Greenstar UK wins ITV waste and recycling contract

Jack Cunningham, head of group corporate responsibility and environment at ITV said: “ITV has very publicly committed to develop and implement measurable corporate responsibility initiatives as part of its business goals.

He added: “A centrally-procured waste management service is one vital element of our strategy, and we found that Greenstar's business and service philosophy mirrored our objectives.”

Previously ITV has used a variety of waste contractors across the UK and had 43 waste contracts with 35 waste management companies. The company worked with management consultancy firm PIPC to identify the main problems with the system it was using and assess the best way to streamline its waste management service.

PIPC worked with ITV to identify how to improve the broadcaster's waste management performance whilst also meeting the business needs of the commercial managers at the TV station.

It is estimated that ITV produces 1700 tonnes of waste each year from each of its stations and before the contract was awarded it recycled 25% of waste.

Simon Pringle, head of sustainable business practice at PIPC, said: “The way in which ITV has grown as a business has led to a complex and diverse set of waste management arrangements. This offered the opportunity to redesign the process as the first step in meeting ITV's goals in environmental and corporate responsibility.”

Contract 

Greenstar began its contract with the ITV on September 1 this year and believes it can raise the company's recycling rate and reduce operating costs. Greenstar claims its services could save ITV as much as 15%.

National business development manager for Greenstar, Stephen Holmes, commented, that Greenstar's committment to collecting and treated commingled waste had a lot to do with ITV awarding it the contract.

He said: “A single commingling container or bin for collecting dry recyclables saves on valuable floor space, is much easier to use, enables more to be loaded on collection vehicles, reduces vehicle movements and their impact and can lift recycling volumes by up to 45%.

“All those factors are important to ITV's CSR commitment and achieving its waste reduction goals, and Greenstar has the necessary experience, flexibility and focus to deliver,” he added.

Greenstar UK currently manages around 270,000 tonnes of waste each year at 40 facilities. It is forecasting a revenue of £141 million for 2008.