Decorative coatings manufacturer Crown Paints has announced it now recycles 100% of waste from its main sites in Darwen and Hull, sending no waste to landfill from these sites.
The company has spent three years boosting recycling rates at its manufacturing hubs and Crown Decorating Centres in the north of England. Since 2008, Crown Paints has encouraged its employees to reuse or recycle as much waste as possible.
The overall recycling rate stood at 90% earlier this year. The company has worked closely with its recycling contractor to pre-treat and segregate the remaining amount, which is composted or dealt with using special technology including anaerobic digestion and cleaning. As a result, Crown Paints’ main manufacturing sites now recycle all waste, as do 67 Crown Decorating Centres in the northern network.
Mark Lloyd, Crown Paints’ sustainability manager, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the company and I am proud of all our staff for being so enthusiastic in helping us to become a greener manufacturer. We set off on our journey to send no waste to landfill in 2008 and it has always enjoyed the full support of our senior management team. We think it is important to strive to be a sustainable business. This achievement demonstrates that we practice what we preach.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) can fine companies under rules designed to help the UK meet the EU Landfill Directive. The UK is obliged to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill sites based on 1995 figures. The current aim is to reduce the amount to 50% in 2013 and to 35% by 2020. Defra changed the definition of municipal waste to include types of commercial and industrial waste earlier this year.
Crown Paints’ mixing systems plant in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, is also now recycling 100% of its waste. The remaining Crown Decorating Centres are also targeting to meet this figure before the end of 2011.
Crown Paints hopes to cut the amount of greenhouse gas emissions at its sites. The company is targeting a reduction of 10% by 2015 and a further 15% by 2020. The company is also pushing for a 10% reduction on their 2008 levels of energy use by 2012.
The company produces the paint and woodcare brands – Crown, Sandtex, Permoglaze, Macpherson, Sadolin and Berger.
Tom Moore
