Effectiveness of waste minimisation projects in reducing water demand by UK industry

There is growing interest in managing water demand in the UK. A series of waste minimization clubs have been set up within the country and this paper identifies the effectiveness of these clubs in reducing the demand for water within industry. Membership of these clubs is voluntary and the only incentive for industry to reduce water consumption, and consequently the production of effluent, is the almost immediate financial saving made by the company, often achieved by accounting for the water consumption and loss within site from the point of input from the water supplier to output in the form of effluent. On average, companies are able to reduce water consumption by up to 30 percent. If the entire industrial sector within the UK were to achieve this degree of savings, it is possible that approximately 1300Ml/d could be saved

Waste minimisation clubs: a cost-efficient policy instrument?

The total amount of solid waste generated in Europe is estimated to grow by 10% every year and there is increased concern over the associated environmental impacts. As a result, the minimization of waste at source in business and industry is a top priority in the European Community's waste strategy. In the UK, regional Waste Minimisation Clubs (WMCs) have been established to promote sustainable waste management in business and industry. The company clusters taking part in these clubs have reported financial savings combined with reductions in environmental impact. These results are disseminated to encourage further savings by the UK industry. This paper examines the savings as well as the costs involved in ten WMCs. It finds that there is a lack of standardization in the reporting of WMC results. This makes it difficult to evaluate the influence of WMCs, whilst also having an adverse effect on the credibility of waste minimization in business. Despite these problems, the paper finds that there is still strong evidence to suggest that these ten WMCs have been efficient in stimulating cost savings by industry, with an average rate of return on investment of 170%. It also finds that the financial benefits for companies are key outcomes of WMCs and that these benefits significantly exceed the estimated social benefits of the reduced environmental burden

Sustainable textile production: a case study from a woven fabric manufacturing mill in Turkey

The aim of this research was to investigate the applicability of different sustainable production measures and demonstrate environmental and economical benefits in a woven fabric manufacturing mill in Bursa, Turkey. As a result of an Environmental Performance Evaluation (EPE) evaluation, five sustainable production applications were proposed and implemented to decrease water consumption, wastewater generation, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and salt (NaCl) consumption in the company. As a result, the total water consumption of the company was decreased 40.2% while wastewater generation was reduced by 43.4%. Total energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions of the company were decreased 17.1 and 13.5%, respectively. While total salt (NaCl) consumption was decreased by 46.0%. The payback period was calculated as approximately 1.5 months. This study can be regarded as a successful example of adoption of "Communiqu of Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control in Textile Sector" with tangible economical and environmental achievements in the Turkish textile industry. The results of the study show that the wide-spread uptake of proposed sustainable production measures would generate a tremendous change in the Turkish textile industry without a need for heavy investments in technology. Moreover the economic returns would help Turkish textile industry to sustain its competitive position in the global textile market which faces a pressing challenge of low cost, high quality and environmentally benign production

Minimizing and adding value to seafood processing wastes

This study investigated waste minimization and recycling opportunities in a seafood processing industry. An environmental performance evaluation was done to benchmark performance of the company with published data including Best Available Techniques (BATs) determined by The European IPPC Bureau (EIPPCB). Four broad objectives were set improving the resource efficiency and adding value to solid wastes/by-products. 18 different techniques/measures for reducing waste and adding value to the by-product were identified. Three of the techniques/measures were selected and implemented within the company. Specific water consumption decreased 65% and 77% in anchovy thawing and gutting processes, respectively. Because anchovy is the major product of the company, total water saving was 45.0%. Annual total water saving was estimated to be 29,002 m(3). The water recycling system introduced in the gutting process enabled t production of valuable fish oil/grease by-product. Payback period for the implementations was estimated to be 1.6 years. This study demonstrated that environmental and economic benefits can be obtained in the Turkish seafood industry. (C) 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

County waste minimization programmes: a case study from Northamptonshire, UK

The UK Sustainable Development Strategy requires that society strive to make prudent use of natural resources so as to protect the environment and maintain high and stable levels of economic growth and employment. The Waste Strategy for England and Wales emphasizes the need to reduce the amount of waste produced through the adoption of waste minimization methodology. Waste minimization clubs have been a key element in the UK programme to introduce more sustainable practice into industry and commerce. Northamptonshire, a county in the East Midlands of England, has benefited from 14 waste minimization|resource efficiency projects, within a county programme, that have run between 1998 and 2001. This is the largest number in any county in England. This has been possible because of the formation of a large and inclusive partnership that contains all the key local and regional players. Performance indicators have been developed to direct the county programme as it strives to introduce more sustainable waste management practice. The Northamptonshire model has led to a catalysed uptake of sustainable waste management practice and has resulted in greatly improved competitiveness in some 270 companies, thereby contributing to the maintenance of stable levels of economic activity. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment