A report published on 16 March by Defra and the Department for Business (BIS), ‘Less is More: Business Opportunities in Waste and Resource Management’, encourages businesses to take a more creative approach to minimising commercial waste going to landfill.
Announcing the report, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn said, “What’s good for the environment can be good for business. We need to be smarter about reusing and recycling waste, getting the full value from our resources rather than simply dumping it in landfill.”
Launched in 2009, HazValue provides the perfect solution. By connecting producers and handlers of commercial waste through an online procurement system, it helps organisations realise the value in their waste. Marketing their reusable and recyclable materials through HazValue, businesses can generate additional income streams or at least reduce their costs.
The website also helps customers ensure their environmental compliance, by generating and storing a copy of all the relevant paperwork for each transaction online. In addition it allows organisations to generate site-specific or enterprise-wide reports to prove their record of responsible waste management. These figures can be used to support ISO 14001 certification and help to take the greenwash out of corporate social responsibility reporting.
Several companies have already successfully reduced their waste disposal costs by advertising their recyclable and reusable materials through the site. Advertisers can choose their preferred waste handler from those who bid, based on their environmental credentials and location as well as the price they offer.
HazValue’s Managing Director, Paul Rudenko, comments, “Our service promotes and encourages recycling by demonstrating that all commercial waste has value. We provide a conduit for companies to market their recyclable waste, enabling them to achieve the best possible prices.”
One of HazValue’s customers, Carter Sullivan Ltd, a leading supplier of secure power systems, has so far earned 713 for two tonnes of waste UPS batteries sold through the site. Director Maddy Anderson explained, “We were already selling our batteries before we came across HazValue, but they have helped us achieve an average of 89% more revenue.”
She added, “We’ve been extremely pleased with the service. The materials were picked up promptly and we received our payment very quickly. We will be going back to the HazValue site next week to post more materials for sale.”