DISPOSAL
“Some standards take an all-or-nothing
approach, which won’t work for companies
trying to show progress year over year
toward a goal of zero waste”
Inna Kitaychik
body. Considerations include the
credibility that the certification will give,
the extent to which the framework will
support efforts to reduce waste, and the
costs involved in both certification fees
and waste reduction measures. Some
businesses will be primarily focused on
driving down process costs, providing a
direct payback for investment in waste
reduction. Others will be more concerned
with how increased credibility will enable
the generation of new business.
For an organisation to obtain zerowaste
to-landfill certification, it must
ensure that waste management activities
have been audited, and document the
waste management process. Simply
gaining an assurance from a waste
contractor that the waste is not being
dumped in landfill is not sufficient.
Typically, a certifying third party will carry
out an independent audit and review the
documentation.
Kitaychik advises: “Companies
should choose standards that help them
communicate their current achievements
and future goals within the framework
of the standard. A good standard not
only sets requirements for achieving
a sustainability goal, but also lays out
the management, internal review,
and training requirements to ensure
companies develop a process to hold
themselves accountable to the goal year
over year. This is particularly important
for zero waste standards, as achieving
zero-waste-from-landfill is an iterative
process requiring data collection and
analysis, relationship management, and
real leadership to make the structural and
material management changes needed.
“Some standards take an all-ornothing
approach, which won’t work
for companies trying to show progress
year over year toward a goal of zero
waste. The SCS Zero Waste Standard
addresses this by allowing participation
starting at 50% diversion. Every year the
certified company can show the increase
in the percent of diversion achieved
until it reaches 99% diversion, which
the standard recognises as ‘Zero Waste’.
Credibility in the standards world comes
from third-party certification; if a licensed
certification body is carrying out the
audit, companies can feel secure that the
standard has been vetted and auditors are
qualified for the assessment.”
Once a certifying organisation
has been selected, it will guide you
through the certification process. An
audit process will determine the current
level of waste going to landfill. This is
likely to including agreeing the scope of
the certification, followed by a site visit
to audit waste management activities.
The quantities and type of waste will be
documented, along with contractors
and end-treatment processes. The
methods of verifying the contractors’
waste treatment processes may also be
documented. Some bodies will provide
certification at this stage, even if zero
waste has not been achieved, stating the
current level of waste to landfill.
Certifying bodies may then provide
assistance in achieving zero waste.
They can suggest methods of reducing
waste, alternative waste treatments,
and help to set up systems to track
progress. Kitaychik adds: “The SCS Zero
Waste Standard requires site visits at
the facilities being certified on a sample
basis. For instance, if a company has nine
facilities in scope, three will be visited
during a certification year, though the data
for all sites will be reviewed. Contractor
audits (for facilities that do the actual
diversion) are not in the scope of the audit.
Instead, these contractors are required
to provide an affidavit with information
on the waste they received from the
company undergoing certification.”
Achieving zero waste is closely related
to the idea of the circular economy.
This involves minimizing both resource
inputs and waste by reusing, remaking
and recycling as much as possible. This is
becoming increasingly important as the
transition to a decarbonised economy is
facing critical metal constraints.
For example, battery production for
electric vehicles and grid energy storage
is currently limited by the supply of cobalt,
nickel and lithium. Fuel cell, hydrogen
electrolyser and catalytic converter
production is limited by platinum supply.
Solar panel production is dependent on
indium, terbium, cadmium, silver and
selenium. The scale of production required
Although the rate
of increase has
slowed in recent
years, the tax on
landfill continues
to rise every year
44 www.operationsengineer.org.uk Winter 2021
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk