North West waste and recycling collector Fresh Start Waste Services has invested in weighing technology on all collection vehicles to minimise the environmental impact of its business waste collection service.
By identifying heavier bins, conversations with customers to increase segregation of heavier items such as food and glass for recycling can be had. This overall approach leads to a more environmentally friendly waste strategy across the region.
As part of Fresh Start’s commitment to ensuring minimum carbon impact, all Fresh Start collection vehicles have been fitted with a weighing system to weigh each bin collected.
As per industry standard, all Fresh Start customers agree to a standard weight allowance for their bins. Anything over this is charged accordingly by weight.
The weighing systems installed on the vehicles include GPS controllers and an onboard computer. The computer system means the weighing equipment communicates with the driver and GPS navigation system. It allows the driver to view a route plan and report any irregularities with photos should there be any issues with the collections.
The dynamic weighing system is fully automated. The bin is weighed as it is lifted, meaning the weighing process doesn’t slow down the bin collection. This allows Fresh Start customers to continue receiving the reliable, on-time service they have been used to. By weighing bins in this way, it minimises the idling time of the vehicle, and therefore minimises the environmental impact.
As an ISO 45001 certified company, Fresh Start continually look to operate the safest business waste collection service possible. By reducing the number of heavy bins they are further reducing the health and safety risks to their staff.
Nicola McGrath, CEO at Fresh Start, said: “We are constantly looking for ways to minimise the environmental impact of waste collected. Weighing the bins encourages customers to segregate their heavier food and glass waste into the appropriate recycling bin and not just throw everything into their general waste bin. This not only increases recycling levels of food and glass, but minimises the risk to our operatives when moving bins. Caring about our staff and the environment is very important to us and this method of ensuring all vehicles are fitted with weighing equipment allows us to do this.”
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
