Types of nuisance
Types of nuisance
Examples of nuisances and when your business may be responsible for the common or statutory nuisances you cause.
There are two main types of nuisance that your business can cause:
- statutory nuisance
- common law nuisance
What is a statutory nuisance?
Nuisances caused by certain activities set out in legislation are called statutory nuisances. A statutory nuisance can be caused by:
- noise and vibration
- smoke, fumes or gases
- dust
- steam
- odours
- kept animals
- waste deposits, for example with the risk of vermin
- poor state of premises
- foul, stagnant or obstructed water
- insects coming from your business premises
- artificial lighting
Your local council can serve you with an abatement notice if your local environmental health officer finds that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur.
An abatement notice can require you to:
- stop causing a nuisance or impose restrictions on your operations to prevent any further occurrence
- carry out works or take other steps to restrict or remove the nuisance
An abatement notice is a legal document and if you do not comply with it you could be prosecuted.
Individuals can also bring a statutory nuisance case to court.
What is a common law nuisance?
If you cause a nuisance that causes harm to people or damages property you may be causing a private nuisance and could be sued by individuals or organisations. You may have to attend a court hearing and pay compensation or damages.
If the nuisance is affecting a public space or a large number of people, you may be causing a public nuisance. You may have to pay compensation or damages. Your local council may also take action against you to restrict your activities or prosecute you.
If the nuisance occurs because of a structural defect on your premises, action may be taken against you as the owner of the premises, even if you're not the person responsible for causing the nuisance. Action may be taken against you if the person responsible for causing the nuisance cannot be found. You can also be found liable if the nuisance has not yet occurred but is likely to occur.
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Good practice to avoid causing nuisance
How your business can avoid nuisance disputes and how to successfully deal with complaints about nuisance.
You may have to pay compensation for any damage caused if you create a public or private nuisance. If you cause a statutory nuisance your local council may make you carry out, or pay for, work to stop or reduce the nuisance.
How to avoid causing a nuisance
Make sure that your business activities are not:
- damaging, or likely to damage, people's health
- preventing or interfering with people's rightful use and enjoyment of land
- interfering with public space and public land
If you identify any nuisance you should take all reasonable steps to prevent or minimise it. To avoid causing a nuisance, you should:
- check your site for waste or evidence of vermin regularly
- check noise, odours and other emissions at the boundary, and in the locality, of your site - do this during different operating conditions and at different times of the day
- ensure operations are managed in a controlled and consistent manner, and in accordance with all relevant permits, licences and registered waste exemptions
- keep your site clean
- tell your staff why they need to avoid creating a nuisance, and how they can do this
You should ensure that nuisance events do not become persistent and regular as this is more likely to result in legal action.
Try to maintain good relations with your neighbours. Give neighbours early warning of any particular activities that you plan to carry out, such as building work or installing new plant.
Notify your local council's environmental health department and your local Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) office in advance of any event that is likely to generate a nuisance that may cause complaints.
Display details of a contact person for your site so that local residents know who to contact with any concerns and you can deal with them quickly.
How to deal with complaints about nuisances
If you receive a complaint make sure you:
- keep a record of the complaint
- investigate the complaint, for example check the activity operation and the boundary of the site
- deal with it promptly and appropriately, and tell the complainer what actions you have taken
- record the results of investigations and any resulting actions
- use the information to improve your procedures and prevent further complaints
You may want to inform your local council environmental health department and your local NIEA office of any complaints, depending on the nature of the complaint and what your permits, licences or registered waste exemptions require.
If a complaint is made to your local council, an environmental health officer will assess if you have caused a statutory nuisance. If a complaint is made to NIEA, officers will assess if you have breached your permit conditions.
Ask your local council's environmental health officer and NIEA to inform you of any concerns or complaints they receive. You may be able to deal with these complaints before formal action is taken.
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Noise and vibration nuisances
How your business can avoid causing noise and vibration nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.
Noise and vibration caused by your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit noise and vibration to avoid causing a nuisance.
Permit and exemption noise conditions
If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, a waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may contain conditions that control emissions, such as noise and vibration. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (either the Northern Ireland Environment Agency or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
Prevent your burglar alarm from causing a nuisance
If your business is in a designated alarm notification area you must:
- register your burglar alarm with your local council
- provide details of a person who holds the site's keys
- make sure the key holder knows how to use the alarm system
You could be fined if you don't register. Contact your local council to find out if your business is in an alarm notification area.
Prevent your burglar alarms from causing a nuisance by making sure that:
- you have a maintenance contract and a callout agreement
- the alarm automatically shuts down after no longer than 20 minutes
Good practice to limit noise and vibration
You should avoid or minimise noisy activities, particularly at night. Pay particular attention to noise and vibration created by your traffic movements, reversing alarms and deliveries. If you operate a night shift, move materials into the work area during the day or early evening.
Switch off radios and loudspeakers unless necessary.
Keep noisy activities and equipment away from areas where noise may cause a nuisance, such as your site boundary. You can use existing buildings to shield the noise source.
Use solid panelled fencing around your site instead of wire fencing. This can help to screen the source and reduce the level of noise from your site.
If possible, landscape your site boundary with mounds or raised borders to further reduce noise nuisance to your neighbours.
Ensure your buildings have adequate soundproofing and shut your doors and windows to reduce noise.
Stand outside your site boundary and listen for noise that neighbours may consider to be a nuisance. This is especially important when installing or moving equipment.
How to stop your vehicles and machinery causing a nuisance
Service your vehicles and machinery regularly. Correctly maintained equipment will make less noise and will be less likely to break down.
Fit noise-reducing devices, such as silencers and baffles, to your machinery, or contain machinery within enclosures.
Use mains-generated electricity instead of diesel generators.
Reduce noise from your vehicles by:
- setting up a one-way driving system on your site to minimise the use of vehicle reversing alarms, and consider using broadband reversing alarms that use white noise
- imposing speed limits on your site
- turning off engines when they are not in use
- checking brakes are properly adjusted and tyres correctly inflated
- not revving engines unnecessarily
- only using horns in emergencies
- replacing exhaust systems as soon as they become noisy
- replacing vehicles with quieter models or electric or gas-powered alternatives
When you replace vehicles or machinery, consider buying quieter alternatives. New equipment can introduce a noise problem. You should carry out a noise assessment before you install a new piece of equipment.
Loudspeakers
You must not use loudspeakers or public address (PA) systems in a public place for any kind of advertising, except from a vehicle selling fresh food, for example ice cream vans. In this case you may use a PA system only between the hours of midday and 7pm.
If you want to use loudspeakers or a PA system outside of these hours, you must have consent from your local council. You must specify the time, date, location and duration of use in your application and submit it 21 days before it is needed.
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Odour, dust and smoke nuisances
How you can avoid causing odour, dust and smoke nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.
Odour, dust or smoke from your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit the amount of odour, dust and smoke you create to avoid causing a nuisance.
Permit and exemption conditions for smoke, dust or odour
If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may have conditions that control emissions, such as smoke, dust or odour. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
How to avoid odour nuisances
Certain odours can be considered a nuisance. To determine whether an odour is a statutory nuisance, or whether it is in breach of permit or licence conditions or your registered waste exemption, a council environmental health officer or NIEA officer will assess:
- its intensity
- its character - easily recognised odours are often a greater nuisance
- its source and the prevailing weather conditions, such as wind direction and speed
- the time and duration of its release
- the intensity of its effect - how annoying, intrusive or offensive it is
- whether the odour would be expected in that location
- what measures are required to stop the cause of the nuisance
Assess whether odours are likely to be emitted from your site and the most likely sources, and put appropriate control measures in place. Make this a part of your routine site inspections.
Control or stop the odour at its source. You should be able to demonstrate that you follow good practice in your operations and that you have used the most effective means to prevent an odour nuisance.
How to avoid dust and smoke nuisances
Do not use bonfires to burn waste - you could be committing an offence. Instead find ways to reuse, recover, recycle or correctly dispose of your waste.
If you must burn waste, follow legal requirements to avoid committing an offence - see burning waste.
Keep equipment that reduces dust and smoke emissions, such as filters and cyclones, in good working order. Make sure that where dust is collected it is emptied on a frequent basis and disposed of correctly.
Make sure boilers, especially oil or solid fuel units, are operating efficiently and do not emit excessive smoke - see preventing air pollution.
You can plant shrubs and trees in belts around the edge of your premises to help screen out dust and smoke pollution, but this should not be used in place of suitable process control or specialised equipment.
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Litter nuisances
How your business can avoid causing a litter nuisance and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.
You must ensure that any waste produced, stored, transported or disposed of by your business does not harm the environment. This is known as your duty of care, and you must ensure that you:
- store and transport your waste appropriately and securely to prevent it from escaping
- check that your waste is transported and handled by people or businesses that are authorised to do so
- complete waste transfer notes to record all waste you transfer and keep them as a record for at least two years
See duty of care for business waste.
If you fail to deal with a litter problem, your local council could issue you with a fine.
Street litter control notices
If it can be proved that certain litter problems have been caused by your business, your local council can issue a street litter control notice against you. This notice forces your business to clear the litter and introduces specific measures to prevent the recurrence of littering.
If you do not comply with your street litter control notice, you can be prosecuted. Alternatively, the council may issue you with a fixed penalty notice.
Outdoor advertising
If you want to advertise your business using outdoor signs, you must ensure that you do not cause a litter nuisance. Your outdoor advertisements must:
- be kept clean and tidy
- be kept in a safe condition
- be displayed with the permission of the owner of the site
- not obscure official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs or make hazardous the use of these types of transport
- be removed carefully when required
Depending on the type of advertising your business wants to use, you may need advertising consent from your local council planning section. You do not need consent to display signs in the following areas:
- enclosed land - such as bus or train stations and sports stadiums
- inside your own building
Some other signs can be displayed without consent, provided they conform to certain conditions and limitations. This includes signs relating to hotels, bed and breakfasts, and houses.
You may need consent to display the following advertisements:
- posters
- illuminated signs
- gable-end advertising
- shop-front fascias
For more information, download planning guidance on outdoor advertisements (PDF, 299K).
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Artificial light nuisances
How your business can avoid causing light pollution and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.
Artificial lighting from your business could be considered a nuisance. If it is, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice and you could be liable to pay a fixed penalty or prosecuted if you do not comply. You must find ways to avoid causing a nuisance from artificial lighting.
How to avoid causing an artificial light nuisance
Plan the lighting for your site to ensure lights only come on when they are needed. A lighting plan can reduce your energy costs as well as reducing the risk of nuisance to your neighbours.
You should:
- position lights so you only need to use the minimum number of lights
- dim or switch off lights when they are not required
- use baffles, shields and louvres to reduce obtrusive light
- use lights that switch off automatically when natural light is available or when they are not required, for example using motion detectors
Angle your lights downwards or use light fittings that reduce light shining upwards. The ideal angle of lighting is less than 70 degrees from the vertical. Lights that shine upwards are more likely to cause a nuisance, waste money and create light pollution.
Check that security lights do not produce excessive glare which could affect drivers or neighbours. Only use the amount of lighting you need. Lights that are too strong can create dark shadows, which could encourage theft or vandalism on your site. Consider using security lights that are activated by movement. However, check that they are only triggered by humans and not animals.
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Construction noise and pollution
How to avoid causing nuisances on building sites from noise, vibration, pollution and site logistics.
Construction activates on building sites involve heavy machinery and works which can cause a nuisance. You should find ways to minimise noise, vibration and pollution during construction works.
Types of building site nuisances
Some common types of building site nuisances include:
- vibration
- dust and smoke
- light pollution
- noise pollution
- large vehicle movements
- unplanned road and pavement closures
When can construction machinery be operated?
Building, demolition and excavation machinery can operate between:
- 7am and 7pm from Monday to Friday
- 8am and 1pm on Saturdays
Local council control of construction nuisances
If your building site activities cause a nuisance, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice.
Your construction site could face restrictions on the:
- type of plant or machinery you use and the activities you can undertake
- hours when you can work
- levels of noise, artificial lighting or dust
If you do not comply with these restrictions the council can stop your construction operations and you could also be fined.
If you are planning construction work and know that it is likely to cause a nuisance, you can apply for prior consent from your local council.
Your local council will outline restrictions on possible construction nuisances before the work starts. You can apply for this consent at the same time as seeking approval under building regulations. This may save you time later on.
Join a construction best practice scheme
You can apply for best practice accreditation such as the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). This can help you to put procedures in place in your company or on individual construction sites to limit nuisances.
You can find out more about the CCS Code of Considerate Practice.
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Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
In this guide:
- Transport packaging
- What is transport packaging?
- Top tips to reduce transit packaging
- How to reduce transport packaging
- Recycle transport packaging
- Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
- What is sustainable transport packaging?
- Manage a reusable transit packaging system
- Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
- Reuse one-trip transit packaging
- Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
What is transport packaging?
Types of transport packaging such as transit and delivery packaging and sustainable transport packaging options.
Packaging is available in many forms. The type of transport packaging you need depends on the goods or materials you're transporting and the level of protection required.
Categories of packaging
The three main categories of packaging are:
- primary packaging - also known as sales packaging, this protects and identifies the product
- secondary packaging - groups or binds more than one item together
- tertiary packaging - also known as transport packaging, this protects the product during storage and transportation
Packaging goods and materials for transit usually involves a combination of the three types, for example cardboard retail packaging covered by plastic binding on a pallet.
