Sustainable business

Medway City Estate is a great example of how businesses can work together to recycle

Medway Council’s project on Medway City Estate is promoting recycling for small businesses on this business park near Strood. The project has attracted South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) funding to begin a detailed survey of 600 businesses to establish the viability of commercial recycling. From the initial surveys, it was clear that few companies on the estate were recycling because of the lack of accessible facilities. This is being investigated as a part of the project.

Medway Council is committed to recycling and working in partnership with:

• Virador Waste Management,
• ReMADe Kent and Medway,
• the Federation of Small Businesses.

The partnership is showing that commercial recycling can be economically viable and working together and as an estate can be mutually beneficial, both environmentally and financially. The project has run a number of successful workshops on the estate, with the support of IPS International and Kent Sustainable Business Partnership, to encourage companies to recycle and to consider the potential financial gains from managing waste and resources more efficiently.

The financial savings are beneficial to a small company. It could save £12,000 on waste management, water and energy costs every year through managing resources more efficiently. Waste disposed through landfill now attracts large government penalties, so it is important for all businesses to explore the alternatives.

Working together could lead to massive savings and environmental benefits. Success depends on the volume of redirected items that can be recycled and there has been strong support from businesses on the estate and Medway Council hopes to increase collections. The partners will look for cost effective and environmentally friendly recycling solutions and help companies on the estate to meet their environmental obligations.

For more information about businesses recycling and to be sent a business resource efficiency pack, please contact the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) co-ordinator.

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