Be prepared because experts predict Brits will spend even more on online Christmas shopping this year, easily topping the £24bn that ecommerce retailers took last Christmas. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the USA, when stores traditionally start discounting, will undoubtedly see the start of the busiest week. In 2015 sales shot up by 62% to around £4.3bn in this week alone.

Planning for the Christmas surge

Distribution and packaging companies need to plan now to handle the huge surge in business coming their way. Here are some of our top tips to having a successful festive season:

1. Starting liaising now with clients about their seasonal ranges, offers, expected demand levels and any packaging and delivery promises they intend to make to their customers, which you will be expected to fulfil
2. Discuss and agree the schedule of stock deliveries to the warehouse and/or packing and distribution points
3. Liaise on the packaging requirements for different items to ensure that they reach the end customer safely, in one piece and representing the client’s brand as best they can
4. Calculate and pre-order all the packaging required
5. Estimate the amount of packaging that will need to be disposed of and consider how to handle waste materials
6. Work with a waste management company that can take care of all your waste needs

Waste as a resource

Nowadays businesses can do a lot to lower the costs associated with the waste they generate. There are opportunities too. According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) savings of up to £1,000 per employee per year could be achieved when waste is treated as a resource to be exploited. Business have the potential to reduce waste costs to just 1% of turnover by improving the way they use resources.

Great savings can also be made by working with a company that offers an entire package of waste management services, not to mention the ease and convenience of a one-bin solution that leaves the hassle factor of sorting out recyclable materials to them.

Find out how working with Rabbit Waste Management could help you prepare for Christmas – contact us on 01903 762020 or info@rabbitgroup.co.uk

The post How Should Distribution and Packaging Companies Prepare for the Busy Run-up to Christmas appeared first on Rabbit Waste Management.

Where can I put my skip?

This will depend on size, but essentially there are two options: on your property or on the highway near your property. Remember you’ll need a space big enough for the skip lorry to drop and pick up the skip. These vehicles can be as wide as 9-10 feet and can take some maneuvering, and remember they are much heavier than your car, especially when picking up a loaded skip, but you should discuss access with Rabbit Skips beforehand.

Do I need a Highway Permit?

If you don’t have sufficient space on your own property you will need a skip permit from your local council to put it on the road. This may be a simple process – Rabbit Skips will sort the permit for you – or it can become more complicated if, for example, you require a particularly large skip, or if the skip is positioned somewhere that requires parking bay suspension as well. Make sure you plan ahead as it can take some days to get a permit, to avoid possible fines, and to avoid complaints from your neighbours who may feel they haven’t been given adequate notice. Remember, there is a charge from each local Council for the issue of a skip permit.

What size skip do I need?

When you order your skip make sure you get one that it is the right size for the job. If you’re having work done then your contractor might be able to suggest the one for you, otherwise bear in mind a 2 cubic yard skips can hold 40 black bags of rubbish, while a 12 cubic yard skip will hold 240 black bags – take a look at the Rabbit Skips website for photos of each sized skip.

Other points to consider

Think about the weight of the rubbish you are disposing – eight bin bags of soil will weigh more than eight bin bags of household material so discuss this with your supplier before booking your skip. Also, skips must always be loaded level so they can be safely transported on the road. Finally, remember there are some types of waste that cannot be put into skips – these include paints, solvents, fridges, TVs, monitors, car tyres and so on – products and materials which may be hazardous to people and the environment.

At Rabbit Waste Management we recycle and reuse as much waste as possible, so whatever you put in your skip, we’ll do all we can to make sure it doesn’t end up heading for landfill. Book your Rabbit Skip online today, or contact us via 01903 762020 or info@rabbitgroup.co.uk for more information.

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At Rabbit Waste Management we are able to reclaim useful materials from all kinds of waste products – from building sites to technology – and our generator facilities mean we can make clean energy out of waste as well. But what happens if someone fails or simply cannot recycle their waste?

What is a landfill site?

Landfills are a problematic but necessary reality in our country’s waste management programme. It is here that items which cannot be recycled or reused end up. Essentially, a landfill is an area in the countryside where recesses – either naturally occurring or created through activities such as mining – are filled with rubbish and refuse, and then covered over. On the positive side this can help in-land reclamation programmes, creating practical sites for construction or other use. On the negative, however, landfill is a finite solution: there’s only so much capacity for rubbish to be treated in this way before we run out of suitable sites.

How are landfill sites managed?

