Some examples of how The Environment Department has implemented ISO 14001 and FSC environmental management systems, environmental permits, improved environmental performance, regulation & CSR.

Environmental permit

Challenge: A manufacturing site, with a 200 year history that included coal gas manufacture and soil contamination from the use of toxic chemicals, needed to apply for an environmental permit.

Solution: Environment Department Associates interviewed time-served staff, carried out desk research, arranged soil & groundwater testing and produced the Site Report. Following this the Associates worked closely with the Environment Agency PPC team to produce an application for an environmental permit, with supplementary investigations and a decommisioning plan. The site was granted an environmental permit under a light-touch programme of environmental improvements.

ISO 14001 Environmental Management systems

Challenge: A group based in Scotland had taken a policy decision to adopt ISO 14001, but their sole English site couldn't get sufficient support from the Group Environmental Manager (GEM) based in Scotland.

Solution: An Environment Department Associate worked with the GEM, to set up a local ISO 14001 environmental steering group, adapted Group procedures and ISO14001 manuals for the site, established a schedule of internal auditing, carried out staff training and managed the registration with the British Standards Institute.

Water discharge permit

Challenge: A producer of specialist papers discharged its waste water into a trout stream. During the summer the discharge contributed up to half of the river flow downstream of the site. Chemicals used by the paper mill could give very high ammonia levels in the waste water, which contributed to the  growth of algae and sewage fungus in the river.

Solution: A number of steps were taken over a period of two years. New procedures were put in place to minimise the release of chemical waste that would raise the ammonia levels or reduce the effectiveness of the waste water treatment plant and to minise water consumption. All chemical wastes were directed to a buffer tank, where they could be treated and discharged at a controlled rate. Bacteria were identified that would eliminate some of the chemicals that interfered with ammonia reduction and a regime was developed to seed the plant continuously with bacteria for ammonia removal. A water recirculation system was installed at the discharge point, along with simple process control to pump waste water back to the beginning of the process in the event that the discharge consent might be breached. Finally, a unique, load-based consent was negotiated with the Environment Agency to allow a higher ammonia concentration, provided the discharge flow was kept low.

Forest Stewardship Council certification (FSC)

Challenge: DIY retailers demanded that product produced by a second tier supplier should carry FSC certification.

Solution: An Associate obtained the necessary proof of FSC Chain of Custody from raw material suppliers and shippers, worked with production staff to produce an auditable manufacturing procedure and represented the company on certification audits.

Landfill site extension

Challenge: The operator of a small landfill site was rapidly running out of space.

Solution: Associates managed the production of site maps and surveys, wrote new procedures for managing tipping and surface water run-off, produced the application and negotiated with regulators.

Waste minimisation

Challenge: A business urgently needed to reduce operating costs, in response to a softening of their order book.

Solution: An Environment Department Associate carried out an audit of waste streams and developed procedures to reduce waste at source. The remaining waste streams were segregated to reduce the amount going to landfill, maximise income from sale of scrap and to take advantage of waste-to-energy options. Transport costs for landfill were reduced by increasing skip weights and reducing collections. Waste disposal contracts were renegotiated to reduce the unit cost of landfill. Total savings amounted to £75,000 per year.

Packaging Waste Regulations (PRIP)

Challenge: Following the closure of its 4 largest sites and loss of experienced staff, a company's remaining site needed to take responsibility for compliance with the Packaging Waste Regulations.

Solution: An Associate arranged for a student to produce auditable records of raw material packaging, during a summer recess. Following this, the Associate developed low maintenance systems to collect annual data on packaging consumption, along with auditable allowances for export and scrap to minimise the cost of PRNs. The site is now able to produce accurate Returns, with an staff input of only 2 days per year.

Hazardous waste disposal

Challenge: A manufacturer had amassed two lorry loads of chemical waste over a period of years, during which time labels had become illegible and records of the contents of the containers had been lost. The Environment Agency had advised the company that it should not store hazardous waste for a period of more than two years and had instructed that it should be quickly and correctly dealt with.

Solution: Associates sampled and identified as many of the containers as possible in situ, then produced an inventory. A short list of suitable waste disposal contractors was produced, Duty of Care checks carried out and a price negotiated. The contractor sampled and tested containers that remained unidentified. Associates worked with the contractor to make the consignment safe, arrange the paperwork and supervise the shipping. Associates put a control procedure in place once the waste was off site and trained key staff on how to maintain
control.

If you would like to discuss any of the case studies, or for an informal discussion of your individual needs, please contact us.