• Gas
• Electric
• Water

Lucky for me these are tree areas where i can have a bit of control of what i spend. I set out to cut back in all these areas to see how my usage when down and in turn my spend. My first point of call was:

Gas

I turned my hot water off. So instead of being on all the time i set it to come on 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour at night. This provided the family with enough hot water for showers and washing up.

When cooking with the gas cooker, i tried not to open the oven door as much in order to keep the heat in and not make the cooker work harder. When using pans i used the lids with them to get the food up to the right temperature as soon as possible.

I turned the thermostat down by 2 degrees and also only set the time to come on in the morning and night, while people were in the house.

Electric

Why does every household gadget feel the need to have a clock on it? I know it does not make a massive difference but as Tesco says “every little helps”. I turned off every household appliance that did not need to be on. This list is:

TVs left on stand by

Microwave with a clock display

Oven with a clock display

Mobile charger left turned on

The laptop left charging after battery was full

Pc left on standby

Lights on in rooms with no one in

I turned all these things off. At night now there are only 2 things left turned on, the fridge freezer and the cordless telephone. Everything else including the wireless internet box and the satellite box are turned off at the plugs.

Water

Since we are on a water meter, if we use less we pay less. The first changes were to cut out as many baths and have a shower instead.  Also showers were kept to 4-5 minutes in order not to waste the water. I installed a water saver shower head as we had a very strong power shower. While brushing teeth or having a shave the tap is turned off and is only on when we need to rinse. In with the toilets i put in a flush saver bag in both toilets. I wanted to restrict us more but the family over ruled me on the “yellow mellow” brown flush it down”.

I am happy to say that my project has worked and after we got our next lot of statements we had over paid in all 3 areas.

Yes my objective was to save me money but in turn i helped the planet by using less resources then i was before.

The figure of out of date computer equipment being stored by households and companies is a massive 75%. There is so much equipment being stored that could be used for recycling, not to mention the toxic gases and parts that are in the computer. There are a few good companies who deal with disposing of these products in a safe and environmental way.

Many people have asked what I should do with my old computer. The problem is that people just do not know what to do, they do not know how to recycle or dispose of the out of date computer. The solution seems to be to store them somewhere. There is a large amount of components that can be reused.

Another big way to recycle is paper recycling. It is properly the area of recycling with the most understanding and popularity. Many people may not know that paper recycling can be broken down into 3 further groups:

Mill broke

Pre consumer

Post consumer

These 3 groups are simply explained:

Mill broke – scrap paper from the manufacturing process.

Pre consumer – this is paper that has been discarded before it has got to the consumer.

Post consumer – this is paper that people have discarded after they have used it.

A high percentage of paper can be recycled. In today’s age recycling plants have the ability to recycle the different types of paper. There are many different types of paper in use today to name a few newspapers, magazines, printing paper, birthday cards etc, books and cardboard boxes.

Something that has become more prominent over the last few years is battery recycling. Battery plants do require that the batteries. They look to recycle the parts people would usually think are just waste.

Due to the vast number of different types of batteries namely size and power. The batteries have to be sorted before they are recycled. Many supermarkets such as Tesco or Asda now have battery recycling bins where customers can just drop off their used batteries to be collected at a later date.

The whole point of recycling batteries is that the parts can then be used again by manufacturing companies. This goes a long way to reduce the impact batteries have on the environment.

The government has a strategy called the waste strategy which is set up to increase the use of recycled materials, reduce waste and help lower emissions.

It has now become vital for businesses to use these waste management companies to dispose of their waste. This is due to the waste legislation that is always being updated. This means businesses need to be on the ball in order to abide by this legislation.

These waste companies are able to work around the business needs. They are professional and can set things up as to not impact on the business. Set times for pickups or different pickups on different weeks, depending on the business. They should do this in the most cost effective way they can.

As business will longer need to store their waste for such longer periods of time, they will be able to better use their space. By having good waste management it will cut down on the amount of rubbish taken to landfill sites and in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But also in turn it will reduce the amount landfills will need to be used and so in turn reduce landfill tax business have to pay.

It does not matter what size of company you are, the legislation states that all waste produced should be disposed of in a clean and environmental way. Companies need to recycle as much of their waste as possible. As this legislation is always changing it would be good for companies to do more than the bare minimum, to stop them being caught out in any change. By recycling more it will help the environment as well as the business.

lowering emissions

Increasing the use of recycled materials

Reducing waste

It is massively important for businesses to have a waste disposal plan. This will not only allow the business to help protect the environment but also help reducing the businesses costs.

Many businesses can easily put into place a waste disposal programme. This allows the business to be able to prevent as much waste and whatever waste is produced to be removed.

It becomes very clear to businesses that a good waste disposal programme is a benefit to them. There is an initial cost lay out for energy saving equipment but it does provide better cost effectiveness over the life of the product.  Older equipment is often less efficient and so in turn costs more to run. It is also advised that a regular servicing schedule, which many businesses incorporate into their waste management programme, is in place. This can also help reduce costs.

Every area of business can benefit from having a waste management programme. It allows business to recorded with less problems waste such as cardboard which can be bulky and take up lots of storage space can be taken away on a regular basis by a waste management company.

It can be a massive positive with employees of businesses with a waste management programme. This is because many employees like the idea of working for a company that is ethically minded. It can go a long way to increase employee satisfaction and retention.

The business may benefit in other ways. Local governments often look for opportunities to work and help business that are responsible with their waste management. It also gives the business a good image with regards to public relations.

There are so many benefits to a business from having a waste management programme in place and using it.  By reducing the use of raw materials is a good way to save money and the environment at the same time. Money invested in energy saving equipment and water saving, can help to reduce the businesses tax bills thanks to the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme

There is only going to be more and more waste legislation coming through over the next few years. This shows that a structured waste management programme is vital to any business. It also allows the business to be able to change as the new legislation is brought in

A waste management programme should be included in your businesses overall Environmental Management System (EMS). Companies with a good EMS will enjoy better business relations than those who do not. Many business and government organisations will only deal with companies who already have these policies in place. A company with a proven and well publicised EMS will benefit from an improved image. An awareness of good environmental practice is proven to increase morale among staff who can become proud of the company they work for.

The benefits of a good waste management programme are far greater to a company than the cost to themselves for not implementing good procedures. It is best to reuse where possible, the next option is to recycle or compost, the next best thing is to turn waste to energy. The final option is to use a landfill or incinerator, which is the most costly choice. The costs of using a landfill or incinerator to a company is set to rise as governments introduce more environmental targets. The more well established ones management programme is, the easier it will be to avoid these increases as they come because alternatives will already be in place. The government is also likely to introduce further guidelines and more incentives for better waste management in the future. Reusing is the cheapest and most environmentally friendly method of managing waste. For example, parts and spares can be used from equipment that is no longer used. Companies may even be able to sell on unwanted but valuable waste to other companies.

The implementation of a good waste management programme has much importance for a company. Increased environmental awareness and morale for staff, an improved image and many financial savings and rewards are all reasons to follow good waste management practices. Reducing your company’s carbon footprint will allow it to operate more safely and responsibly and by adhering to current governmental guidelines it will be easier to adapt when new and more stringent policies are introduced.