IWFM Publishes Waste Management Guide for Facilities Managers

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26 August 2020

IWFM has published a best practice guide to recycling, waste and resource management.

As businesses face pressure to ensure that their waste practices stand up to scrutiny, the guide instructs facilities managers on how to reduce their impact on the environment, meet legislation and cost-effectively manage waste.

“Waste was once a backdoor operation but is now under wider public scrutiny as a resource with value that must be retained and whose treatment and disposal must have minimal negative effect on the environment and society.” 

–IWFM Document, “Recycling, Waste and Resource Management"

 

Why Waste Management? The Triple Bottom Line

As performance and sustainable success is now judged beyond the financial bottom line, FMs of today must also see waste management as a key business driver, and one that is under public scrutiny.

Obligatory reporting, pressure from climate change activism (the Greta Thunberg effect), desire to appeal to a millennial and Gen Z employee bracket and generating positive brand awareness are all other reasons to become more engaged with waste management.

The Increasing Cost of Waste

The increasing cost of generating waste is also a key factor, as well as CSR elements. According to the Business in the Community: The Circular Office Guide published in 2018, the estimated cost of office waste to UK businesses is £15bn per year. 

Traditionally, the cost of generating waste was seen purely in terms of expenditure on bins, collection services and disposal. These days, the cost of generating waste is more complicated. Factors include increased transport costs and escalating landfill tax costs, but the political landscape also has its part to play. 

Brexit may potentially cause export issues for Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), and this will increase the cost of waste management at the lower end of the waste hierarchy. 

The guide is aligned to IWFM qualifications at levels 2-6 and is available to download here.

Picture: A photograph of a waste paper bin, with some balls of yellow paper inside the bin and next to it

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 26 August 2020

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