SOUTH WESSEX WASTE MINIMISATION GROUP: 12th March 2014, The Crown Hotel, Blandford
MINUTES OF MEETING
- Present
(see attached)
- How Green is Yellow? (Jenni Wilkinson – Yellow Buses)
Jenni provided some details in regard to the Yellow Buses company which is the 5th largest urban transport provider. There are 150 vehicles in the fleet which includes 18 coaches. The company employs 500 staff.
Jenni’s main aim is to get more people out of cars. If everyone took one trip every other day using public transport this would take 25% of the cars off the road.
Yellow Buses operates in the Poole/Bournemouth/Christchurch area.
The company have looked at how they impact upon the environment and introduced various initiatives.
Recycling Initiatives:
-Lost property is recycled: umbrellas, phones etc. Items are kept for 2 months and it they are not claimed they are recycled.
-The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance take the phones, textiles are recycled, shoes are taken to the Sunshine Charity.
-Metals, antifreeze and general rubbish are alls recycled.
-Tyres: these are remoulds which ensures they last longer and there is a better fuel consumption.
Grey Water Harvesting:
Vehicles are washed every day using recycled water.
There are also some other environmental issues that the company deal with:
-Wagtails come into the yard as they feed off the insects that are attracted to the site due to the bright lights and warmth from the buses.
-The yard is located behind Castle Point shopping centre – the company have grown lavender which attracts the bees from the hives at Castle Point.
Green Business Travel is key for the company to promote. They work with businesses in regard to planning journeys etc.
They also aim to recognise the communities they operate within: Carbon Stoppers has been in operation for 3 and a half years which has provided £13,000 for small businesses. They operate a ‘Thank you Thursday’ when a small part of the fare will go into a ‘pot’ to go to a charity/good cause.
The company also operate a smart card system reducing ticket production.
Buses have also been updated to compete more with the car – they are bright and airy.
The company are investing in 8 new vehicles this year.
Drivers are closely monitored to ensure they operate in accordance with company rules/guidelines. Customer service training is essential.
For further details on how Yellow Buses can work with businesses contact Jenni at or on 01202 636018. Also go to the website at
- Three Towns Travel – Sustainable Travel initiatives (Richard Wintrip – 3 Towns Travel Project, Bournemouth Borough Council)
Richard explained the 3 towns corridor which is 16km in length and is connected via the A35 through Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch. There is a population of 135,000 and 33,000 new homes and 30,000 new jobs planned by 2026.
Congestion costs the economy £313 million/pa in SE Dorset.
The 3 Towns Travel Plan project has received £19 million of funding to improve transport in the corridor.
There will be a mixture of capital and revenue projects:
- Improvements for buses
- promote walking, cycling and low carbon vehicles
- Intelligent Transport Systems
- Active Management and enforcement
- Provide quality interchange and waiting facilities
- Improve access to stations
- Public realm improvements
- Provide Organisation Travel Planning
There are many offers to organisations to promote sustainable travel:
•3TT travel planning co-ordinator
•Business Travel grant
•Free Travel Action Plans/Travel Plans
•iTRACE travel surveys and audits
•Area Wide Sustainable Travel Network
•Station travel plans
•School travel plans
•Council travel plans
•SME toolkit & support
•Improved Journey Planning tools
•Jobcentre Plus Bike vouchers (re-cycled bikes)
•Linking with other initiatives
Richard then explained about the Business Travel grant.
An organisation is eligible if:
•The site is located within 500m of the A35 corridor running between Poole and Christchurch
• The grant is used to a suitable project (must promote sustainable travel by employees)
• You are willing to consider delivering additional initiatives that compliment the proposed project (this need not be a financial commitment)
• You are willing to provide simple monitoring data and photographic evidence
• All sizes of businesses can apply
• Would welcome joint applications where two or more businesses will benefit
The grant is designed:
•To support organisations to deliver projects that will encourage employees to travel more sustainably
• Predominantly a capital grant, however some funding available for non-capital projects
• Grants available from a £200 to £5000
• Funding available up to March 2015
Schemes which may be considered include staff information packs, car sharing, cycle parking, tools to support home working etc.