Types of transport packaging
The three main types of transport packaging are:
- containers
- pallets
- liquid storage tanks or drums
Containers such as boxes and crates can be made from many types of material including cardboard, plastic and metal.
Pallets are traditionally made from wood although plastic pallets are an option.
Liquid storage containers can be made from metal or plastic.
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Top tips to reduce transit packaging
Take a step-by-step approach to reducing the amount of transit packaging materials you produce and dispose of.
Using a systematic approach is likely to be the most effective way of making your transit-packaging use more efficient.
1. Win support and the initial review
To ensure that your efforts are taken seriously, you need to convince senior management that your business would benefit from keeping packaging to a minimum.
You may want to carry out an initial review to gather evidence. You could do this, for example, by walking round your site to identify areas of waste and opportunities for improvement. You could estimate the savings associated with a few of the more promising improvements.
2. Appoint a co-ordinator
It is useful to have one overall project co-ordinator or 'champion' to lead the work, such as your logistics manager or environmental manager. You should also get the right people involved. This could include:
- procurement and purchasing staff
- environmental and waste-management staff
- manufacturing and logistics managers
- marketing and product-development staff
- key external organisations such as packaging and material suppliers
- customers
3. Gather information on packaging use and disposal
Gathering information can help you to identify areas of significant waste and comply with legislation. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations require businesses to gather accurate data on the weight of packaging that they 'handle'. This means that you need to think about all the packaging associated with supply, including display, collation and transit packaging. You should also consider imported packaging for which you were the end-user.
4. Analyse data and identify areas for improvement
You should use key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you compare packaging use. KPIs for packaging management include:
- packaging cost per item, eg pence/item or £/tonne
- packaging waste per item, eg kilogram/item or kilogram/tonne
As well as analysing the data, it is useful to convert each waste quantity into a financial value that takes account of both material and disposal costs. This can help you to make the case for improvements.
5. Prioritise improvement options
Once you have identified where there may be scope for improvement, you should consider the options and rank them in order of priority. Think about each improvement option in terms of its cost to the business, its likely benefit or savings and the level of difficulty in implementing it.
Giving priority to the easier and low-cost measures will achieve quick results. This will help to motivate everyone concerned. However, longer term solutions may provide you with the highest overall cost savings.
6. Produce an action plan
Once you have considered the various options, you should prepare an action plan that describes what will be done, who will do it and when. Your plan should contain simple, measurable, achievable, realistic targets within appropriate timescales.
7. Implement the action plan
Implementation may involve all sorts of measures, from packaging redesign to introducing reusable systems.
It is important to get everyone involved in implementing the plan, from the managing director down to those, for example, who collect and separate packaging materials.
8. Review progress
Once the action plan is in place, you should review progress against targets regularly - perhaps every six months initially, and then on an annual basis.
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How to reduce transport packaging
Ways to reduce transport packaging by limiting the amount of packaging used and innovative ways to avoid its use.
Reducing your use of transport packaging is cost-effective good for the environment. You can avoid the need for transport packaging altogether, eg by a change in working practices or introducing a new item of equipment.
Ways to reduce transport packaging
You can make reductions in transport packaging by:
- Avoiding extra layers - poor practices result in goods being packaged in too many layers. For example, goods are sometimes wrapped in multiple layers, where at least one layer is redundant.
- Improving cleanliness - better cleaning in the workplace and throughout the distribution chain reduces the risk of product and packaging contamination.
- Improving product handling - eg through staff training and improved equipment. This reduces the risk of product damage and the need for packaging.
- Just-in-time delivery - the product spends less time in the warehouse and is at less risk of contamination and physical damage.
- Bulk delivery - materials delivered in bulk can avoid the need for packaging. Bulk delivery of liquids and powders can eliminate the need for drums and other containers.
- Change the product itself - a minor redesign of a product, eg a slight change to a dimension or a material, may allow you to significantly reduce the packaging used to protect it.
- Alternative on-site handling and distribution - eg you can pipe liquids and powders around the site, while you can move certain light objects around site pneumatically.
- Alternatives to pallets - you can handle quite heavy loads using slip sheets and push-pull units or, where the load is particularly light, by hand.
- Optimise one stage of packaging - eg redesigning a product's shelf-ready packaging to make it stronger could mean you can reduce the packaging needed to protect it during transport.
- Rationalising your packaging - using standard types and sizes of packaging for a range of different products can help with economies of scale, flexibility and reduced warehousing needs. It also enables continuity through the supply chain and the ability to swap out broken or damaged packaging more easily.
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Recycle transport packaging
How to recycle transport packaging successfully by carefully separating, storing and presenting waste transit packaging.
Most clean transport packaging materials can be either sold or removed free of charge. Recycling businesses or waste-exchange can ensure your transport packaging is successfully recycled.
How to recycle your transport packaging
It is important to correctly prepare your transport packaging for recycling.
- Separate wastes effectively at the source. This reduces contamination, eg from tape, labels, staples and chemicals. Use colour-coded boxes to allow easy separation of transport packaging materials. Make sure that these boxes are close to the waste-producing process and make staff aware of where they are.
- Empty and/or clean packaging carefully. This will improve the percentage of the transport packaging being taken for reconditioning or recycling. This can make packaging ordinary waste rather than hazardous waste.
- Avoid using mixed materials, eg metal or plastic closures on a cardboard box. This should make it easier to carry out recycling. Single material designs are desirable for recycling.
- Clearly mark the packaging. Indicate what types of material are used in your transport packaging so that materials can be separated more easily from mixed waste streams. Plastics can be embossed with the appropriate symbol to eliminate the need for a separate label.
- Consider whether you can compost the packaging, eg paper and board can be mixed with garden waste to produce quality compost. Your local council or waste management contractor may be able to take your transport packaging waste for composting.
- Clean contaminated packaging materials. This can increase their value. Careful storage in covered and clearly labelled skips and bins can ensure that materials do not become mixed or contaminated by other materials, water or food (which can attract vermin). Wet paper loads may be rejected by recyclers because they are difficult to handle.
- Bulk up loads. Recycling may not be economical for sites with low quantities of materials. However, you can increase tonnages by bringing material from several sites through back-haulage in vehicles used for delivery to a central point. Larger tonnages in one place are far more attractive to recyclers.
- Check your packaging is being recycled. You should request information from your contractor which proves that your transport packaging waste is being recycled and not sent to landfill.
You should make sure you handle materials for recycling properly. You may need authorisation to deal with transport packaging waste from other businesses.
Transport packaging waste exchange
Invest Northern Ireland's Resource Matching Service works directly with businesses to match wasted resources with resource needs. Your transport packaging could be a valuable raw material to another local business. Find out more about the Resource Matching Service and upcoming free resource matching workshops.
Transport packaging and producer obligations
If your business handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year and has a turnover of more than £2 million then the producer responsibility obligations applies to your business.
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Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
How to improve the efficiency of your one-trip packaging by using fewer materials and sustainable transit packing.
You should use optimised one-trip packaging if you cannot reuse your transport packaging. Good packaging design and good working practices can optimise the amount of transport packaging you use and reduce waste.
Efficient use of transport boxes and corrugated cases
You can make transporting boxes and corrugated cases more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap instead of a box
- optimising the design of the box to reduce unused space within it
- use smaller boxes
Efficient use of transport drums and intermediate bulk containers
You can make transporting drums and intermediate bulk containers more efficient by:
- using plastic drums, intermediate bulk containers or corrugated drums instead of metal
- ensuring that the drums you use are as lightweight as possible
Efficient use of transport collation packs
You can make transporting collation packs more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap alone
- using larger denominations or different formats to save packaging material
Efficient use of transport packaging fill materials
You can make transporting fill materials more efficient by:
- altering the container's design to eliminate unused internal space
- using paper and used corrugated board as a cheaper fill alternative
Efficient use of transport box closures
You can make transporting box closures more efficient by:
- avoiding using staples which can reduce the possibility of reuse, and make it more difficult to recycle
- avoiding the use of adhesive tape as a closure - you may be able to secure a corrugated box simply by interlocking the flaps
- using plastic strapping or banding where a box has a separate or detachable lid and/or base
Efficient use of transport plastic wrapping
You can make transporting shrink-wrap, stretch-wrap and plastic bags more efficient by:
- using a thinner material
- using a different polymer to provide the same level of protection at lower cost and weight
- using automatic or semi-automatic pallet wrappers to reduce the use of stretch-wrap
Efficient use of transport pallets
You can make transporting pallet loads more efficient by:
- using palletisation software to help you to optimise the load
- using shrink-wrap or strapping/banding rather that stretch-wrap for better stability
- using specialist lightweight, one-trip wooden pallets
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What is sustainable transport packaging?
Types of reusable transport packaging which can reduce waste and help to attract sustainability-conscious customers.
Transport packaging which can be reused many times and over a long period can save your business money. Savings are possible through cost reductions when dealing with transport packaging waste and the resources needed to make new packaging.
Types of sustainable transport packaging
Some of the most popular types of sustainable transport packaging are:
- pallets - traditional wooden pallets can be reused many times, while plastic pallets are also now available
- drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) - smaller steel and plastic drums are available while IBCs usually have a capacity of 1,000 litres
- crates, boxes and trays - many types, shape and size of crate, box and tray are available, traditionally made of wood but now available in plastic
- separators, layer pads and collars - these keep layers of goods apart and provide extra stability while collars and frames, cornerpieces and edge-protectors protect the load from any banding
- pallet boxes/systems - these consist of a robust fork-lift base and lid that lock to a deep and heavy-duty (double or triple-wall) corrugated board sleeve, which is generally collapsible
- slip sheets and push-pull systems - these are plastic or corrugated sheets that can be placed under loads, as an alternative to a pallet, taking up very little space and are cheaper
- metal cages and stillages - still widely used in the UK, eg to collect waste packaging around large retail stores, but now less widely used for external transport
- specialist reusable systems for a specific product - more expensive than using 'off-the-peg' packaging, specialist systems can offer distribution and handling benefits, and can reduce costs in the longer term
Reconditioned and leased transport packaging
Many businesses use reconditioned transport packaging such as boxes, drums, pallets and crates to minimise their transit packaging costs. Over 60 per cent (by weight) of steel drums are reconditioned for reuse in the UK, while over 15 per cent of plastic drums are reused.
Leasing is also common for drums, IBCs, pallets, crates, layer pads, collars, etc and can be organised through third-party organisations.
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Manage a reusable transit packaging system
How to make sure that your system of reusing transit packaging is run smoothly and efficiently for your business.
Systems that reuse transit packaging will only save you money if the containers are actually reused and the system is operated efficiently. This means keeping the number of units to a minimum and recovering the packaging quickly.
Managing the scheme
With large schemes, it may be cost-effective to have a dedicated manager with no other duties. You may also wish to consider asking a specialist third party to manage the scheme. This can sometimes be more cost-effective than doing it in-house.
Number of units required
It is important you work out the correct number of containers required, especially as at any given time some of them will be in transit, at customer or supplier premises or being prepared for reuse. The longer the delay, the greater the total number you will need to maintain the flow of goods.
Transport and logistics
Ideally, you should collect reusable packaging as you deliver and then backhaul it. This is straightforward if only one delivery is being made, but when several deliveries are made in one trip, the recovered packaging has to be carried onwards to the next delivery.
Other potential issues to resolve when operating your own packaging reuse scheme include:
- limited influence with your customers in ensuring the timely return of containers
- complicated arrangements when it's necessary to collect a small number of containers or irregular consignments from several sites
Scale of the scheme
Small-scale schemes can work well when you have a limited number of suppliers and/or customers, and where they are concentrated regionally.
Large-scale packaging reuse schemes are generally more efficient than smaller ones. These larger schemes offer two main advantages:
- you can negotiate better prices for larger container orders and tend to have more influence over the prompt return of containers
- having more site locations, journeys and containers involved makes it easier and cheaper to smooth out local variations and maintain packaging stocks at the level required to match demand
Tracking and timely return of containers
One of the key issues in any scheme is to track containers and make sure they are returned promptly by suppliers and customers. One option is to draw up a formal contract spelling out each party's responsibilities. If you feel that this approach could sour your relationship with your customer, opt for a more informal 'gentlemen's agreement' - but remember that such agreements are hard to enforce.
It is also important to have some sort of tracking system that allows you to identify the number of containers at each possible location.
Container cleaning and refurbishment
Make sure that reusable packaging is separated, cleaned, checked for damage and refurbished as appropriate before each reuse.
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Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
Sustainable transport packaging has benefits for the environment and your business but also consider the drawbacks.
Sustainability is becoming more important for the public and in business. Transport packaging waste can be costly to your business and the environment.
More sustainable forms of transport and delivery packaging, whether biodegradable materials or simply sturdy containers designed for ongoing use, can improve your environmental performance and image.
However you need to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of sustainable transport packaging.
Advantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main advantage of using sustainable transport packaging is reducing your impact on the environment.
Transport packaging waste can be harmful, difficult to recycle and can end up in landfill. By ensuring your containers and pallets can be reused, your business will have less waste to dispose of.
Potential cost savings of sustainable transport packaging include:
- reduced raw material and waste disposal costs
- reduced handling and storage
- reduced costs of complying with the packaging waste regulations
A more sustainable approach to packaging will reflect well on your business and may attract customers who value environmental responsibility.
Environmental clauses are common in tendering so demonstrating a strong commitment to reusable transport packaging may help you to win contracts.
You may be able to use a specialist third party reusable transport packaging provider to source containers and reduce upfront costs of design and manufacture. Providers may offer a packaging lease or management service which could reduce your ongoing costs.
Disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main disadvantage of sustainable or reusable transport packaging systems is cost.
One-off costs of a sustainable transport packaging system include:
- the initial purchase of reusable containers
- modifications to handling and transport facilities
- additional costs of the tracking system, eg software packages, bar code labelling/reading equipment, electronic chips and detectors
You may be able to reduce these initial costs by leasing transport containers rather than buying them, or by using a slightly less sturdy design.
Ongoing costs will include the logistics of returning your reusable packaging and maintenance. It may be cost-effective to have a dedicated staff resource to operate your sustainable transport packaging system.
Sustainable transport packaging can be less flexible if your products or transit needs change and your packaging design needs to be altered.
Materials used in sustainable transport packaging may still be harmful to the environment, eg plastic or metal. You should ensure that you have a sustainable end-of-life plan for your sustainable transport packaging, eg recycling or reuse.
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Reuse one-trip transit packaging
How your business can reuse one-trip transit and collation packaging a limited number of times to reduce costs.
Although dedicated reusable systems generally offer the best solution, one-trip packaging can sometimes be made multi-purpose or reused several times.
Corrugated and plastic transit cases are available that double as in-store display cases, with the lids and sides acting as the display framework with the products visible inside. A number of large retail chains now use such transit packaging, sometimes with a pallet-style base or wheeled base. It is also known as 'shelf-ready packaging'.
You may be able to sell your waste corrugated cases to a cardboard box merchant for reuse rather than to a paper/board merchant for recycling. This will maximise your revenue. Similarly, you may be able to send used drums for reconditioning and sell wooden pallets to a pallet merchant.
If you cannot reuse or sell it, you may be able to donate used packaging to other businesses or to schools or nurseries.
Although it will not raise revenue, this approach will at least reduce the volume of your general waste and your disposal costs. You must, however, make sure you observe the waste duty of care.
Making a little effort to separate packaging materials and keep them clean can increase the opportunities for reuse or recycling. Separating used packaging before it becomes mixed in the skip will help to reduce contamination.
Consider setting up an on-site system for preparing drums, intermediate bulk containers and other liquid containers for reuse. Some businesses benefit significantly from the on-site drainage, washing, relabelling and reuse of drums and other containers.
If the design of the packaging is inhibiting reuse, consider redesigning it. For example, you may be able to encourage the reuse of corrugated cases by eliminating staples. Review options for whether packaging designed for one trip can be reused for another purpose or by another organisation.
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Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
How to cut down on transit packaging disposal costs for your business by making better use of skips and containers.
Ideally, you should recondition or recycle waste packaging wherever possible. However, even if it has been reused, packaging will ultimately have to be disposed of. There are a number of measures that you can take to minimise your waste disposal costs:
- Separate hazardous packaging waste properly. Mixing hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste makes the whole load hazardous and increases costs dramatically.
- Use the best skips. Ask your waste management contractor if you can rent covered front-end loader (FEL) or larger rear-end loader (REL) units rather than ordinary open skips. FELs and RELs can be emptied into a waste collection compactor vehicle, which is cheaper than having whole skips removed and replaced.
- Use your waste containers effectively. Skips are often used inefficiently and emptied when only partially full. This increases your waste disposal costs as the number of collections and transport costs are a key element of pricing.
- Use the largest containers you can. Assuming that there are no health or environmental risks associated with longer storage (eg odour and leakage), it is generally best to use the largest skips possible.
- Consider buying or leasing volume reduction equipment. Shredders, balers, compactors, roll packers and drum crushers can reduce the volume of general and compressible waste to about 20 per cent of its original volume.
- Get the best waste contractor deal. Waste removal costs can vary greatly between waste management businesses so you should shop around for the most appropriate deal.
- Get good data from your contractor. Ask your contractor to provide waste disposal data by weight to help you monitor and minimise packaging waste.
- Purchase and operate high-value equipment jointly with other businesses. This could be beneficial if you only have small volumes of waste.
- Consider energy recovery. Options include a small energy-from-waste plant or a combined heat and power plant. Large businesses can bring together waste from all their sites to make this feasible, while smaller businesses could collaborate.
If you don't transport your waste packaging materials yourself, you must use a licensed waste carrier.
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Manage a reusable transit packaging system
In this guide:
- Transport packaging
- What is transport packaging?
- Top tips to reduce transit packaging
- How to reduce transport packaging
- Recycle transport packaging
- Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
- What is sustainable transport packaging?
- Manage a reusable transit packaging system
- Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
- Reuse one-trip transit packaging
- Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
What is transport packaging?
Types of transport packaging such as transit and delivery packaging and sustainable transport packaging options.
Packaging is available in many forms. The type of transport packaging you need depends on the goods or materials you're transporting and the level of protection required.
Categories of packaging
The three main categories of packaging are:
- primary packaging - also known as sales packaging, this protects and identifies the product
- secondary packaging - groups or binds more than one item together
- tertiary packaging - also known as transport packaging, this protects the product during storage and transportation
Packaging goods and materials for transit usually involves a combination of the three types, for example cardboard retail packaging covered by plastic binding on a pallet.
Types of transport packaging
The three main types of transport packaging are:
- containers
- pallets
- liquid storage tanks or drums
Containers such as boxes and crates can be made from many types of material including cardboard, plastic and metal.
Pallets are traditionally made from wood although plastic pallets are an option.
Liquid storage containers can be made from metal or plastic.
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Top tips to reduce transit packaging
Take a step-by-step approach to reducing the amount of transit packaging materials you produce and dispose of.
Using a systematic approach is likely to be the most effective way of making your transit-packaging use more efficient.
1. Win support and the initial review
To ensure that your efforts are taken seriously, you need to convince senior management that your business would benefit from keeping packaging to a minimum.
You may want to carry out an initial review to gather evidence. You could do this, for example, by walking round your site to identify areas of waste and opportunities for improvement. You could estimate the savings associated with a few of the more promising improvements.
2. Appoint a co-ordinator
It is useful to have one overall project co-ordinator or 'champion' to lead the work, such as your logistics manager or environmental manager. You should also get the right people involved. This could include:
- procurement and purchasing staff
- environmental and waste-management staff
- manufacturing and logistics managers
- marketing and product-development staff
- key external organisations such as packaging and material suppliers
- customers
3. Gather information on packaging use and disposal
Gathering information can help you to identify areas of significant waste and comply with legislation. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations require businesses to gather accurate data on the weight of packaging that they 'handle'. This means that you need to think about all the packaging associated with supply, including display, collation and transit packaging. You should also consider imported packaging for which you were the end-user.
4. Analyse data and identify areas for improvement
You should use key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you compare packaging use. KPIs for packaging management include:
- packaging cost per item, eg pence/item or £/tonne
- packaging waste per item, eg kilogram/item or kilogram/tonne
As well as analysing the data, it is useful to convert each waste quantity into a financial value that takes account of both material and disposal costs. This can help you to make the case for improvements.
5. Prioritise improvement options
Once you have identified where there may be scope for improvement, you should consider the options and rank them in order of priority. Think about each improvement option in terms of its cost to the business, its likely benefit or savings and the level of difficulty in implementing it.
Giving priority to the easier and low-cost measures will achieve quick results. This will help to motivate everyone concerned. However, longer term solutions may provide you with the highest overall cost savings.
6. Produce an action plan
Once you have considered the various options, you should prepare an action plan that describes what will be done, who will do it and when. Your plan should contain simple, measurable, achievable, realistic targets within appropriate timescales.
7. Implement the action plan
Implementation may involve all sorts of measures, from packaging redesign to introducing reusable systems.
It is important to get everyone involved in implementing the plan, from the managing director down to those, for example, who collect and separate packaging materials.
8. Review progress
Once the action plan is in place, you should review progress against targets regularly - perhaps every six months initially, and then on an annual basis.
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How to reduce transport packaging
Ways to reduce transport packaging by limiting the amount of packaging used and innovative ways to avoid its use.
Reducing your use of transport packaging is cost-effective good for the environment. You can avoid the need for transport packaging altogether, eg by a change in working practices or introducing a new item of equipment.
Ways to reduce transport packaging
You can make reductions in transport packaging by:
- Avoiding extra layers - poor practices result in goods being packaged in too many layers. For example, goods are sometimes wrapped in multiple layers, where at least one layer is redundant.
- Improving cleanliness - better cleaning in the workplace and throughout the distribution chain reduces the risk of product and packaging contamination.
- Improving product handling - eg through staff training and improved equipment. This reduces the risk of product damage and the need for packaging.
- Just-in-time delivery - the product spends less time in the warehouse and is at less risk of contamination and physical damage.
- Bulk delivery - materials delivered in bulk can avoid the need for packaging. Bulk delivery of liquids and powders can eliminate the need for drums and other containers.
- Change the product itself - a minor redesign of a product, eg a slight change to a dimension or a material, may allow you to significantly reduce the packaging used to protect it.
- Alternative on-site handling and distribution - eg you can pipe liquids and powders around the site, while you can move certain light objects around site pneumatically.
- Alternatives to pallets - you can handle quite heavy loads using slip sheets and push-pull units or, where the load is particularly light, by hand.
- Optimise one stage of packaging - eg redesigning a product's shelf-ready packaging to make it stronger could mean you can reduce the packaging needed to protect it during transport.
- Rationalising your packaging - using standard types and sizes of packaging for a range of different products can help with economies of scale, flexibility and reduced warehousing needs. It also enables continuity through the supply chain and the ability to swap out broken or damaged packaging more easily.
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Recycle transport packaging
How to recycle transport packaging successfully by carefully separating, storing and presenting waste transit packaging.
Most clean transport packaging materials can be either sold or removed free of charge. Recycling businesses or waste-exchange can ensure your transport packaging is successfully recycled.
How to recycle your transport packaging
It is important to correctly prepare your transport packaging for recycling.
- Separate wastes effectively at the source. This reduces contamination, eg from tape, labels, staples and chemicals. Use colour-coded boxes to allow easy separation of transport packaging materials. Make sure that these boxes are close to the waste-producing process and make staff aware of where they are.
- Empty and/or clean packaging carefully. This will improve the percentage of the transport packaging being taken for reconditioning or recycling. This can make packaging ordinary waste rather than hazardous waste.
- Avoid using mixed materials, eg metal or plastic closures on a cardboard box. This should make it easier to carry out recycling. Single material designs are desirable for recycling.
- Clearly mark the packaging. Indicate what types of material are used in your transport packaging so that materials can be separated more easily from mixed waste streams. Plastics can be embossed with the appropriate symbol to eliminate the need for a separate label.
- Consider whether you can compost the packaging, eg paper and board can be mixed with garden waste to produce quality compost. Your local council or waste management contractor may be able to take your transport packaging waste for composting.
- Clean contaminated packaging materials. This can increase their value. Careful storage in covered and clearly labelled skips and bins can ensure that materials do not become mixed or contaminated by other materials, water or food (which can attract vermin). Wet paper loads may be rejected by recyclers because they are difficult to handle.
- Bulk up loads. Recycling may not be economical for sites with low quantities of materials. However, you can increase tonnages by bringing material from several sites through back-haulage in vehicles used for delivery to a central point. Larger tonnages in one place are far more attractive to recyclers.
- Check your packaging is being recycled. You should request information from your contractor which proves that your transport packaging waste is being recycled and not sent to landfill.
You should make sure you handle materials for recycling properly. You may need authorisation to deal with transport packaging waste from other businesses.
Transport packaging waste exchange
Invest Northern Ireland's Resource Matching Service works directly with businesses to match wasted resources with resource needs. Your transport packaging could be a valuable raw material to another local business. Find out more about the Resource Matching Service and upcoming free resource matching workshops.
Transport packaging and producer obligations
If your business handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year and has a turnover of more than £2 million then the producer responsibility obligations applies to your business.
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Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
How to improve the efficiency of your one-trip packaging by using fewer materials and sustainable transit packing.
You should use optimised one-trip packaging if you cannot reuse your transport packaging. Good packaging design and good working practices can optimise the amount of transport packaging you use and reduce waste.
Efficient use of transport boxes and corrugated cases
You can make transporting boxes and corrugated cases more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap instead of a box
- optimising the design of the box to reduce unused space within it
- use smaller boxes
Efficient use of transport drums and intermediate bulk containers
You can make transporting drums and intermediate bulk containers more efficient by:
- using plastic drums, intermediate bulk containers or corrugated drums instead of metal
- ensuring that the drums you use are as lightweight as possible
Efficient use of transport collation packs
You can make transporting collation packs more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap alone
- using larger denominations or different formats to save packaging material
Efficient use of transport packaging fill materials
You can make transporting fill materials more efficient by:
- altering the container's design to eliminate unused internal space
- using paper and used corrugated board as a cheaper fill alternative
Efficient use of transport box closures
You can make transporting box closures more efficient by:
- avoiding using staples which can reduce the possibility of reuse, and make it more difficult to recycle
- avoiding the use of adhesive tape as a closure - you may be able to secure a corrugated box simply by interlocking the flaps
- using plastic strapping or banding where a box has a separate or detachable lid and/or base
Efficient use of transport plastic wrapping
You can make transporting shrink-wrap, stretch-wrap and plastic bags more efficient by:
- using a thinner material
- using a different polymer to provide the same level of protection at lower cost and weight
- using automatic or semi-automatic pallet wrappers to reduce the use of stretch-wrap
Efficient use of transport pallets
You can make transporting pallet loads more efficient by:
- using palletisation software to help you to optimise the load
- using shrink-wrap or strapping/banding rather that stretch-wrap for better stability
- using specialist lightweight, one-trip wooden pallets
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What is sustainable transport packaging?
