Business Waste Collection & Recycling Solutions by Cawleys

It might not have full city status yet, but there’s no denying that Milton Keynes is a growing powerhouse of the UK. Its central location, grid road system and ample space for development has made it a location of choice for many large business head offices and distribution centres.

Distribution, however, is not the only sector to be attracted to the city, in fact all manner of industries have been keen to make Milton Keynes the home of their head offices. With a huge pool of well-educated ambitions individuals living in and around the area, and a great road and rail network to ferry commuters into the centre of MK, employers find it relatively easy to attract and retain highly talented individuals who enjoy working in the area. This combined with the town being in easy reach of Luton airport ensures that even international businesses find it is a great place to locate their head office.

MK Innovation

It’s not only big businesses that are attracted to MK, companies and organisations of all sizes are attracted by the hub location. Cited in Property Week magazine as one of the five fastest growing cities in the UK.

With figures like this, the facts speak for themselves, however, with buoyant development, inward migration and increasing business levels, there is one by-product that is quite frankly unavoidable – WASTE.

OK, it’s not glamorous, it’s not exciting, but waste and how we deal with it is becoming increasingly important. Interest in recycling, waste management and the options that now exist in terms of seeing waste as a resource are becoming an increasing priority.

Waste Management for Milton Keynes

As a relatively ‘young’ city, ecological issues are of great importance in Milton Keynes. From the numerous electric car points around the city, to the new delivery robots, it’s obvious that individual and commercial MK residents want to do their bit to save the planet. Carbon emissions are a growing concern for all, and although recycling and effective waste management may only be one part of the answer, it is a very important part.

Business waste collection and recycling in Milton Keynes is a hot topic. We all know how much media coverage is given to the plastic ocean, landfill and food waste and this is an area where carefully managed waste collection services can help.

Milton Keynes businesses who select their waste collection partner carefully can increase their recycling rates, divert waste from landfill, cut their carbon foot-print, show their customers and clients that they care, and make a positive difference to the local area and the planet as a whole. Choosing a business waste management company like ourselves, Cawleys, who recoup as much reusable materials from your commercial waste as possible is a great start. At Cawleys our materials recycling facility does just that. We ensure that everything that can be recycled is recovered and recycled.

Materials Recycling Facility



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The segregation solution

What’s more we offer an infinity scheme that will allow your business to go one step further by segregating waste at the point of disposal. This not only makes your waste easier to recycle, it also has the potential to save you money.

Whatever type of business you operate in Milton Keynes, the waste it produces can be recycled. Those in the hospitality sector for example could focus on glassplasticscoffee cups and coffee grounds. Logistic companies could recycle wood pallets and cardboard, whilst manufacturing organisations could focus on WEEE and metal waste.

So, what steps should you take to ensure your take a sustainable approach to your commercial waste in Milton Keynes?

Start with a waste audit

Small to medium size businesses often don’t have the luxury of a dedicated facilities manager and, in many cases, those who run the business will find that waste management falls within their remit.

Can you cut cost on waste?

As a necessary and vital consideration, waste management is one area that can make a difference to your business’s bottom line, and its ethical reputation. As such, it’s worth taking a little time out to consider your current waste arrangements to see where you can save money and become more environmentally friendly.

Time to audit?

Many waste management organisations, including Cawleys, will do this for you. However, if you’d like to conduct your own waste audit follow this excellent guide on how to; How To Conduct A Waste Audit.

If all this sounds daunting contact Cawleys who will arrange to come into your business for FREE and assess if you can save money on your waste management arrangements.

Once your commercial waste audit is complete the next steps is to investigate a solution. There are numerous commercial waste contractors in Milton Keynes but choose wisely. From un-reliable vehicles and unsavoury practices, to extortionate prices, some providers will do the bear minimum and be happy to take your money with little positive impact on your green credentials.

Look for a local partner rather than just a provider, a company that will work with you to maximise recycling rates will also help you save money. The type of collection that you chose will be heavily reliant on the frequency and type of waste your organisation produces.

Generally, the main rule of thumb is that including EVERYTHING in general black bag waste is expensive, wasteful and harmful to the environment. Instead it makes sense to segregate!

Segregated business waste collections in Milton Keynes are generally cheaper than general waste, and segregating waste in this manner means that it becomes a resource rather than a waste item. Material streams that are separated are generally kept much cleaner, less contaminated and are therefore easier to recycle to into 2nd life items. As such, separated waste streams that are highly suitable for recycling become a commodity and this saving can be passed onto you, the client, in the form of reduced Milton Keynes waste collection prices.

