Recycling Delivers the Difference at Donaldson

A bespoke waste management and recycling solution, designed by ACM Waste Management Plc, has delivered significant improvements to environmental performance, health and safety and operational efficiency at Donaldson, Hull.

The company, a global leader in filtration technology, previously sent most of its waste to landfill but now almost 85% is recycled with an ambitious objective of achieving a 95% recycling level already in place.

ACM has installed a range of waste management and recycling equipment as well as helping Donaldson with the design and layout of a specific area of the yard, which is set aside for this purpose. Waste Management Consultant, Dave Webster, said: “For Donaldson it was important that the solution we provided could help them fulfil a number of key objectives.

“It is about much more than just disposing of waste. Donaldson as an organisation is very committed to environmental issues as well as excellent health and safety, thus creating a clean, efficient and pleasant workplace for its employees.

“We have worked very closely with the Donaldson team over a number of months to ensure that the system is fully operational and working properly and we are delighted with the results.”

Equipment currently in use at Donaldson includes a fully automatic baler, a mill size baler, roll packer, crusher and a series of colour coded bins to allow segregation of waste within the factory. Cardboard, polythene, filter media paper, wood, hard plastics, reject filter elements and metals are all now being recycled. ACM has also arranged collection of all items which come under the WEEE Directive and also hazardous waste collections.

Ian Metcalfe, Donaldson's QSE Manager, commented: “The difference that the new waste management solution has made has been tremendous. In the past, the bulk of our waste went to landfill but now we are confident of achieving our target of 95% recycling. The waste management programme fully complemented our ISO-certified quality, environmental and H&S systems.”

The ACM complete waste management and recycling solution has also delivered significant cost savings, which are expected to increase year on year and dramatically reduce CO2 emissions associated with vehicle movements for waste collection

Marc Deschilder, Donaldson's Plant Manager, added: “This is a very important step forward for Donaldson, because it is what we are all about. Protecting the environment and continually improving the health and safety situation in our operations are part of the core aspects of our business so managing our waste efficiently goes along way to helping us achieve excellence in these areas.

“For example, in the area of health and safety, we are looking to achieve zero accidents and the reduced waste collections and associated vehicle movements have made our Hull site a much safer workplace.”

For more information about ACM Waste Management Plc call: 0844 884 4191, email green@acmplc.com or visit www.acmplc.com.