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Robert Wiseman Dairies 
Name: David DouglasRole: Group Environmental Manager Organisation: Robert Wiseman Dairies Left: David Douglas (left) collecting the Vibes Award 
Introduction to your business:Robert Wiseman Dairies procures, produces and delivers liquid milk to customers throughout Great Britain. Operating from seven major processing dairies in Aberdeen, East Kilbride, Glasgow, Manchester, Droitwich Spa, Okehampton and Bridgwater, the Company provides a consistently high quality product, all year round. The Company has a strong and diverse customer base, in both the multiple and independent sector. In recent years, Robert Wiseman Dairies has expanded its business with the multiples so that, now, the Company is a major supplier to many of the sector's leading players. Right: The Wiseman site (filling room), Nr Glasgow Why did your business decide to try and achieve Zero Waste? There are three main reasons for going for zero waste to landfill.
 Above: Baled Materials for Recycling How did you start the journey towards Zero Waste? We linked up with the BEP student placement programme to conduct an eight week waste audit at our Glasgow dairy. The audit mapped the waste stream throughout the process and identified each category of waste. Once we understood the wastes generated, the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme helped us identify alternative routes from landfill. We then introduced more recycling facilities and raised the profile of recycling within the dairy to staff with posters and presentations. An example is the 'trackside' recycling we introduced in the filling hall. At key points where we identified waste was being generated we installed recycling stations. We made it easy to recycle and staff very quickly realised the benefits of this new system. The site has an Environmental Champion and team who took ownership and drove improvements on site and this was a major factor in the success of the pilot project. The site created a special recycling area for the recyclables and put up large clear signs showing where each material is stored for collection. How have you encouraged staff to become more involved in environmental issues? All new staff receive environmental training as part of their induction training. Each site has an Environmental Champion and an Environmental Team as support. The team is made up of volunteers from each of the separate areas on site. Through a suggestions scheme, staff can make improvement suggestions which the team take forward. Regular meetings can also be used as a platform for raising staff awareness as well as on site training and a regular staff newsletter. The newsletter is sent to each employee's home, which allows their families an insight into what the company is doing. A recent composting and 'Love food, hate waste' workshop in Head Office proved very successful in raising staff awareness on food waste. The plan is to hold one at each site and hopefully this will help in reducing food waste generated on each site. What benefits have you got from reducing, reusing and recycling your waste? With landfill tax rising each year there has been huge financial savings in going for zero waste to landfill. We also receive a rebate on some materials which offsets the initial cost of buying them. Most of the waste that previously went to landfill was biodegradable and therefore contributed to global warming. By diverting this waste we are reducing our carbon footprint. By engaging staff in workshops and raising their awareness to the issues of sending waste to landfill we have found the path to zero waste easier. What obstacles have you faced in trying to achieve Zero Waste? The main challenge is finding routes for difficult materials or those where the volumes are low. We found a lack of collection infrastructure to support the collection of these materials. What's been the single biggest challenge and how have you tried to overcome it? The biggest challenge is diverting the last few percent remaining in the landfill bins. We are looking at a number of options which include anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis. We thought removing individual waste bins would be a challenge but on the whole staff supported the idea. Which wastes do you produce and how do you deal with each one? Waste type
HDPE plastic bottles TetraPak carton waste Backing paper from the labels (this is waxed paper) Paper from the offices Cardboard Miscellaneous plastics Metals Wood pallets Disposal route
Baled and recycled Baled and recycled Previously landfilled but now recycled Recycled Recycled Recycled Recycled Reused or recycled 
Residual Wastes are:
What do you have left to do before you reach your Zero Waste goal? Our Manchester dairy is now recycling 99.98% of its waste. The Glasgow site where we started the project is currently recycling 96% of their waste and other dairies are not far behind (the average is 83%). The distribution depots are sending recyclable materials back to the diaries for bulking up and head office is leading an initiative in looking at composting and reducing the food waste. What else have you done to try and improve the environmental impact of your business and staff?
Key to success is to understand the waste streams and get staff involved in the process at the very beginning. By raising awareness, making it easy to recycle and demonstrating the benefits staff will understand why and contribute to its success.  |
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Wallace House, 17-21 Maxwell Place, Stirling, FK8 1JU Tel: 01786 468 789 Fax: 01786 464 611 |
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