Conversely, mixed up soiled waste takes far more effort to segregate and is likely to too wet or dirty to be recycled to its full potential.

It is obvious therefore, that segregation is key, however it is important to fully understand what recycling rates your organisation can legitimately achieve. There is no point opting for a segregated food collection if your business isn’t in the catering sector and has no on-site canteen – you simply won’t generate enough of that waste stream.

Instead, consider the items that feature most frequently in your waste. Milton Keynes based hotels, restaurants and pubs for example, are likely to have a significant volume of wine and beer bottles in their waste, as well as catering facilities onsite, and may therefore benefit greatly by opting for a glass and food waste recycling collection. Distribution or packaging business on the other hand, might save money by organising a segregated card and paper collection. They key point is that not all businesses are the same, and it is vital to evaluate the potential resources your waste could contribute to the planet.

So, where does all this segregated waste end up?

Last year the Environment Agency outline major steps to stop the illegal exportation of waste under the guise of recycling.

With greater scrutiny on where UK waste and recycling ends up, the agency has stepped up its actions to address the problem which were outlined in a three-page document on 22nd July 2019. Changes include a single national team becoming responsible for producers and waste shipments. Commenting on the changes, the agency said making this change “means that officers are able to focus solely on this work, with associated improvements in levels of expertise and resilience, flexibility to target our resources nationally where there is highest risk”.

In addition, the ‘Producer Responsibility Investigation’ team which were established in 2018, is continuing its focused investigations around materials recovery facilities, international waste shipment offences, separate collections and producer responsibilities.

With the media spotlight increasing on global warming and the role that waste plays in contributing to the destruction of our planet, the question of what happens to recycling once it has been collected and sorted is become increasingly prevalent. As such, it is more important than ever for those providing commercial waste collections in Milton Keynes and beyond to work closely with their clients and remain committed to providing real transparency around their processes and onward waste partners.

When organising a business waste collection in Milton Keynes, price will obviously be a key consideration, but this should never be at the expense of professionalism and ethical responsibility. Working with a waste company that does not adhere to ethical practices could cost your business it’s reputation and much more.

The internet has allowed for increased transparency across business processes and customers are far more likely to vote with their feet if they discover that a business or organisation is behaving in an unethical fashion. What’s more, in today’s online environment word spreads fast and the damage that can be caused by choosing the wrong business partner can be catastrophic for your business’s bottom line.

This extends to waste. Waste reduction, reuse and recycling are all top of the agenda when it comes to an organisation’s green credentials. Producing products that are full recyclable, easy to segregate and processed efficiently to contribute to the circular economy at the end of their lifespan is very important to consumers. Similarly, employees want to work for companies that are serious about reducing waste and increasing more sustainable recycling practices.

At Cawleys we make it our business to ensure all avenues for our waste disposal are as ethical as possible and make sure that the waste we collect and segregate is put to good use. For example, we work closely with bio-bean to ensure all coffee grounds waste is utilised to maximum effect and transformed into coffee logs. Similarly, we ensure all suitable drinks cups are directed to one of two specialist facilities in the North of England where the lining is separated from the paper elements to ensure they are recycled effectively. For more general materials we have a robust audit trail in place with all of our waste partners.

Ultimately, holding waste companies and their partners to account is an extremely good thing. Transparency is key and if your waste provider cannot assure you that your recycling efforts are going to good use, it’s time you re-considered your waste collection provider.

So, once you’ve uplifted your recycling rates, what next?

Raise your recycling profile

The possibilities for recycling are far reaching and could save you cash, but that’s only part of the story. Organising sustainable waste collection in Milton Keynes is the start, but then the best trick is to tell your customers about it and improve your brand value and even your sales.

Using your website, press releases and social media are all simple and effective ways to communicate with your customers. All of these methods can get the message out that your company cares about the environment and uses a waste company that is committed to the circular economy.

Cawleys are always happy to be included in any social media posts that supports our clients’ eco-friendly messaging. Other companies such as bio-bean provide free accreditation stickers allowing cafes and coffee shops to advertise their sustainability credentials in their shop windows.

If you would like some help or advise on how to raise your business’s recycling profile, or you’d like to find out more about sustainable waste collection contact us today.

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