The process to apply for a grant is as follows:
Business Travel grants – match commitments
As a condition of the Business Travel Grant your organisation will be asked to consider offering additional sustainable travel initiatives or facilities in return for funding.
Travel action plans and travel plans will provide the following benefits for your company:
•Make financial savings
• Increase your business resilience
• Contribute to your Corporate Social Responsibility agenda
• Gain environmental certification (ISO14001)
• Become an employer of choice
• Encourage a healthier and more productive workplace
The project can offer:
•Free expertise and advice to create and implement a workplace Travel Action Plan/Travel Plan (a workplace Travel Action Plan can be created in a 1 hour session).
• Free access to the iTRACE web tool – for Travel Surveys (analysis), Site Audits, Post Code Plots
• Help to identify existing free travel Initiatives that your business can promote free of charge to your staff
•Provide access to walking, cycling, public transport maps for staff (Travel Information Packs)
• Assist with events to promote sustainable travel e.g. Momentum cycle challenge, Car share days, walk to work week etc
•Look at specific transport issues to see if a bespoke solution can be implemented for your business
Sustainable Area wide travel network:
From 1st April 2014 organisations in Bournemouth and along the A35 corridor (Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch) can join free of charge.
Member benefits:
• Work with member organisations to help identify and provide solutions to transport problems
• Provide a range of sustainable travel initiatives for members to promote to their employees :
Public Transport discounts Personalised Travel Planning clinics
Discounts with local bike shopsDr. Bike sessions
Promotion of efficient driving practice Sustainable Travel Road shows
• Implement Travel Action Plans
• Recognition of the promotion of sustainable travel through awards for member organisations
• Aims to provide support to member organisations post LSTF projects
Job Centre Plus Bike voucher scheme:
•Overcome the transport barriers to finding and staying in employment
• Working with Bournemouth and Winton Jobcentre Plus officers
• Bikes provided are all refurbished/recycled
Co-Wheels Car Club:
•7 Vehicles currently available in Bournemouth at strategic positions
• Further vehicles planned over the next 12 months
• Ideal for short journeys made during or after working hours
• Easy to book and use
• Competitive hourly and daily rates
• Reduces the number of cars per household?
For further details contact Richard on 01202 451993
- Environmental Management at Wytch Farm (Alessandra Rodari – Parenco Ltd.)
Ali showed some photographs of the on shore oilfield in Purbeck which consists of 11 well sites around the Purbeck area and is often referred to as the hidden oilfield as it is well screened by trees.
Ali provided details in regard to the oil process from the well sites to the gathering station and on to subsequent use.
Drilling Wastes: The Mining Waste Directive
•The BAT options for dealing with drilling waste is to re-inject.
•The reservoir was classified as a waste landfill. But under the Landfill regulations it is not possible to send oily liquid waste to landfill.
•Applicable legislation is the Mining Waste Directive.
•Mining Waste and EPR Legislation are consolidated under 1 EPR Permit
•WYF was the first Category A mining waste installation in the UK.
Ali explained that the majority of the waste is re-injected on site to maintain the pressure in the oil reservoirs.
She went on to explain some specific issues in regard to the sensitive area in which operations are based.
Parenco face the following environmental challenges:
•We are constantly balancing our industrial needs with the natural environment.
•One of the best examples of how to develop an onshore oilfield in an environmentally sensitive area.
•Open and honest engagement with our regulators and stakeholders.
For further details contact Ali at
01929 47 6089
- EDECON – Eco Design for the Construction Industry (Wendy Carmichael – Eco Design Advisor)
Wendy explained that the EDECON project has been set up with the Enterprise Europe Network.
6 countries are participating with Denmark taking the lead. The other countries involved are the UK, Germany, Spain, Estonia and Lithuania.
It is aimed to enhance a businesses environmental credentials and is FREE.
26 million are employed in the construction industry. 50% of the resources are from the ground and it creates 35% of waste arisings.
There has been a change of focus from energy to resource efficiency focus and wider life cycle considerations.
There is pressure on businesses to comply with environmental standards and have regard for the supply chain impact.
Cradle to grave thinking has changed to cradle to cradle thinking.
