils about recycling.
"We are also looking at the possibility of hosting an industry environmental awareness day to show other businesses what we have achieved."
If you are interested in speaking with Mr Jones, e-mail Envchamp.Basidepot@sainsburys.co.uk