Landfills can be managed in one of two ways – dilute and disperse or with full containment. The dilute and disperse approach involves mixing the rubbish with earth and leaving it to decompose with no seal or cap. As the refuse breaks down – and all materials eventually decay – the residue can seep into the soil or into the water table presenting potential pollution risks. The second, and now more common, approach, full containment, involves filling containers with refuse and then sealing them, thereby ensuring the decomposition does not have any adverse effect on the local environment.

Both techniques have long-term implications. Refuse made up of items that cannot be recycled and/or reused needs long-term management, monitoring and care. With these solutions it’s very much the case that what we throw away today becomes the responsibility of future generations tomorrow.

Far better then to take the Rabbit Waste Management approach and ensure whatever you throw away is recycled or reused whenever possible. Our approach to energy generation from waste means there is less waste around to pose challenges in the future.

To find out more about recycling, reusing and the Rabbit Waste Management approach contact: 01903 762020 or email: info@rabbitgroup.co.uk

The post What Happens When We Fail To Recycle? appeared first on Rabbit Waste Management.

Landfill sites are not a long term solution for waste management, and in 2010, analysis by the Local Government Association forecast that Britain would reach its landfill limit in 2018.

National Zero Waste week has now been running for 7 years and this year the theme is ‘One more thing’. It is a build up of the little things that make the big things possible and if every person in the UK population made one positive change in the way they deal with their waste, then we would see some huge differences in national waste statistics.

So, when Zero Waste week comes around this year, onthe 2^nd September,what ‘one more thing’ could you do to help make a huge difference? We have come up with 7 examples of simple ways that you can reduce your waste:

•  Buy products which can be reused, such as rechargeable batteries, and reusable carrier or canvas bags for shopping.

• Have a clear out and donate your unwanted clothes to charity – one man’s junk is another mans treasure.
• Don’t throw away left over food, take it to work for your lunch the next day, use it to make something else with or invest in a compost heap.
• Use take-away plastic pots as tupperware for food or for other general storage purposes rather than throw them away – if you have to throw them away, check out your local council’s recycling, do they accept plastic?
• Reduce paper waste with online banking and requesting to receive your utilitybills online.
• Buy items made from recycled products.
• Glass drinks bottles can be reused indefinitely, so make the easy switch from plastic water bottles to a glass water bottle – it will save you money in replacements too.

Reducing the amount of waste at work could also have large benefits for your business.

If you want to know more about what Rabbit Waste Management do to reduce waste, and how we can help your business, please call us on 01903 762020 or email us at info@rabbitgroup.co.uk.

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Apart from spoiling the natural beauty of our countryside, litter has huge implications for the health of both animals and people, as well as the state of the environment – it can quickly turn somewhere that should be safe for all to enjoy into a danger zone.

Risks to wildlife – Wildlife can be cut by sharp littered objects, such as glass and cans, be strangled or suffocated by fishing lines and plastic bags, and be poisoned by eating plastics or cigarette butts.

Risks to people – A build-up of litter can cause a spread of infectious diseases. Mosquitoes can breed in rainwater held in littered cups and cans and could transmit Malaria. The large amount of fast food waste has increased the number of rats in Britain to over 60 million, putting people at risk of catching Weil’s disease, which can lead to kidney and liver failure.

Risks to the environment – Packaging can take a huge amount of time to biodegrade; cans made from aluminium can even take over 100 years.

97% of people said that they thought dropping litter was an irritating behaviour but many of these people admitted to littering themselves. So why do people do it? The three main reasons are…

• Not having a disposal bin easily accessible at the time.
• Pure laziness, not being bothered to look around for the nearest bin or to walk to it.
• Following suit, seeing litter lying around and thinking that adding to it makes little difference.

Making some small changes to your everyday behaviour can make a massive difference. Here are 3 simple steps that you can take to help reduce waste in the countryside:

• Stop dropping cigarette butts on the ground – the world is not your ash tray.

• Take plastic bags for your rubbish when eating out and about in the countryside so that it is easy to carry with you and put in the nearest bin.
• Make conscious choices about packaging – don’t buy products with excessive packaging that will likely only end up as non biodegradable litter.

At Rabbit Waste Management we are committed to maximising recycling and minimising landfill. If you want to find out more about our waste management services please call 01903 762020 or contact us via email on info@rabbitgroup.co.uk .

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This summer you want to stand out from the crowd and be the consumer’s choice. But what is going to give your business the edge over your competitors? Could it be:
• Cheaper prices?
• New services or products?
• Or turning your business green?