There are key impacts at different stages for different products and hotspots need to be identified.
Wendy explained the Product Life Cycle Impact tool which looks at the material source, material transport, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use and disposal of a product and analyses the issues in regard to materials, energy, water, waste, pollution and social the various stages incur.
Delegates then looked at the hotspots using the tool in regard to a UPVC window. Wendy provided some details in regard to the materials used to manufacture the window, the actual process of production and the problems associated with glass production.
The impacts of the various stages of the lifecycle were then looked at in detail. For further information go to for the presentation.
Wendy can be contacted at
or on 01305 265524 / 07841 915056
- Groundwater Flooding (Guy Parker – Environment Agency)
Guy explained the geological, hydrogeological, topographic and recharge phenomena that result on groundwater flooding.
In the SW the chalk structure is a problem in regard to groundwater flooding as the chalk stores water in the fractures. Chalk is highly porous and permeable.
Guy explained the reasoning behind the recent flooding issues with the Wessex area receiving 239% LTA rainfall in January which was the wettest January on record.
For further information in regard to flooding issues go to the EA website at:
Flooding from groundwater – further information at:
- WEEE Regulations 2013 (Tessa Bower5ing – EA)
New WEEE Regulations came into force on 1st January 2014. This was as a result of the revised Directive in 2012.
The main changes are:
- From 1 January 2014 photovoltaic panels are included in Category 4 (Consumer equipment and photovoltaic panels) - these are to be reported separately as Category 14.
- From 1 January 2019 the scope is widened to include all EEE unless specifically excluded
- LEDS will now be reported under Category 13.
- From January 2019 the categories of EEE will change so that all EEE falls into one of six categories (Schedule 3)
- De minimis and small producer registration: <5t/pa of EEE producer can register with the EA rather than join a scheme. This will costs £30 and there will be no obligation to finance the collection/treatment of any B2C WEEE. Small producers will however still have to finance the collection/treatment of B2B WEEE. Deadline for registration 31st January 2014 based on EEE placed on the market during 2013.
- A small producer must join a PCS within 28 days of placing more than 5t of EEE on the market in any compliance period.
- Producer obligations for household EEE will now be based on EEE placed on the market in the previous compliance year (calendar year). Targets will be set by BIS for the PCS by 31/3/14 for the 2014 compliance period.
- LAs can choose to self clear any of the 6 waste streams (A-F - F being a new waste stream: PV panels) from their DCFs rather than hand that WEEE over to a PCS. The LA can then retain any income from handing this WEEE over to an AATF/AE. LAs must inform BIS of their intention to self clear by 31st January in each compliance year.
- Evidence notes cannot be issued by an AATF/AE on WEEE received from a LA that has chosen to self clear their WEEE and AATFs must report quarterly on what WEEE they have treated directly on behalf of DCFs.
- Compliance Fee: schemes that fail to obtain enough evidence to meet their obligation can choose to pay a compliance fee as a way of meeting their obligation.
- New Distributor Obligations – take back of very small WEEE. Distributors who supply new EEE from a retail premises with a sales area relating to EEE of at least 400m2 (to include aisle, shelving and product display areas) to take back very small WEEE FOC to end users and with no obligation to buy EEE of an equivalent type.
- Very small WEEE means with no external dimension more than 25cm.
- Distributors are exempt from the requirement to take back very small WEEE where an assessment shows that an alternative existing collection scheme is likely to be at least as effective. A distributor who wishes to use an existing facility is required to submit an application to BIS on or before 1 November in the year immediately prior to that in which the exemption is intended to apply . (Enforced by the VCA)
- Removal of operational Plans from schemes
- Offences on individuals
- It is now an offence for a small AATF or AE who go over the 400t evidence threshold to not pay the upgrade fee within 28 days of going over.
- Independent Audit Reports have been removed.
- An extra schedule (schedule 9) has been added to the regulations detailing minimum requirements for shipments of used EEE suspected to be WEEE. This requires exporters to demonstrate that every item of UEEE being exported has been tested and is fully functional.
- Date and Venue of next meeting: Wednesday 25th June 2014, Merley House near Wimborne