Types of reusable transport packaging which can reduce waste and help to attract sustainability-conscious customers.
Transport packaging which can be reused many times and over a long period can save your business money. Savings are possible through cost reductions when dealing with transport packaging waste and the resources needed to make new packaging.
Types of sustainable transport packaging
Some of the most popular types of sustainable transport packaging are:
- pallets - traditional wooden pallets can be reused many times, while plastic pallets are also now available
- drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) - smaller steel and plastic drums are available while IBCs usually have a capacity of 1,000 litres
- crates, boxes and trays - many types, shape and size of crate, box and tray are available, traditionally made of wood but now available in plastic
- separators, layer pads and collars - these keep layers of goods apart and provide extra stability while collars and frames, cornerpieces and edge-protectors protect the load from any banding
- pallet boxes/systems - these consist of a robust fork-lift base and lid that lock to a deep and heavy-duty (double or triple-wall) corrugated board sleeve, which is generally collapsible
- slip sheets and push-pull systems - these are plastic or corrugated sheets that can be placed under loads, as an alternative to a pallet, taking up very little space and are cheaper
- metal cages and stillages - still widely used in the UK, eg to collect waste packaging around large retail stores, but now less widely used for external transport
- specialist reusable systems for a specific product - more expensive than using 'off-the-peg' packaging, specialist systems can offer distribution and handling benefits, and can reduce costs in the longer term
Reconditioned and leased transport packaging
Many businesses use reconditioned transport packaging such as boxes, drums, pallets and crates to minimise their transit packaging costs. Over 60 per cent (by weight) of steel drums are reconditioned for reuse in the UK, while over 15 per cent of plastic drums are reused.
Leasing is also common for drums, IBCs, pallets, crates, layer pads, collars, etc and can be organised through third-party organisations.
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Manage a reusable transit packaging system
How to make sure that your system of reusing transit packaging is run smoothly and efficiently for your business.
Systems that reuse transit packaging will only save you money if the containers are actually reused and the system is operated efficiently. This means keeping the number of units to a minimum and recovering the packaging quickly.
Managing the scheme
With large schemes, it may be cost-effective to have a dedicated manager with no other duties. You may also wish to consider asking a specialist third party to manage the scheme. This can sometimes be more cost-effective than doing it in-house.
Number of units required
It is important you work out the correct number of containers required, especially as at any given time some of them will be in transit, at customer or supplier premises or being prepared for reuse. The longer the delay, the greater the total number you will need to maintain the flow of goods.
Transport and logistics
Ideally, you should collect reusable packaging as you deliver and then backhaul it. This is straightforward if only one delivery is being made, but when several deliveries are made in one trip, the recovered packaging has to be carried onwards to the next delivery.
Other potential issues to resolve when operating your own packaging reuse scheme include:
- limited influence with your customers in ensuring the timely return of containers
- complicated arrangements when it's necessary to collect a small number of containers or irregular consignments from several sites
Scale of the scheme
Small-scale schemes can work well when you have a limited number of suppliers and/or customers, and where they are concentrated regionally.
Large-scale packaging reuse schemes are generally more efficient than smaller ones. These larger schemes offer two main advantages:
- you can negotiate better prices for larger container orders and tend to have more influence over the prompt return of containers
- having more site locations, journeys and containers involved makes it easier and cheaper to smooth out local variations and maintain packaging stocks at the level required to match demand
Tracking and timely return of containers
One of the key issues in any scheme is to track containers and make sure they are returned promptly by suppliers and customers. One option is to draw up a formal contract spelling out each party's responsibilities. If you feel that this approach could sour your relationship with your customer, opt for a more informal 'gentlemen's agreement' - but remember that such agreements are hard to enforce.
It is also important to have some sort of tracking system that allows you to identify the number of containers at each possible location.
Container cleaning and refurbishment
Make sure that reusable packaging is separated, cleaned, checked for damage and refurbished as appropriate before each reuse.
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Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
Sustainable transport packaging has benefits for the environment and your business but also consider the drawbacks.
Sustainability is becoming more important for the public and in business. Transport packaging waste can be costly to your business and the environment.
More sustainable forms of transport and delivery packaging, whether biodegradable materials or simply sturdy containers designed for ongoing use, can improve your environmental performance and image.
However you need to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of sustainable transport packaging.
Advantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main advantage of using sustainable transport packaging is reducing your impact on the environment.
Transport packaging waste can be harmful, difficult to recycle and can end up in landfill. By ensuring your containers and pallets can be reused, your business will have less waste to dispose of.
Potential cost savings of sustainable transport packaging include:
- reduced raw material and waste disposal costs
- reduced handling and storage
- reduced costs of complying with the packaging waste regulations
A more sustainable approach to packaging will reflect well on your business and may attract customers who value environmental responsibility.
Environmental clauses are common in tendering so demonstrating a strong commitment to reusable transport packaging may help you to win contracts.
You may be able to use a specialist third party reusable transport packaging provider to source containers and reduce upfront costs of design and manufacture. Providers may offer a packaging lease or management service which could reduce your ongoing costs.
Disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main disadvantage of sustainable or reusable transport packaging systems is cost.
One-off costs of a sustainable transport packaging system include:
- the initial purchase of reusable containers
- modifications to handling and transport facilities
- additional costs of the tracking system, eg software packages, bar code labelling/reading equipment, electronic chips and detectors
You may be able to reduce these initial costs by leasing transport containers rather than buying them, or by using a slightly less sturdy design.
Ongoing costs will include the logistics of returning your reusable packaging and maintenance. It may be cost-effective to have a dedicated staff resource to operate your sustainable transport packaging system.
Sustainable transport packaging can be less flexible if your products or transit needs change and your packaging design needs to be altered.
Materials used in sustainable transport packaging may still be harmful to the environment, eg plastic or metal. You should ensure that you have a sustainable end-of-life plan for your sustainable transport packaging, eg recycling or reuse.
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Reuse one-trip transit packaging
How your business can reuse one-trip transit and collation packaging a limited number of times to reduce costs.
Although dedicated reusable systems generally offer the best solution, one-trip packaging can sometimes be made multi-purpose or reused several times.
Corrugated and plastic transit cases are available that double as in-store display cases, with the lids and sides acting as the display framework with the products visible inside. A number of large retail chains now use such transit packaging, sometimes with a pallet-style base or wheeled base. It is also known as 'shelf-ready packaging'.
You may be able to sell your waste corrugated cases to a cardboard box merchant for reuse rather than to a paper/board merchant for recycling. This will maximise your revenue. Similarly, you may be able to send used drums for reconditioning and sell wooden pallets to a pallet merchant.
If you cannot reuse or sell it, you may be able to donate used packaging to other businesses or to schools or nurseries.
Although it will not raise revenue, this approach will at least reduce the volume of your general waste and your disposal costs. You must, however, make sure you observe the waste duty of care.
Making a little effort to separate packaging materials and keep them clean can increase the opportunities for reuse or recycling. Separating used packaging before it becomes mixed in the skip will help to reduce contamination.
Consider setting up an on-site system for preparing drums, intermediate bulk containers and other liquid containers for reuse. Some businesses benefit significantly from the on-site drainage, washing, relabelling and reuse of drums and other containers.
If the design of the packaging is inhibiting reuse, consider redesigning it. For example, you may be able to encourage the reuse of corrugated cases by eliminating staples. Review options for whether packaging designed for one trip can be reused for another purpose or by another organisation.
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Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
How to cut down on transit packaging disposal costs for your business by making better use of skips and containers.
Ideally, you should recondition or recycle waste packaging wherever possible. However, even if it has been reused, packaging will ultimately have to be disposed of. There are a number of measures that you can take to minimise your waste disposal costs:
- Separate hazardous packaging waste properly. Mixing hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste makes the whole load hazardous and increases costs dramatically.
- Use the best skips. Ask your waste management contractor if you can rent covered front-end loader (FEL) or larger rear-end loader (REL) units rather than ordinary open skips. FELs and RELs can be emptied into a waste collection compactor vehicle, which is cheaper than having whole skips removed and replaced.
- Use your waste containers effectively. Skips are often used inefficiently and emptied when only partially full. This increases your waste disposal costs as the number of collections and transport costs are a key element of pricing.
- Use the largest containers you can. Assuming that there are no health or environmental risks associated with longer storage (eg odour and leakage), it is generally best to use the largest skips possible.
- Consider buying or leasing volume reduction equipment. Shredders, balers, compactors, roll packers and drum crushers can reduce the volume of general and compressible waste to about 20 per cent of its original volume.
- Get the best waste contractor deal. Waste removal costs can vary greatly between waste management businesses so you should shop around for the most appropriate deal.
- Get good data from your contractor. Ask your contractor to provide waste disposal data by weight to help you monitor and minimise packaging waste.
- Purchase and operate high-value equipment jointly with other businesses. This could be beneficial if you only have small volumes of waste.
- Consider energy recovery. Options include a small energy-from-waste plant or a combined heat and power plant. Large businesses can bring together waste from all their sites to make this feasible, while smaller businesses could collaborate.
If you don't transport your waste packaging materials yourself, you must use a licensed waste carrier.
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What is sustainable transport packaging?
In this guide:
- Transport packaging
- What is transport packaging?
- Top tips to reduce transit packaging
- How to reduce transport packaging
- Recycle transport packaging
- Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
- What is sustainable transport packaging?
- Manage a reusable transit packaging system
- Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
- Reuse one-trip transit packaging
- Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
What is transport packaging?
Types of transport packaging such as transit and delivery packaging and sustainable transport packaging options.
Packaging is available in many forms. The type of transport packaging you need depends on the goods or materials you're transporting and the level of protection required.
Categories of packaging
The three main categories of packaging are:
- primary packaging - also known as sales packaging, this protects and identifies the product
- secondary packaging - groups or binds more than one item together
- tertiary packaging - also known as transport packaging, this protects the product during storage and transportation
Packaging goods and materials for transit usually involves a combination of the three types, for example cardboard retail packaging covered by plastic binding on a pallet.
Types of transport packaging
The three main types of transport packaging are:
- containers
- pallets
- liquid storage tanks or drums
Containers such as boxes and crates can be made from many types of material including cardboard, plastic and metal.
Pallets are traditionally made from wood although plastic pallets are an option.
Liquid storage containers can be made from metal or plastic.
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/content/what-transport-packaging
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Top tips to reduce transit packaging
Take a step-by-step approach to reducing the amount of transit packaging materials you produce and dispose of.
Using a systematic approach is likely to be the most effective way of making your transit-packaging use more efficient.
1. Win support and the initial review
To ensure that your efforts are taken seriously, you need to convince senior management that your business would benefit from keeping packaging to a minimum.
You may want to carry out an initial review to gather evidence. You could do this, for example, by walking round your site to identify areas of waste and opportunities for improvement. You could estimate the savings associated with a few of the more promising improvements.
2. Appoint a co-ordinator
It is useful to have one overall project co-ordinator or 'champion' to lead the work, such as your logistics manager or environmental manager. You should also get the right people involved. This could include:
- procurement and purchasing staff
- environmental and waste-management staff
- manufacturing and logistics managers
- marketing and product-development staff
- key external organisations such as packaging and material suppliers
- customers
3. Gather information on packaging use and disposal
Gathering information can help you to identify areas of significant waste and comply with legislation. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations require businesses to gather accurate data on the weight of packaging that they 'handle'. This means that you need to think about all the packaging associated with supply, including display, collation and transit packaging. You should also consider imported packaging for which you were the end-user.
4. Analyse data and identify areas for improvement
You should use key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you compare packaging use. KPIs for packaging management include:
- packaging cost per item, eg pence/item or £/tonne
- packaging waste per item, eg kilogram/item or kilogram/tonne
As well as analysing the data, it is useful to convert each waste quantity into a financial value that takes account of both material and disposal costs. This can help you to make the case for improvements.
5. Prioritise improvement options
Once you have identified where there may be scope for improvement, you should consider the options and rank them in order of priority. Think about each improvement option in terms of its cost to the business, its likely benefit or savings and the level of difficulty in implementing it.
Giving priority to the easier and low-cost measures will achieve quick results. This will help to motivate everyone concerned. However, longer term solutions may provide you with the highest overall cost savings.
6. Produce an action plan
Once you have considered the various options, you should prepare an action plan that describes what will be done, who will do it and when. Your plan should contain simple, measurable, achievable, realistic targets within appropriate timescales.
7. Implement the action plan
Implementation may involve all sorts of measures, from packaging redesign to introducing reusable systems.
It is important to get everyone involved in implementing the plan, from the managing director down to those, for example, who collect and separate packaging materials.
8. Review progress
Once the action plan is in place, you should review progress against targets regularly - perhaps every six months initially, and then on an annual basis.
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How to reduce transport packaging
Ways to reduce transport packaging by limiting the amount of packaging used and innovative ways to avoid its use.
Reducing your use of transport packaging is cost-effective good for the environment. You can avoid the need for transport packaging altogether, eg by a change in working practices or introducing a new item of equipment.
Ways to reduce transport packaging
You can make reductions in transport packaging by:
- Avoiding extra layers - poor practices result in goods being packaged in too many layers. For example, goods are sometimes wrapped in multiple layers, where at least one layer is redundant.
- Improving cleanliness - better cleaning in the workplace and throughout the distribution chain reduces the risk of product and packaging contamination.