Concern for the environment is generating more and more interest in the public and people are desperate to do their bit. Being a green business could be the deciding factor on winning a client, not only because you are caring for the environment but because in doing so you are showing forward thinking and dedication – two qualities that a client looks for in a business.

So what things can you do to reduce your business’ carbon footprint and turn your business green? We’ve put together some key points to get you started on your green path.

Reduce Waste
Making a change to your everyday routine in the office can make a huge difference on the amount of waste your business produces. Try introducing at least one of these points into your office:
• Switching from paper cups to water glasses and reusable china mugs when doing the tea round
• Using hand driers rather than paper towels
• Switching off the lights in the office in the daylight
• Turning off your computers at the end of the day to save energy.

Making these small adjustments to your daily routine can have a large impact on making your business a greener one.

Invest in Recycling
Investing in recycling services isn’t as much of a hassle as you may think. At Rabbit Waste Management we have created a single bin solution to help busy businesses who are committed to their green goals – that’s right you don’t have to worry about getting your waste to the correct bin, we do all the sorting for you. Our all inclusive delivery and collection service allows you to spend more time on your business whilst improving the environmental status of your business.

Control Paper Waste
Paper waste is the ultimate office sin – not only is it terrible for the environment but it has some fundamental negative implications for businesses. Paper documents put data at risk of easily being misplaced or lost to natural hazards such as fire or floods. They also clutter up offices reducing the amount of clear working space that many employees need to be able to think clearly. Try these simple steps to reducing paper use:
• Speak to suppliers and ask them to provide electronic invoices and do the same for your clients
• Encourage employees to only print what is vital
• Look into e-signing software so that printing for signatures becomes unnecessary

Get your office paper waste under control and see your business productivity increase.

Now is the perfect time to turn up the heat on your competitors, do something they won’t expect and make sure you get the best out of your business. For more information on services at Rabbit Waste Management please call 01903 762020.

The post How Green Business Can Earn a Competitive Edge appeared first on Rabbit Waste Management.

This year why not take your spring cleaning to the next level? Out with the old and in with the new – it’s time to go the whole hog and have a proper clear out.

And it will be easier than you think if you hire a skip – a convenient waste deposit box delivered and collected in a door-to-door service. The hassle-free answer to your spring spruce up.

3 Top Tips for spring skip hire

• Be wise with size – However small your renovations there is a skip size for you. Skips sizes range from mini (ideal for garden waste) to industrial container-sized skips (ideal for commercial demolitions). It is cheaper to hire one skip rather than two, so make sure you order a large enough skip for the job. If you think that even the industrial sized skip will be too small, some companies provide large containers to go on your site– these are available from Rabbit Waste Management
• Location, Location, Location – Where to park your skip? If you do not have a driveway it is possible to park your skip on the road but be sure to book well in advance to allow for the application for a Highway Permit. And treat it like you would anything else, follow The Highway Code when it comes to safety considerations, such as lighting and signposting – skip companies do like to have their skip back in one piece. And don’t worry if you don’t have a suitable spot for a skip – Grab services, such as that provided by Rabbit Waste Management, mean you can just pile up your waste ready for us to collect.
• Get the waste type right – Do use your skip for any general waste but don’t deposit any large appliances or hazardous waste into it. Always check with your service provider before you dump anything that may require specialist disposal.

Rabbit Waste Management can help with any disposal solution you may require. Not only will we take care of your waste so that you don’t have to but we will do it in a green fashion. At Rabbit Waste Management we pride ourselves on creating energy from waste.

To find out more about how skip hire could benefit your spring clear out, contact us on 01903 762020

The post Skip Tips for Spring appeared first on Rabbit Waste Management.

2010 was a big year for us here at The Rabbit Waste Management. We launched an energy from waste facility, featured in the Sunday Times and won the Green Business Award at the Worthing Business Awards. In 2011 we were also ‘highly commended’ in the Green Business category of the Adur & Worthing Business Awards.

Here is what Doug Stewart, CEO of Green Energy UK had to say at the time:

“To be able to produce renewable electricity with no emissions for up to 10,000 homes is a remarkable achievement. We are extremely proud to be able to make Rabbit Waste Management’s electricity available to homes and businesses. Rabbit Waste Management  has shown tremendous foresight and a project like this helps the Government in its effort to reduce national emissions.’

We have put together a guide on how waste at Rabbit Waste Management is converted to energy, please click here to find out more.
Rabbit Waste Management have come a long way since then. On average we have diverted 60,000 tonnes of local unwanted material from landfill each year, which is enough to power 8,000 homes.

