ARAMARK winning BP war on waste

29 August 2012

ARAMARK has helped BP to more than halve the proportion of waste it sends to landfill at its North Sea headquarters in Dyce, Aberdeen.

Delivering tailor-made food and facilities management services at the site, ARAMARK has driven an improvement in resource efficiency, helping BP go from a 27 per cent recycling rate in 2008 to 70 per cent in 2012. Other significant achievements include the diversion of 68 tonnes of food waste from landfill for composting in 2011 and a significant reduction in packaging waste, equating to savings of £32,000.

ARAMARK’s strategy to improve efficiency at BP focused on four core areas: waste prevention, waste segregation, composting, and communication and training. Waste prevention methods included reducing the volume of cardboard in boxes used to transport food, with the outcome being a 20-25 per cent reduction. Furthermore, all cardboard cases are now 100% biodegradable and can be recycled.

The increase in recycling has in part been achieved through the installation of stations throughout the site that have facilitated the segregation of waste. Small bins at desks were also removed to further encourage staff to use the recycling stations while composting caddies were introduced to all coffee areas – an initiative pioneered by ARAMARK’s Housekeeping & Groundcare Manager – to collect tea bags, fruit cores and skins and coffee grounds for composting. The resulting compost is bought back by BP to use on the grounds as a soil fertiliser, completing the circle.

Commenting on the progress made to date, Liz Wilkinson, HSE Adviser, BP North Sea Headquarters, said: “ARAMARK was our first choice partner for our resource efficiency drive. Not only does their approach to sustainability fit very closely with our own corporate sustainability ethics but, as a company, they are renowned for being innovative and leaders in this area. For example, their innovative practices to resource efficiency pre-date the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and we are confident that, together, we will continue to push the boundaries and challenge ourselves to make further improvements to our performance in years to come.”

Willie Rowell, Account Director for BP at ARAMARK, added: “From partnering with suppliers to reduce source packaging, to recycling waste to create raw materials for other purposes, we’re keen to build on the successful results we’ve achieved with BP at Dyce over the past four years.

“While our advanced recycling initiatives mean we’re currently well placed to comply with the 2012 Waste Regulations, we’re now looking to the future to ensure we’re in a position to meet 2013 regulations prohibiting commercial food waste from being sent to landfill. The primary goal is to help BP deliver its ultimate aim of zero waste to landfill at the site.”