- Improving product handling - eg through staff training and improved equipment. This reduces the risk of product damage and the need for packaging.
- Just-in-time delivery - the product spends less time in the warehouse and is at less risk of contamination and physical damage.
- Bulk delivery - materials delivered in bulk can avoid the need for packaging. Bulk delivery of liquids and powders can eliminate the need for drums and other containers.
- Change the product itself - a minor redesign of a product, eg a slight change to a dimension or a material, may allow you to significantly reduce the packaging used to protect it.
- Alternative on-site handling and distribution - eg you can pipe liquids and powders around the site, while you can move certain light objects around site pneumatically.
- Alternatives to pallets - you can handle quite heavy loads using slip sheets and push-pull units or, where the load is particularly light, by hand.
- Optimise one stage of packaging - eg redesigning a product's shelf-ready packaging to make it stronger could mean you can reduce the packaging needed to protect it during transport.
- Rationalising your packaging - using standard types and sizes of packaging for a range of different products can help with economies of scale, flexibility and reduced warehousing needs. It also enables continuity through the supply chain and the ability to swap out broken or damaged packaging more easily.
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Recycle transport packaging
How to recycle transport packaging successfully by carefully separating, storing and presenting waste transit packaging.
Most clean transport packaging materials can be either sold or removed free of charge. Recycling businesses or waste-exchange can ensure your transport packaging is successfully recycled.
How to recycle your transport packaging
It is important to correctly prepare your transport packaging for recycling.
- Separate wastes effectively at the source. This reduces contamination, eg from tape, labels, staples and chemicals. Use colour-coded boxes to allow easy separation of transport packaging materials. Make sure that these boxes are close to the waste-producing process and make staff aware of where they are.
- Empty and/or clean packaging carefully. This will improve the percentage of the transport packaging being taken for reconditioning or recycling. This can make packaging ordinary waste rather than hazardous waste.
- Avoid using mixed materials, eg metal or plastic closures on a cardboard box. This should make it easier to carry out recycling. Single material designs are desirable for recycling.
- Clearly mark the packaging. Indicate what types of material are used in your transport packaging so that materials can be separated more easily from mixed waste streams. Plastics can be embossed with the appropriate symbol to eliminate the need for a separate label.
- Consider whether you can compost the packaging, eg paper and board can be mixed with garden waste to produce quality compost. Your local council or waste management contractor may be able to take your transport packaging waste for composting.
- Clean contaminated packaging materials. This can increase their value. Careful storage in covered and clearly labelled skips and bins can ensure that materials do not become mixed or contaminated by other materials, water or food (which can attract vermin). Wet paper loads may be rejected by recyclers because they are difficult to handle.
- Bulk up loads. Recycling may not be economical for sites with low quantities of materials. However, you can increase tonnages by bringing material from several sites through back-haulage in vehicles used for delivery to a central point. Larger tonnages in one place are far more attractive to recyclers.
- Check your packaging is being recycled. You should request information from your contractor which proves that your transport packaging waste is being recycled and not sent to landfill.
You should make sure you handle materials for recycling properly. You may need authorisation to deal with transport packaging waste from other businesses.
Transport packaging waste exchange
Invest Northern Ireland's Resource Matching Service works directly with businesses to match wasted resources with resource needs. Your transport packaging could be a valuable raw material to another local business. Find out more about the Resource Matching Service and upcoming free resource matching workshops.
Transport packaging and producer obligations
If your business handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year and has a turnover of more than £2 million then the producer responsibility obligations applies to your business.
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Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
How to improve the efficiency of your one-trip packaging by using fewer materials and sustainable transit packing.
You should use optimised one-trip packaging if you cannot reuse your transport packaging. Good packaging design and good working practices can optimise the amount of transport packaging you use and reduce waste.
Efficient use of transport boxes and corrugated cases
You can make transporting boxes and corrugated cases more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap instead of a box
- optimising the design of the box to reduce unused space within it
- use smaller boxes
Efficient use of transport drums and intermediate bulk containers
You can make transporting drums and intermediate bulk containers more efficient by:
- using plastic drums, intermediate bulk containers or corrugated drums instead of metal
- ensuring that the drums you use are as lightweight as possible
Efficient use of transport collation packs
You can make transporting collation packs more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap alone
- using larger denominations or different formats to save packaging material
Efficient use of transport packaging fill materials
You can make transporting fill materials more efficient by:
- altering the container's design to eliminate unused internal space
- using paper and used corrugated board as a cheaper fill alternative
Efficient use of transport box closures
You can make transporting box closures more efficient by:
- avoiding using staples which can reduce the possibility of reuse, and make it more difficult to recycle
- avoiding the use of adhesive tape as a closure - you may be able to secure a corrugated box simply by interlocking the flaps
- using plastic strapping or banding where a box has a separate or detachable lid and/or base
Efficient use of transport plastic wrapping
You can make transporting shrink-wrap, stretch-wrap and plastic bags more efficient by:
- using a thinner material
- using a different polymer to provide the same level of protection at lower cost and weight
- using automatic or semi-automatic pallet wrappers to reduce the use of stretch-wrap
Efficient use of transport pallets
You can make transporting pallet loads more efficient by:
- using palletisation software to help you to optimise the load
- using shrink-wrap or strapping/banding rather that stretch-wrap for better stability
- using specialist lightweight, one-trip wooden pallets
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What is sustainable transport packaging?
Types of reusable transport packaging which can reduce waste and help to attract sustainability-conscious customers.
Transport packaging which can be reused many times and over a long period can save your business money. Savings are possible through cost reductions when dealing with transport packaging waste and the resources needed to make new packaging.
Types of sustainable transport packaging
Some of the most popular types of sustainable transport packaging are:
- pallets - traditional wooden pallets can be reused many times, while plastic pallets are also now available
- drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) - smaller steel and plastic drums are available while IBCs usually have a capacity of 1,000 litres
- crates, boxes and trays - many types, shape and size of crate, box and tray are available, traditionally made of wood but now available in plastic
- separators, layer pads and collars - these keep layers of goods apart and provide extra stability while collars and frames, cornerpieces and edge-protectors protect the load from any banding
- pallet boxes/systems - these consist of a robust fork-lift base and lid that lock to a deep and heavy-duty (double or triple-wall) corrugated board sleeve, which is generally collapsible
- slip sheets and push-pull systems - these are plastic or corrugated sheets that can be placed under loads, as an alternative to a pallet, taking up very little space and are cheaper
- metal cages and stillages - still widely used in the UK, eg to collect waste packaging around large retail stores, but now less widely used for external transport
- specialist reusable systems for a specific product - more expensive than using 'off-the-peg' packaging, specialist systems can offer distribution and handling benefits, and can reduce costs in the longer term
Reconditioned and leased transport packaging
Many businesses use reconditioned transport packaging such as boxes, drums, pallets and crates to minimise their transit packaging costs. Over 60 per cent (by weight) of steel drums are reconditioned for reuse in the UK, while over 15 per cent of plastic drums are reused.
Leasing is also common for drums, IBCs, pallets, crates, layer pads, collars, etc and can be organised through third-party organisations.
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Manage a reusable transit packaging system
How to make sure that your system of reusing transit packaging is run smoothly and efficiently for your business.
Systems that reuse transit packaging will only save you money if the containers are actually reused and the system is operated efficiently. This means keeping the number of units to a minimum and recovering the packaging quickly.
Managing the scheme
With large schemes, it may be cost-effective to have a dedicated manager with no other duties. You may also wish to consider asking a specialist third party to manage the scheme. This can sometimes be more cost-effective than doing it in-house.
Number of units required
It is important you work out the correct number of containers required, especially as at any given time some of them will be in transit, at customer or supplier premises or being prepared for reuse. The longer the delay, the greater the total number you will need to maintain the flow of goods.
Transport and logistics
Ideally, you should collect reusable packaging as you deliver and then backhaul it. This is straightforward if only one delivery is being made, but when several deliveries are made in one trip, the recovered packaging has to be carried onwards to the next delivery.
Other potential issues to resolve when operating your own packaging reuse scheme include:
- limited influence with your customers in ensuring the timely return of containers
- complicated arrangements when it's necessary to collect a small number of containers or irregular consignments from several sites
Scale of the scheme
Small-scale schemes can work well when you have a limited number of suppliers and/or customers, and where they are concentrated regionally.
Large-scale packaging reuse schemes are generally more efficient than smaller ones. These larger schemes offer two main advantages:
- you can negotiate better prices for larger container orders and tend to have more influence over the prompt return of containers
- having more site locations, journeys and containers involved makes it easier and cheaper to smooth out local variations and maintain packaging stocks at the level required to match demand
Tracking and timely return of containers
One of the key issues in any scheme is to track containers and make sure they are returned promptly by suppliers and customers. One option is to draw up a formal contract spelling out each party's responsibilities. If you feel that this approach could sour your relationship with your customer, opt for a more informal 'gentlemen's agreement' - but remember that such agreements are hard to enforce.
It is also important to have some sort of tracking system that allows you to identify the number of containers at each possible location.
Container cleaning and refurbishment
Make sure that reusable packaging is separated, cleaned, checked for damage and refurbished as appropriate before each reuse.
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Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
Sustainable transport packaging has benefits for the environment and your business but also consider the drawbacks.
Sustainability is becoming more important for the public and in business. Transport packaging waste can be costly to your business and the environment.
More sustainable forms of transport and delivery packaging, whether biodegradable materials or simply sturdy containers designed for ongoing use, can improve your environmental performance and image.
However you need to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of sustainable transport packaging.
Advantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main advantage of using sustainable transport packaging is reducing your impact on the environment.
Transport packaging waste can be harmful, difficult to recycle and can end up in landfill. By ensuring your containers and pallets can be reused, your business will have less waste to dispose of.
Potential cost savings of sustainable transport packaging include:
- reduced raw material and waste disposal costs
- reduced handling and storage
- reduced costs of complying with the packaging waste regulations
A more sustainable approach to packaging will reflect well on your business and may attract customers who value environmental responsibility.
Environmental clauses are common in tendering so demonstrating a strong commitment to reusable transport packaging may help you to win contracts.
You may be able to use a specialist third party reusable transport packaging provider to source containers and reduce upfront costs of design and manufacture. Providers may offer a packaging lease or management service which could reduce your ongoing costs.
Disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main disadvantage of sustainable or reusable transport packaging systems is cost.
One-off costs of a sustainable transport packaging system include:
- the initial purchase of reusable containers
- modifications to handling and transport facilities
- additional costs of the tracking system, eg software packages, bar code labelling/reading equipment, electronic chips and detectors
You may be able to reduce these initial costs by leasing transport containers rather than buying them, or by using a slightly less sturdy design.
Ongoing costs will include the logistics of returning your reusable packaging and maintenance. It may be cost-effective to have a dedicated staff resource to operate your sustainable transport packaging system.
Sustainable transport packaging can be less flexible if your products or transit needs change and your packaging design needs to be altered.
Materials used in sustainable transport packaging may still be harmful to the environment, eg plastic or metal. You should ensure that you have a sustainable end-of-life plan for your sustainable transport packaging, eg recycling or reuse.
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Reuse one-trip transit packaging
How your business can reuse one-trip transit and collation packaging a limited number of times to reduce costs.
Although dedicated reusable systems generally offer the best solution, one-trip packaging can sometimes be made multi-purpose or reused several times.
Corrugated and plastic transit cases are available that double as in-store display cases, with the lids and sides acting as the display framework with the products visible inside. A number of large retail chains now use such transit packaging, sometimes with a pallet-style base or wheeled base. It is also known as 'shelf-ready packaging'.
You may be able to sell your waste corrugated cases to a cardboard box merchant for reuse rather than to a paper/board merchant for recycling. This will maximise your revenue. Similarly, you may be able to send used drums for reconditioning and sell wooden pallets to a pallet merchant.
If you cannot reuse or sell it, you may be able to donate used packaging to other businesses or to schools or nurseries.
Although it will not raise revenue, this approach will at least reduce the volume of your general waste and your disposal costs. You must, however, make sure you observe the waste duty of care.
Making a little effort to separate packaging materials and keep them clean can increase the opportunities for reuse or recycling. Separating used packaging before it becomes mixed in the skip will help to reduce contamination.
Consider setting up an on-site system for preparing drums, intermediate bulk containers and other liquid containers for reuse. Some businesses benefit significantly from the on-site drainage, washing, relabelling and reuse of drums and other containers.
If the design of the packaging is inhibiting reuse, consider redesigning it. For example, you may be able to encourage the reuse of corrugated cases by eliminating staples. Review options for whether packaging designed for one trip can be reused for another purpose or by another organisation.
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Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
How to cut down on transit packaging disposal costs for your business by making better use of skips and containers.
Ideally, you should recondition or recycle waste packaging wherever possible. However, even if it has been reused, packaging will ultimately have to be disposed of. There are a number of measures that you can take to minimise your waste disposal costs:
- Separate hazardous packaging waste properly. Mixing hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste makes the whole load hazardous and increases costs dramatically.
- Use the best skips. Ask your waste management contractor if you can rent covered front-end loader (FEL) or larger rear-end loader (REL) units rather than ordinary open skips. FELs and RELs can be emptied into a waste collection compactor vehicle, which is cheaper than having whole skips removed and replaced.
- Use your waste containers effectively. Skips are often used inefficiently and emptied when only partially full. This increases your waste disposal costs as the number of collections and transport costs are a key element of pricing.
