Waste Management

Reducing waste is a big challenge in the newspaper and magazine industry. We want to make real changes and introduce better practices that will benefit the industry as a whole.

Increased recycling rate of non-trade waste to 50% and on track to increase to over 80% by year three

Reduced amount of waste going into landfill by 50%

In 2008 we were the first news wholesaler to trial and implement innovative recycling procedures using ‘walking floor’ containers and we did a full review of our recycling providers.

The programme achieved the following remarkable results:

Increased recycling rate of non-trade waste to 50% and on track to increase to over 80% by year three
Reduced amount of waste going into landfill by 50%
Reduced mileage for transporting waste.
Reduced CO ₂emissions

Walking floors

These are special containers with moving floors. Once the container begins to fill up, sensors tell the walking floor to move the waste paper along. They can carry 26 tonnes of product; three times more than a traditional waste skip.

The new containers reduce road mileage and remove the need for forklift trucks. We developed this unique waste management system in partnership with Kent-based SCA Recycling. The system was trialled at our Plymouth depot in 2007 and then went live in 2008 in Plymouth and at our new state-of-the-art distribution centre in Newport.