4 How <strong>to</strong> Control <strong>the</strong> Risks <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Costs of Waste Management 5 Keeping skips <strong>and</strong> waste containers in good condition L<strong>and</strong>fill tax <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r avoidable <strong>costs</strong> of waste Faulty or damaged skips <strong>and</strong> containers pose a major health <strong>and</strong> safety risk on site. Site operatives should be aware of <strong>how</strong> <strong>to</strong> judge <strong>the</strong> condition of skips <strong>and</strong> containers, <strong>and</strong> <strong>how</strong> <strong>to</strong> identify potentially dangerous faults. For skips, this includes <strong>the</strong> welding on external corners <strong>and</strong> edges, whe<strong>the</strong>r internal welding is required (for extra heavy duty skips), <strong>the</strong> reinforcement of upper edges, <strong>the</strong> design of lifting lugs, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> condition of locking devices on drop-down doors. For waste containers, it includes <strong>the</strong> welding of key elements, reinforcement of high stress areas in extra heavy duty containers, <strong>the</strong> strength <strong>and</strong> design of locks, <strong>the</strong> reinforcement of upper edges, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> strength of door holdback restraints. Containers for hook loaders should have subframes designed <strong>and</strong> built <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> correct industry st<strong>and</strong>ards. While you aren’t legally required <strong>to</strong> examine skips under Lifting Operations <strong>and</strong> Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), you do need <strong>to</strong> ensure <strong>the</strong>y are in good repair under Provision <strong>and</strong> Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). Lifting equipment for skip loaders <strong>and</strong> hook loaders needs <strong>to</strong> be inspected by a competent person once a year under LOLER. Faulty skips <strong>and</strong> containers should be removed from site, whe<strong>the</strong>r for repair or disposal. While <strong>the</strong>re are no m<strong>and</strong>a<strong>to</strong>ry st<strong>and</strong>ards for skips <strong>and</strong> containers, <strong>the</strong> Container H<strong>and</strong>ling Equipment Manufactures Association (CHEM) has developed voluntary industry st<strong>and</strong>ards. The Waste Industry Safety & Health Forum (WISH) has also produced a guide <strong>to</strong> skip <strong>and</strong> container safety, which includes safety checklists <strong>and</strong> a guide <strong>to</strong> relevant legislation <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards. Did you know that waste management <strong>and</strong> disposal can cost <strong>the</strong> equivalent of 30% of pretax profits, <strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong> true cost of waste can be over £1,000 per skip when you fac<strong>to</strong>r in wasted materials <strong>and</strong> labour? And <strong>the</strong> more waste you send <strong>to</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill, <strong>the</strong> more you pay in l<strong>and</strong>fill tax. Don’t just think of waste management as a cost <strong>to</strong> be minimised. Good waste management planning will save you money in <strong>the</strong> long run — for example, it might actually be more cost effective <strong>to</strong> hire extra skips <strong>and</strong> segregate more waste on site, thus sending less <strong>to</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill. Research s<strong>how</strong>s segregating waste on site, ra<strong>the</strong>r than later on, means more gets recycled <strong>and</strong> less gets sent <strong>to</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill because of cross-contamination. Carefully loaded, segregated waste can fill a skip much more efficiently than mixed waste, <strong>to</strong>o — helping you save on skip hire. Ultimately, embedding <strong>the</strong> principles of <strong>the</strong> waste hierarchy in<strong>to</strong> your working practices will lead <strong>to</strong> greater long-term efficiencies <strong>and</strong> savings. And <strong>the</strong> more experienced you become with this approach, <strong>the</strong> more costeffective it will be <strong>to</strong> implement it. Don’t choose your waste management provider based on price alone. Less scrupulous suppliers may undercut competi<strong>to</strong>rs by failing <strong>to</strong> pay for permits, dodging tax, ignoring environmental best practice — or worse — dumping waste illegally. Instead, adopting an open <strong>and</strong> collaborative approach with an expert waste management firm can allow you <strong>to</strong> make <strong>the</strong> most of <strong>the</strong>ir capabilities, yield more savings in <strong>the</strong> long run, <strong>and</strong> enhance your firm’s reputation.