In 2009, 26.5m tonnes of rubbish were sent to landfill in the UK and about 60% of household waste was buried in the ground, according to EU data agency, Eurostat. Thankfully things are improving. A recent government report confirmed that the disposal of local authority managed waste into landfill and incineration has fallen 44% since 2001/02, down to 14.0 million tonnes in 2012/13.

With a rising concern for the environment, energy from waste continues to get a lot of attention in the press and interest from the public. We have been very pleased to see a continued rise in the number of energy from waste power plants being launched in the UK.

Click Green recently reported that a £244 million rail interchange and energy recovery centre is to be developed with support from the UK Green Investment Bank. The completed facility in South Gloucestershire will convert up to 300,000 tonnes of residual household waste into energy every year. Producing enough electricity to power the equivalent of 50,000 homes and save more than two million tonnes of CO2 over the duration of the contract.

In London, Southwark Council have also joined forces with Veolia Environmental Services to launch the first energy from waste district heating network. 8,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year will be cut, which is the equivalent of taking 2,700 cars off the road. The innovative scheme will see tonnes of rubbish from Southwark homes transformed into heat and hot water this winter.

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, Southwark Council cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling, said: “We are proud to be leading the way with our partners, Veolia, in providing alternative options to heat generation. We’ve taken on today’s current challenges around rising gas prices and high carbon emissions head on with this innovative scheme.”

Our feature in the Sunday Times in December 2010 was an early sign of the growing interest in energy from waste conversion and we are proud to have played a vital role in its development.
We look forward to reporting on any future developments for a new EFW generation as we brace ourselves a growing focus on energy from waste in 2014. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

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Did you know cardboard and paper can be recycled five times? Yes, really. Cardboard and paper is recycled an average of five times into new packaging products, and newspapers and magazines – which can then go on to be used as animal bedding. However, left in landfill sites, as much of it still is, it will produce methane gas, which directly contributes to global warming.

Did you know glass can be infinitely recycled? Glass never loses its quality. It is a sustainable resource and its savings on raw materials could be as high as 80%. Whilst it can be recycled into more glass bottles, recycled glass is also used widely by the construction industry as building sand or lightweight construction aggregate. Pretty amazing to think that by recycling your bottle of wine from the weekend you could be helping to build a house.

… And so can Metal Like glass metal doesn’t lose its quality, so the recycling process can continue indefinitely. The metal that you are likely to put in your recycling bin comes in two forms – Aluminium, in the form of drinks cans, and Steel, such as food cans. It only takes six weeks for a can to be recycled back into another can, but metal has many other uses, particularly in the transport industry. Aluminium can be used for cars and aeroplanes, whilst steel can be used for bicycle frames and train tracks. Your recycled cans could be helping to transport people around the country.

Plastic can be recycled – We’re serious In fact there are over 45 different plastics, most of which can be recycled. Much of this recycled plastic is used by the textile industry. If shredded it can be made into clothes – fleeces, hats and suits. But if moulded it can keep you warm at night as the filling in your sleeping bags, duvets and loft insulation.

We all have the opportunity to recycle these materials everyday and we see the products of such recycling in our everyday lives. If you live in a house that has insulation, you have a fleece, a hat or a suit, you like to read a magazine, and you sleep under a duvet – then you will probably be using some of these recycled materials already. But there is always more that can be done. Think about what more you could do today.

To find out Rabbit Waste Management maximise recycling and minimise landfill, contact us today on 01903 762020 or via info@rabbitgroup.co.uk

The post Did You Know…? Amazing Facts About Recycling Today appeared first on Rabbit Waste Management.

Yes, there are three essential components to managing the waste we all produce at home and at work, but why is it that the third ‘R’ tends to be the only one we really adhere to?

Because it’s easy.

Each household gets given a recycling bin and a list of recyclable items, then all we simply have to do is stop putting the listed items in our normal bins and put them in this bin instead. So in simple terms we’ve done our bit, ticked that box.

But what about the non-recyclables?

This is where the second R – reuse – comes in. If it can’t be recycled, we should be asking ourselves ‘can it be reused?’ Whilst recycling involves creating a new product out of broken-down waste materials, upcycling makes new products out of waste that has been left in its current state. The new product will be of a better quality than those made with recycled materials because the original product was not broken down or weakened.

You can upcycle in your own home and the best bit is it can save you money. Christmas is a great example – old Christmas cards can be made into gift tags, while old light bulbs can be decorated and made into Christmas decorations for next year. You could kit out your 2014 Christmas with decorations that won’t cost you a penny.

So before it goes into the recycling bin, stop and think – can it be upcycled?

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