On-site Resource Efficiency Audit, UK

Prym Whitecroft is a long established manufacturer of stationery items such as paper clips and drawing pins.

The Operations Director asked Abricon to conduct an initial half-day on-site visit to identify resource saving opportunities.

Following a brief discussion about the MBOs future plans, a site tour was conducted. Abricon quickly identified that waste was an area where large savings could be made, both in further segregation of scrap metals and recycling of cardboard and polythene.

Backed up with market data, we recommended that the copper, stainless steel and aluminium should be kept out of the mixed metals skip and sold separately. In just six months, this amounted to an extra £24,000 of profit.

Abricon further recommended the purchase of a bailer to produce industry standard sized bails of both cardboard and polythene. These bails are now sold and provide an income stream, rather than adding to waste costs. An additional, unforeseen benefit was to the site security. A substantial reduction in the number of general waste skips on the premises, from 14 down to just 2, allowed them to be moved to a location out of site from the public road. This greatly reduced the amount of fly-tipping taking place overnight.

Based on the success of our recommendations, Abricon was further invited to investigate a potential contaminated land issue and recommend the best course of action for testing the site effluent. To date, a worst case scenario had always been assumed, and all site effluent had undergone expensive treatment to ensure quality standards. Under Abricon’s guidance, a new testing system was implemented where only effluent requiring treatment was processed.

In conclusion, the Operations Manager stated that ‘Abricon have proven again and again that the help and advice they have given us has both saved us money and benefited the environment’.