- Use the largest containers you can. Assuming that there are no health or environmental risks associated with longer storage (eg odour and leakage), it is generally best to use the largest skips possible.
- Consider buying or leasing volume reduction equipment. Shredders, balers, compactors, roll packers and drum crushers can reduce the volume of general and compressible waste to about 20 per cent of its original volume.
- Get the best waste contractor deal. Waste removal costs can vary greatly between waste management businesses so you should shop around for the most appropriate deal.
- Get good data from your contractor. Ask your contractor to provide waste disposal data by weight to help you monitor and minimise packaging waste.
- Purchase and operate high-value equipment jointly with other businesses. This could be beneficial if you only have small volumes of waste.
- Consider energy recovery. Options include a small energy-from-waste plant or a combined heat and power plant. Large businesses can bring together waste from all their sites to make this feasible, while smaller businesses could collaborate.
If you don't transport your waste packaging materials yourself, you must use a licensed waste carrier.
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How to reduce transport packaging
In this guide:
- Transport packaging
- What is transport packaging?
- Top tips to reduce transit packaging
- How to reduce transport packaging
- Recycle transport packaging
- Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
- What is sustainable transport packaging?
- Manage a reusable transit packaging system
- Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
- Reuse one-trip transit packaging
- Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
What is transport packaging?
Types of transport packaging such as transit and delivery packaging and sustainable transport packaging options.
Packaging is available in many forms. The type of transport packaging you need depends on the goods or materials you're transporting and the level of protection required.
Categories of packaging
The three main categories of packaging are:
- primary packaging - also known as sales packaging, this protects and identifies the product
- secondary packaging - groups or binds more than one item together
- tertiary packaging - also known as transport packaging, this protects the product during storage and transportation
Packaging goods and materials for transit usually involves a combination of the three types, for example cardboard retail packaging covered by plastic binding on a pallet.
Types of transport packaging
The three main types of transport packaging are:
- containers
- pallets
- liquid storage tanks or drums
Containers such as boxes and crates can be made from many types of material including cardboard, plastic and metal.
Pallets are traditionally made from wood although plastic pallets are an option.
Liquid storage containers can be made from metal or plastic.
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Top tips to reduce transit packaging
Take a step-by-step approach to reducing the amount of transit packaging materials you produce and dispose of.
Using a systematic approach is likely to be the most effective way of making your transit-packaging use more efficient.
1. Win support and the initial review
To ensure that your efforts are taken seriously, you need to convince senior management that your business would benefit from keeping packaging to a minimum.
You may want to carry out an initial review to gather evidence. You could do this, for example, by walking round your site to identify areas of waste and opportunities for improvement. You could estimate the savings associated with a few of the more promising improvements.
2. Appoint a co-ordinator
It is useful to have one overall project co-ordinator or 'champion' to lead the work, such as your logistics manager or environmental manager. You should also get the right people involved. This could include:
- procurement and purchasing staff
- environmental and waste-management staff
- manufacturing and logistics managers
- marketing and product-development staff
- key external organisations such as packaging and material suppliers
- customers
3. Gather information on packaging use and disposal
Gathering information can help you to identify areas of significant waste and comply with legislation. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations require businesses to gather accurate data on the weight of packaging that they 'handle'. This means that you need to think about all the packaging associated with supply, including display, collation and transit packaging. You should also consider imported packaging for which you were the end-user.
4. Analyse data and identify areas for improvement
You should use key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you compare packaging use. KPIs for packaging management include:
- packaging cost per item, eg pence/item or £/tonne
- packaging waste per item, eg kilogram/item or kilogram/tonne
As well as analysing the data, it is useful to convert each waste quantity into a financial value that takes account of both material and disposal costs. This can help you to make the case for improvements.
5. Prioritise improvement options
Once you have identified where there may be scope for improvement, you should consider the options and rank them in order of priority. Think about each improvement option in terms of its cost to the business, its likely benefit or savings and the level of difficulty in implementing it.
Giving priority to the easier and low-cost measures will achieve quick results. This will help to motivate everyone concerned. However, longer term solutions may provide you with the highest overall cost savings.
6. Produce an action plan
Once you have considered the various options, you should prepare an action plan that describes what will be done, who will do it and when. Your plan should contain simple, measurable, achievable, realistic targets within appropriate timescales.
7. Implement the action plan
Implementation may involve all sorts of measures, from packaging redesign to introducing reusable systems.
It is important to get everyone involved in implementing the plan, from the managing director down to those, for example, who collect and separate packaging materials.
8. Review progress
Once the action plan is in place, you should review progress against targets regularly - perhaps every six months initially, and then on an annual basis.
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How to reduce transport packaging
Ways to reduce transport packaging by limiting the amount of packaging used and innovative ways to avoid its use.
Reducing your use of transport packaging is cost-effective good for the environment. You can avoid the need for transport packaging altogether, eg by a change in working practices or introducing a new item of equipment.
Ways to reduce transport packaging
You can make reductions in transport packaging by:
- Avoiding extra layers - poor practices result in goods being packaged in too many layers. For example, goods are sometimes wrapped in multiple layers, where at least one layer is redundant.
- Improving cleanliness - better cleaning in the workplace and throughout the distribution chain reduces the risk of product and packaging contamination.
- Improving product handling - eg through staff training and improved equipment. This reduces the risk of product damage and the need for packaging.
- Just-in-time delivery - the product spends less time in the warehouse and is at less risk of contamination and physical damage.
- Bulk delivery - materials delivered in bulk can avoid the need for packaging. Bulk delivery of liquids and powders can eliminate the need for drums and other containers.
- Change the product itself - a minor redesign of a product, eg a slight change to a dimension or a material, may allow you to significantly reduce the packaging used to protect it.
- Alternative on-site handling and distribution - eg you can pipe liquids and powders around the site, while you can move certain light objects around site pneumatically.
- Alternatives to pallets - you can handle quite heavy loads using slip sheets and push-pull units or, where the load is particularly light, by hand.
- Optimise one stage of packaging - eg redesigning a product's shelf-ready packaging to make it stronger could mean you can reduce the packaging needed to protect it during transport.
- Rationalising your packaging - using standard types and sizes of packaging for a range of different products can help with economies of scale, flexibility and reduced warehousing needs. It also enables continuity through the supply chain and the ability to swap out broken or damaged packaging more easily.
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Recycle transport packaging
How to recycle transport packaging successfully by carefully separating, storing and presenting waste transit packaging.
Most clean transport packaging materials can be either sold or removed free of charge. Recycling businesses or waste-exchange can ensure your transport packaging is successfully recycled.
How to recycle your transport packaging
It is important to correctly prepare your transport packaging for recycling.
- Separate wastes effectively at the source. This reduces contamination, eg from tape, labels, staples and chemicals. Use colour-coded boxes to allow easy separation of transport packaging materials. Make sure that these boxes are close to the waste-producing process and make staff aware of where they are.
- Empty and/or clean packaging carefully. This will improve the percentage of the transport packaging being taken for reconditioning or recycling. This can make packaging ordinary waste rather than hazardous waste.
- Avoid using mixed materials, eg metal or plastic closures on a cardboard box. This should make it easier to carry out recycling. Single material designs are desirable for recycling.
- Clearly mark the packaging. Indicate what types of material are used in your transport packaging so that materials can be separated more easily from mixed waste streams. Plastics can be embossed with the appropriate symbol to eliminate the need for a separate label.
- Consider whether you can compost the packaging, eg paper and board can be mixed with garden waste to produce quality compost. Your local council or waste management contractor may be able to take your transport packaging waste for composting.
- Clean contaminated packaging materials. This can increase their value. Careful storage in covered and clearly labelled skips and bins can ensure that materials do not become mixed or contaminated by other materials, water or food (which can attract vermin). Wet paper loads may be rejected by recyclers because they are difficult to handle.
- Bulk up loads. Recycling may not be economical for sites with low quantities of materials. However, you can increase tonnages by bringing material from several sites through back-haulage in vehicles used for delivery to a central point. Larger tonnages in one place are far more attractive to recyclers.
- Check your packaging is being recycled. You should request information from your contractor which proves that your transport packaging waste is being recycled and not sent to landfill.
You should make sure you handle materials for recycling properly. You may need authorisation to deal with transport packaging waste from other businesses.
Transport packaging waste exchange
Invest Northern Ireland's Resource Matching Service works directly with businesses to match wasted resources with resource needs. Your transport packaging could be a valuable raw material to another local business. Find out more about the Resource Matching Service and upcoming free resource matching workshops.
Transport packaging and producer obligations
If your business handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year and has a turnover of more than £2 million then the producer responsibility obligations applies to your business.
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Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
How to improve the efficiency of your one-trip packaging by using fewer materials and sustainable transit packing.
You should use optimised one-trip packaging if you cannot reuse your transport packaging. Good packaging design and good working practices can optimise the amount of transport packaging you use and reduce waste.
Efficient use of transport boxes and corrugated cases
You can make transporting boxes and corrugated cases more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap instead of a box
- optimising the design of the box to reduce unused space within it
- use smaller boxes
Efficient use of transport drums and intermediate bulk containers
You can make transporting drums and intermediate bulk containers more efficient by:
- using plastic drums, intermediate bulk containers or corrugated drums instead of metal
- ensuring that the drums you use are as lightweight as possible
Efficient use of transport collation packs
You can make transporting collation packs more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap alone
- using larger denominations or different formats to save packaging material
Efficient use of transport packaging fill materials
You can make transporting fill materials more efficient by:
- altering the container's design to eliminate unused internal space
- using paper and used corrugated board as a cheaper fill alternative
Efficient use of transport box closures
You can make transporting box closures more efficient by:
- avoiding using staples which can reduce the possibility of reuse, and make it more difficult to recycle
- avoiding the use of adhesive tape as a closure - you may be able to secure a corrugated box simply by interlocking the flaps
- using plastic strapping or banding where a box has a separate or detachable lid and/or base
Efficient use of transport plastic wrapping
You can make transporting shrink-wrap, stretch-wrap and plastic bags more efficient by:
- using a thinner material
- using a different polymer to provide the same level of protection at lower cost and weight
- using automatic or semi-automatic pallet wrappers to reduce the use of stretch-wrap
Efficient use of transport pallets
You can make transporting pallet loads more efficient by:
- using palletisation software to help you to optimise the load
- using shrink-wrap or strapping/banding rather that stretch-wrap for better stability
- using specialist lightweight, one-trip wooden pallets
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What is sustainable transport packaging?
Types of reusable transport packaging which can reduce waste and help to attract sustainability-conscious customers.
Transport packaging which can be reused many times and over a long period can save your business money. Savings are possible through cost reductions when dealing with transport packaging waste and the resources needed to make new packaging.
Types of sustainable transport packaging
Some of the most popular types of sustainable transport packaging are:
- pallets - traditional wooden pallets can be reused many times, while plastic pallets are also now available
- drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) - smaller steel and plastic drums are available while IBCs usually have a capacity of 1,000 litres
- crates, boxes and trays - many types, shape and size of crate, box and tray are available, traditionally made of wood but now available in plastic
- separators, layer pads and collars - these keep layers of goods apart and provide extra stability while collars and frames, cornerpieces and edge-protectors protect the load from any banding
- pallet boxes/systems - these consist of a robust fork-lift base and lid that lock to a deep and heavy-duty (double or triple-wall) corrugated board sleeve, which is generally collapsible
- slip sheets and push-pull systems - these are plastic or corrugated sheets that can be placed under loads, as an alternative to a pallet, taking up very little space and are cheaper
- metal cages and stillages - still widely used in the UK, eg to collect waste packaging around large retail stores, but now less widely used for external transport
- specialist reusable systems for a specific product - more expensive than using 'off-the-peg' packaging, specialist systems can offer distribution and handling benefits, and can reduce costs in the longer term
Reconditioned and leased transport packaging
Many businesses use reconditioned transport packaging such as boxes, drums, pallets and crates to minimise their transit packaging costs. Over 60 per cent (by weight) of steel drums are reconditioned for reuse in the UK, while over 15 per cent of plastic drums are reused.
Leasing is also common for drums, IBCs, pallets, crates, layer pads, collars, etc and can be organised through third-party organisations.
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Manage a reusable transit packaging system
How to make sure that your system of reusing transit packaging is run smoothly and efficiently for your business.
Systems that reuse transit packaging will only save you money if the containers are actually reused and the system is operated efficiently. This means keeping the number of units to a minimum and recovering the packaging quickly.
Managing the scheme
With large schemes, it may be cost-effective to have a dedicated manager with no other duties. You may also wish to consider asking a specialist third party to manage the scheme. This can sometimes be more cost-effective than doing it in-house.
Number of units required
It is important you work out the correct number of containers required, especially as at any given time some of them will be in transit, at customer or supplier premises or being prepared for reuse. The longer the delay, the greater the total number you will need to maintain the flow of goods.
Transport and logistics
Ideally, you should collect reusable packaging as you deliver and then backhaul it. This is straightforward if only one delivery is being made, but when several deliveries are made in one trip, the recovered packaging has to be carried onwards to the next delivery.
Other potential issues to resolve when operating your own packaging reuse scheme include:
- limited influence with your customers in ensuring the timely return of containers
- complicated arrangements when it's necessary to collect a small number of containers or irregular consignments from several sites
Scale of the scheme
Small-scale schemes can work well when you have a limited number of suppliers and/or customers, and where they are concentrated regionally.
Large-scale packaging reuse schemes are generally more efficient than smaller ones. These larger schemes offer two main advantages:
- you can negotiate better prices for larger container orders and tend to have more influence over the prompt return of containers
- having more site locations, journeys and containers involved makes it easier and cheaper to smooth out local variations and maintain packaging stocks at the level required to match demand
Tracking and timely return of containers
One of the key issues in any scheme is to track containers and make sure they are returned promptly by suppliers and customers. One option is to draw up a formal contract spelling out each party's responsibilities. If you feel that this approach could sour your relationship with your customer, opt for a more informal 'gentlemen's agreement' - but remember that such agreements are hard to enforce.
It is also important to have some sort of tracking system that allows you to identify the number of containers at each possible location.
Container cleaning and refurbishment
Make sure that reusable packaging is separated, cleaned, checked for damage and refurbished as appropriate before each reuse.
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Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
Sustainable transport packaging has benefits for the environment and your business but also consider the drawbacks.
Sustainability is becoming more important for the public and in business. Transport packaging waste can be costly to your business and the environment.
More sustainable forms of transport and delivery packaging, whether biodegradable materials or simply sturdy containers designed for ongoing use, can improve your environmental performance and image.
However you need to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of sustainable transport packaging.
Advantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main advantage of using sustainable transport packaging is reducing your impact on the environment.
Transport packaging waste can be harmful, difficult to recycle and can end up in landfill. By ensuring your containers and pallets can be reused, your business will have less waste to dispose of.
Potential cost savings of sustainable transport packaging include:
- reduced raw material and waste disposal costs
- reduced handling and storage
- reduced costs of complying with the packaging waste regulations
A more sustainable approach to packaging will reflect well on your business and may attract customers who value environmental responsibility.
Environmental clauses are common in tendering so demonstrating a strong commitment to reusable transport packaging may help you to win contracts.
You may be able to use a specialist third party reusable transport packaging provider to source containers and reduce upfront costs of design and manufacture. Providers may offer a packaging lease or management service which could reduce your ongoing costs.
Disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main disadvantage of sustainable or reusable transport packaging systems is cost.
One-off costs of a sustainable transport packaging system include:
- the initial purchase of reusable containers
- modifications to handling and transport facilities
- additional costs of the tracking system, eg software packages, bar code labelling/reading equipment, electronic chips and detectors
You may be able to reduce these initial costs by leasing transport containers rather than buying them, or by using a slightly less sturdy design.
Ongoing costs will include the logistics of returning your reusable packaging and maintenance. It may be cost-effective to have a dedicated staff resource to operate your sustainable transport packaging system.
Sustainable transport packaging can be less flexible if your products or transit needs change and your packaging design needs to be altered.
Materials used in sustainable transport packaging may still be harmful to the environment, eg plastic or metal. You should ensure that you have a sustainable end-of-life plan for your sustainable transport packaging, eg recycling or reuse.
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Reuse one-trip transit packaging
How your business can reuse one-trip transit and collation packaging a limited number of times to reduce costs.
Although dedicated reusable systems generally offer the best solution, one-trip packaging can sometimes be made multi-purpose or reused several times.
Corrugated and plastic transit cases are available that double as in-store display cases, with the lids and sides acting as the display framework with the products visible inside. A number of large retail chains now use such transit packaging, sometimes with a pallet-style base or wheeled base. It is also known as 'shelf-ready packaging'.
You may be able to sell your waste corrugated cases to a cardboard box merchant for reuse rather than to a paper/board merchant for recycling. This will maximise your revenue. Similarly, you may be able to send used drums for reconditioning and sell wooden pallets to a pallet merchant.
If you cannot reuse or sell it, you may be able to donate used packaging to other businesses or to schools or nurseries.
Although it will not raise revenue, this approach will at least reduce the volume of your general waste and your disposal costs. You must, however, make sure you observe the waste duty of care.
Making a little effort to separate packaging materials and keep them clean can increase the opportunities for reuse or recycling. Separating used packaging before it becomes mixed in the skip will help to reduce contamination.
Consider setting up an on-site system for preparing drums, intermediate bulk containers and other liquid containers for reuse. Some businesses benefit significantly from the on-site drainage, washing, relabelling and reuse of drums and other containers.
If the design of the packaging is inhibiting reuse, consider redesigning it. For example, you may be able to encourage the reuse of corrugated cases by eliminating staples. Review options for whether packaging designed for one trip can be reused for another purpose or by another organisation.
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Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
How to cut down on transit packaging disposal costs for your business by making better use of skips and containers.
Ideally, you should recondition or recycle waste packaging wherever possible. However, even if it has been reused, packaging will ultimately have to be disposed of. There are a number of measures that you can take to minimise your waste disposal costs:
- Separate hazardous packaging waste properly. Mixing hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste makes the whole load hazardous and increases costs dramatically.
- Use the best skips. Ask your waste management contractor if you can rent covered front-end loader (FEL) or larger rear-end loader (REL) units rather than ordinary open skips. FELs and RELs can be emptied into a waste collection compactor vehicle, which is cheaper than having whole skips removed and replaced.
- Use your waste containers effectively. Skips are often used inefficiently and emptied when only partially full. This increases your waste disposal costs as the number of collections and transport costs are a key element of pricing.
- Use the largest containers you can. Assuming that there are no health or environmental risks associated with longer storage (eg odour and leakage), it is generally best to use the largest skips possible.
- Consider buying or leasing volume reduction equipment. Shredders, balers, compactors, roll packers and drum crushers can reduce the volume of general and compressible waste to about 20 per cent of its original volume.
- Get the best waste contractor deal. Waste removal costs can vary greatly between waste management businesses so you should shop around for the most appropriate deal.
- Get good data from your contractor. Ask your contractor to provide waste disposal data by weight to help you monitor and minimise packaging waste.
- Purchase and operate high-value equipment jointly with other businesses. This could be beneficial if you only have small volumes of waste.
- Consider energy recovery. Options include a small energy-from-waste plant or a combined heat and power plant. Large businesses can bring together waste from all their sites to make this feasible, while smaller businesses could collaborate.
If you don't transport your waste packaging materials yourself, you must use a licensed waste carrier.
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Top tips to reduce transit packaging
In this guide:
- Transport packaging
- What is transport packaging?
- Top tips to reduce transit packaging
- How to reduce transport packaging
- Recycle transport packaging
- Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
- What is sustainable transport packaging?
- Manage a reusable transit packaging system
- Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
- Reuse one-trip transit packaging
- Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
What is transport packaging?
Types of transport packaging such as transit and delivery packaging and sustainable transport packaging options.
Packaging is available in many forms. The type of transport packaging you need depends on the goods or materials you're transporting and the level of protection required.
Categories of packaging
The three main categories of packaging are:
- primary packaging - also known as sales packaging, this protects and identifies the product
- secondary packaging - groups or binds more than one item together
- tertiary packaging - also known as transport packaging, this protects the product during storage and transportation
Packaging goods and materials for transit usually involves a combination of the three types, for example cardboard retail packaging covered by plastic binding on a pallet.
Types of transport packaging
The three main types of transport packaging are:
- containers
- pallets
- liquid storage tanks or drums
Containers such as boxes and crates can be made from many types of material including cardboard, plastic and metal.
Pallets are traditionally made from wood although plastic pallets are an option.
Liquid storage containers can be made from metal or plastic.
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Top tips to reduce transit packaging
Take a step-by-step approach to reducing the amount of transit packaging materials you produce and dispose of.
Using a systematic approach is likely to be the most effective way of making your transit-packaging use more efficient.
1. Win support and the initial review
To ensure that your efforts are taken seriously, you need to convince senior management that your business would benefit from keeping packaging to a minimum.
You may want to carry out an initial review to gather evidence. You could do this, for example, by walking round your site to identify areas of waste and opportunities for improvement. You could estimate the savings associated with a few of the more promising improvements.
2. Appoint a co-ordinator
It is useful to have one overall project co-ordinator or 'champion' to lead the work, such as your logistics manager or environmental manager. You should also get the right people involved. This could include:
- procurement and purchasing staff
- environmental and waste-management staff
- manufacturing and logistics managers
- marketing and product-development staff
- key external organisations such as packaging and material suppliers
- customers
3. Gather information on packaging use and disposal
Gathering information can help you to identify areas of significant waste and comply with legislation. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations require businesses to gather accurate data on the weight of packaging that they 'handle'. This means that you need to think about all the packaging associated with supply, including display, collation and transit packaging. You should also consider imported packaging for which you were the end-user.
4. Analyse data and identify areas for improvement
You should use key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you compare packaging use. KPIs for packaging management include:
- packaging cost per item, eg pence/item or £/tonne
- packaging waste per item, eg kilogram/item or kilogram/tonne
As well as analysing the data, it is useful to convert each waste quantity into a financial value that takes account of both material and disposal costs. This can help you to make the case for improvements.
5. Prioritise improvement options
Once you have identified where there may be scope for improvement, you should consider the options and rank them in order of priority. Think about each improvement option in terms of its cost to the business, its likely benefit or savings and the level of difficulty in implementing it.
Giving priority to the easier and low-cost measures will achieve quick results. This will help to motivate everyone concerned. However, longer term solutions may provide you with the highest overall cost savings.
6. Produce an action plan
Once you have considered the various options, you should prepare an action plan that describes what will be done, who will do it and when. Your plan should contain simple, measurable, achievable, realistic targets within appropriate timescales.
7. Implement the action plan
Implementation may involve all sorts of measures, from packaging redesign to introducing reusable systems.
It is important to get everyone involved in implementing the plan, from the managing director down to those, for example, who collect and separate packaging materials.
8. Review progress
Once the action plan is in place, you should review progress against targets regularly - perhaps every six months initially, and then on an annual basis.
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How to reduce transport packaging
Ways to reduce transport packaging by limiting the amount of packaging used and innovative ways to avoid its use.
Reducing your use of transport packaging is cost-effective good for the environment. You can avoid the need for transport packaging altogether, eg by a change in working practices or introducing a new item of equipment.
Ways to reduce transport packaging
You can make reductions in transport packaging by:
- Avoiding extra layers - poor practices result in goods being packaged in too many layers. For example, goods are sometimes wrapped in multiple layers, where at least one layer is redundant.
- Improving cleanliness - better cleaning in the workplace and throughout the distribution chain reduces the risk of product and packaging contamination.
- Improving product handling - eg through staff training and improved equipment. This reduces the risk of product damage and the need for packaging.
- Just-in-time delivery - the product spends less time in the warehouse and is at less risk of contamination and physical damage.
- Bulk delivery - materials delivered in bulk can avoid the need for packaging. Bulk delivery of liquids and powders can eliminate the need for drums and other containers.
- Change the product itself - a minor redesign of a product, eg a slight change to a dimension or a material, may allow you to significantly reduce the packaging used to protect it.
- Alternative on-site handling and distribution - eg you can pipe liquids and powders around the site, while you can move certain light objects around site pneumatically.
- Alternatives to pallets - you can handle quite heavy loads using slip sheets and push-pull units or, where the load is particularly light, by hand.
- Optimise one stage of packaging - eg redesigning a product's shelf-ready packaging to make it stronger could mean you can reduce the packaging needed to protect it during transport.
- Rationalising your packaging - using standard types and sizes of packaging for a range of different products can help with economies of scale, flexibility and reduced warehousing needs. It also enables continuity through the supply chain and the ability to swap out broken or damaged packaging more easily.
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Recycle transport packaging
How to recycle transport packaging successfully by carefully separating, storing and presenting waste transit packaging.
Most clean transport packaging materials can be either sold or removed free of charge. Recycling businesses or waste-exchange can ensure your transport packaging is successfully recycled.
How to recycle your transport packaging
It is important to correctly prepare your transport packaging for recycling.
- Separate wastes effectively at the source. This reduces contamination, eg from tape, labels, staples and chemicals. Use colour-coded boxes to allow easy separation of transport packaging materials. Make sure that these boxes are close to the waste-producing process and make staff aware of where they are.
- Empty and/or clean packaging carefully. This will improve the percentage of the transport packaging being taken for reconditioning or recycling. This can make packaging ordinary waste rather than hazardous waste.
- Avoid using mixed materials, eg metal or plastic closures on a cardboard box. This should make it easier to carry out recycling. Single material designs are desirable for recycling.
- Clearly mark the packaging. Indicate what types of material are used in your transport packaging so that materials can be separated more easily from mixed waste streams. Plastics can be embossed with the appropriate symbol to eliminate the need for a separate label.
- Consider whether you can compost the packaging, eg paper and board can be mixed with garden waste to produce quality compost. Your local council or waste management contractor may be able to take your transport packaging waste for composting.
- Clean contaminated packaging materials. This can increase their value. Careful storage in covered and clearly labelled skips and bins can ensure that materials do not become mixed or contaminated by other materials, water or food (which can attract vermin). Wet paper loads may be rejected by recyclers because they are difficult to handle.
- Bulk up loads. Recycling may not be economical for sites with low quantities of materials. However, you can increase tonnages by bringing material from several sites through back-haulage in vehicles used for delivery to a central point. Larger tonnages in one place are far more attractive to recyclers.
- Check your packaging is being recycled. You should request information from your contractor which proves that your transport packaging waste is being recycled and not sent to landfill.
You should make sure you handle materials for recycling properly. You may need authorisation to deal with transport packaging waste from other businesses.
Transport packaging waste exchange
Invest Northern Ireland's Resource Matching Service works directly with businesses to match wasted resources with resource needs. Your transport packaging could be a valuable raw material to another local business. Find out more about the Resource Matching Service and upcoming free resource matching workshops.
Transport packaging and producer obligations
If your business handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year and has a turnover of more than £2 million then the producer responsibility obligations applies to your business.
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Efficient use of one-trip transport packaging
How to improve the efficiency of your one-trip packaging by using fewer materials and sustainable transit packing.
You should use optimised one-trip packaging if you cannot reuse your transport packaging. Good packaging design and good working practices can optimise the amount of transport packaging you use and reduce waste.
Efficient use of transport boxes and corrugated cases
You can make transporting boxes and corrugated cases more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap instead of a box
- optimising the design of the box to reduce unused space within it
- use smaller boxes
Efficient use of transport drums and intermediate bulk containers
You can make transporting drums and intermediate bulk containers more efficient by:
- using plastic drums, intermediate bulk containers or corrugated drums instead of metal
- ensuring that the drums you use are as lightweight as possible
Efficient use of transport collation packs
You can make transporting collation packs more efficient by:
- using shrink-wrap alone
- using larger denominations or different formats to save packaging material
Efficient use of transport packaging fill materials
You can make transporting fill materials more efficient by:
- altering the container's design to eliminate unused internal space
- using paper and used corrugated board as a cheaper fill alternative
Efficient use of transport box closures
You can make transporting box closures more efficient by:
- avoiding using staples which can reduce the possibility of reuse, and make it more difficult to recycle
- avoiding the use of adhesive tape as a closure - you may be able to secure a corrugated box simply by interlocking the flaps
- using plastic strapping or banding where a box has a separate or detachable lid and/or base
Efficient use of transport plastic wrapping
You can make transporting shrink-wrap, stretch-wrap and plastic bags more efficient by:
- using a thinner material
- using a different polymer to provide the same level of protection at lower cost and weight
- using automatic or semi-automatic pallet wrappers to reduce the use of stretch-wrap
Efficient use of transport pallets
You can make transporting pallet loads more efficient by:
- using palletisation software to help you to optimise the load
- using shrink-wrap or strapping/banding rather that stretch-wrap for better stability
- using specialist lightweight, one-trip wooden pallets
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What is sustainable transport packaging?
Types of reusable transport packaging which can reduce waste and help to attract sustainability-conscious customers.
Transport packaging which can be reused many times and over a long period can save your business money. Savings are possible through cost reductions when dealing with transport packaging waste and the resources needed to make new packaging.
Types of sustainable transport packaging
Some of the most popular types of sustainable transport packaging are:
- pallets - traditional wooden pallets can be reused many times, while plastic pallets are also now available
- drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) - smaller steel and plastic drums are available while IBCs usually have a capacity of 1,000 litres
- crates, boxes and trays - many types, shape and size of crate, box and tray are available, traditionally made of wood but now available in plastic
- separators, layer pads and collars - these keep layers of goods apart and provide extra stability while collars and frames, cornerpieces and edge-protectors protect the load from any banding
- pallet boxes/systems - these consist of a robust fork-lift base and lid that lock to a deep and heavy-duty (double or triple-wall) corrugated board sleeve, which is generally collapsible
- slip sheets and push-pull systems - these are plastic or corrugated sheets that can be placed under loads, as an alternative to a pallet, taking up very little space and are cheaper
- metal cages and stillages - still widely used in the UK, eg to collect waste packaging around large retail stores, but now less widely used for external transport
- specialist reusable systems for a specific product - more expensive than using 'off-the-peg' packaging, specialist systems can offer distribution and handling benefits, and can reduce costs in the longer term
Reconditioned and leased transport packaging
Many businesses use reconditioned transport packaging such as boxes, drums, pallets and crates to minimise their transit packaging costs. Over 60 per cent (by weight) of steel drums are reconditioned for reuse in the UK, while over 15 per cent of plastic drums are reused.
Leasing is also common for drums, IBCs, pallets, crates, layer pads, collars, etc and can be organised through third-party organisations.
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Manage a reusable transit packaging system
How to make sure that your system of reusing transit packaging is run smoothly and efficiently for your business.
Systems that reuse transit packaging will only save you money if the containers are actually reused and the system is operated efficiently. This means keeping the number of units to a minimum and recovering the packaging quickly.
Managing the scheme
With large schemes, it may be cost-effective to have a dedicated manager with no other duties. You may also wish to consider asking a specialist third party to manage the scheme. This can sometimes be more cost-effective than doing it in-house.
Number of units required
It is important you work out the correct number of containers required, especially as at any given time some of them will be in transit, at customer or supplier premises or being prepared for reuse. The longer the delay, the greater the total number you will need to maintain the flow of goods.
Transport and logistics
Ideally, you should collect reusable packaging as you deliver and then backhaul it. This is straightforward if only one delivery is being made, but when several deliveries are made in one trip, the recovered packaging has to be carried onwards to the next delivery.
Other potential issues to resolve when operating your own packaging reuse scheme include:
- limited influence with your customers in ensuring the timely return of containers
- complicated arrangements when it's necessary to collect a small number of containers or irregular consignments from several sites
Scale of the scheme
Small-scale schemes can work well when you have a limited number of suppliers and/or customers, and where they are concentrated regionally.
Large-scale packaging reuse schemes are generally more efficient than smaller ones. These larger schemes offer two main advantages:
- you can negotiate better prices for larger container orders and tend to have more influence over the prompt return of containers
- having more site locations, journeys and containers involved makes it easier and cheaper to smooth out local variations and maintain packaging stocks at the level required to match demand
Tracking and timely return of containers
One of the key issues in any scheme is to track containers and make sure they are returned promptly by suppliers and customers. One option is to draw up a formal contract spelling out each party's responsibilities. If you feel that this approach could sour your relationship with your customer, opt for a more informal 'gentlemen's agreement' - but remember that such agreements are hard to enforce.
It is also important to have some sort of tracking system that allows you to identify the number of containers at each possible location.
Container cleaning and refurbishment
Make sure that reusable packaging is separated, cleaned, checked for damage and refurbished as appropriate before each reuse.
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Advantages and disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
Sustainable transport packaging has benefits for the environment and your business but also consider the drawbacks.
Sustainability is becoming more important for the public and in business. Transport packaging waste can be costly to your business and the environment.
More sustainable forms of transport and delivery packaging, whether biodegradable materials or simply sturdy containers designed for ongoing use, can improve your environmental performance and image.
However you need to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of sustainable transport packaging.
Advantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main advantage of using sustainable transport packaging is reducing your impact on the environment.
Transport packaging waste can be harmful, difficult to recycle and can end up in landfill. By ensuring your containers and pallets can be reused, your business will have less waste to dispose of.
Potential cost savings of sustainable transport packaging include:
- reduced raw material and waste disposal costs
- reduced handling and storage
- reduced costs of complying with the packaging waste regulations
A more sustainable approach to packaging will reflect well on your business and may attract customers who value environmental responsibility.
Environmental clauses are common in tendering so demonstrating a strong commitment to reusable transport packaging may help you to win contracts.
You may be able to use a specialist third party reusable transport packaging provider to source containers and reduce upfront costs of design and manufacture. Providers may offer a packaging lease or management service which could reduce your ongoing costs.
Disadvantages of sustainable transport packaging
The main disadvantage of sustainable or reusable transport packaging systems is cost.
One-off costs of a sustainable transport packaging system include:
- the initial purchase of reusable containers
- modifications to handling and transport facilities
- additional costs of the tracking system, eg software packages, bar code labelling/reading equipment, electronic chips and detectors
You may be able to reduce these initial costs by leasing transport containers rather than buying them, or by using a slightly less sturdy design.
Ongoing costs will include the logistics of returning your reusable packaging and maintenance. It may be cost-effective to have a dedicated staff resource to operate your sustainable transport packaging system.
Sustainable transport packaging can be less flexible if your products or transit needs change and your packaging design needs to be altered.
Materials used in sustainable transport packaging may still be harmful to the environment, eg plastic or metal. You should ensure that you have a sustainable end-of-life plan for your sustainable transport packaging, eg recycling or reuse.
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Reuse one-trip transit packaging
How your business can reuse one-trip transit and collation packaging a limited number of times to reduce costs.
Although dedicated reusable systems generally offer the best solution, one-trip packaging can sometimes be made multi-purpose or reused several times.
Corrugated and plastic transit cases are available that double as in-store display cases, with the lids and sides acting as the display framework with the products visible inside. A number of large retail chains now use such transit packaging, sometimes with a pallet-style base or wheeled base. It is also known as 'shelf-ready packaging'.
You may be able to sell your waste corrugated cases to a cardboard box merchant for reuse rather than to a paper/board merchant for recycling. This will maximise your revenue. Similarly, you may be able to send used drums for reconditioning and sell wooden pallets to a pallet merchant.
If you cannot reuse or sell it, you may be able to donate used packaging to other businesses or to schools or nurseries.
Although it will not raise revenue, this approach will at least reduce the volume of your general waste and your disposal costs. You must, however, make sure you observe the waste duty of care.
Making a little effort to separate packaging materials and keep them clean can increase the opportunities for reuse or recycling. Separating used packaging before it becomes mixed in the skip will help to reduce contamination.
Consider setting up an on-site system for preparing drums, intermediate bulk containers and other liquid containers for reuse. Some businesses benefit significantly from the on-site drainage, washing, relabelling and reuse of drums and other containers.
If the design of the packaging is inhibiting reuse, consider redesigning it. For example, you may be able to encourage the reuse of corrugated cases by eliminating staples. Review options for whether packaging designed for one trip can be reused for another purpose or by another organisation.
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Reduce transit packaging disposal costs
How to cut down on transit packaging disposal costs for your business by making better use of skips and containers.
Ideally, you should recondition or recycle waste packaging wherever possible. However, even if it has been reused, packaging will ultimately have to be disposed of. There are a number of measures that you can take to minimise your waste disposal costs:
- Separate hazardous packaging waste properly. Mixing hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste makes the whole load hazardous and increases costs dramatically.
- Use the best skips. Ask your waste management contractor if you can rent covered front-end loader (FEL) or larger rear-end loader (REL) units rather than ordinary open skips. FELs and RELs can be emptied into a waste collection compactor vehicle, which is cheaper than having whole skips removed and replaced.
- Use your waste containers effectively. Skips are often used inefficiently and emptied when only partially full. This increases your waste disposal costs as the number of collections and transport costs are a key element of pricing.
- Use the largest containers you can. Assuming that there are no health or environmental risks associated with longer storage (eg odour and leakage), it is generally best to use the largest skips possible.
- Consider buying or leasing volume reduction equipment. Shredders, balers, compactors, roll packers and drum crushers can reduce the volume of general and compressible waste to about 20 per cent of its original volume.
- Get the best waste contractor deal. Waste removal costs can vary greatly between waste management businesses so you should shop around for the most appropriate deal.
- Get good data from your contractor. Ask your contractor to provide waste disposal data by weight to help you monitor and minimise packaging waste.
- Purchase and operate high-value equipment jointly with other businesses. This could be beneficial if you only have small volumes of waste.
- Consider energy recovery. Options include a small energy-from-waste plant or a combined heat and power plant. Large businesses can bring together waste from all their sites to make this feasible, while smaller businesses could collaborate.
If you don't transport your waste packaging materials yourself, you must use a licensed waste carrier.
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Construction noise and pollution
Types of nuisance
Examples of nuisances and when your business may be responsible for the common or statutory nuisances you cause.
There are two main types of nuisance that your business can cause:
- statutory nuisance
- common law nuisance
What is a statutory nuisance?
Nuisances caused by certain activities set out in legislation are called statutory nuisances. A statutory nuisance can be caused by:
- noise and vibration
- smoke, fumes or gases
- dust
- steam
- odours
- kept animals
- waste deposits, for example with the risk of vermin
- poor state of premises
- foul, stagnant or obstructed water
- insects coming from your business premises
- artificial lighting
Your local council can serve you with an abatement notice if your local environmental health officer finds that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur.
An abatement notice can require you to:
- stop causing a nuisance or impose restrictions on your operations to prevent any further occurrence
- carry out works or take other steps to restrict or remove the nuisance
An abatement notice is a legal document and if you do not comply with it you could be prosecuted.
Individuals can also bring a statutory nuisance case to court.
What is a common law nuisance?
If you cause a nuisance that causes harm to people or damages property you may be causing a private nuisance and could be sued by individuals or organisations. You may have to attend a court hearing and pay compensation or damages.
If the nuisance is affecting a public space or a large number of people, you may be causing a public nuisance. You may have to pay compensation or damages. Your local council may also take action against you to restrict your activities or prosecute you.
If the nuisance occurs because of a structural defect on your premises, action may be taken against you as the owner of the premises, even if you're not the person responsible for causing the nuisance. Action may be taken against you if the person responsible for causing the nuisance cannot be found. You can also be found liable if the nuisance has not yet occurred but is likely to occur.
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Good practice to avoid causing nuisance
How your business can avoid nuisance disputes and how to successfully deal with complaints about nuisance.
You may have to pay compensation for any damage caused if you create a public or private nuisance. If you cause a statutory nuisance your local council may make you carry out, or pay for, work to stop or reduce the nuisance.
How to avoid causing a nuisance
Make sure that your business activities are not:
- damaging, or likely to damage, people's health
- preventing or interfering with people's rightful use and enjoyment of land
- interfering with public space and public land
If you identify any nuisance you should take all reasonable steps to prevent or minimise it. To avoid causing a nuisance, you should:
- check your site for waste or evidence of vermin regularly
- check noise, odours and other emissions at the boundary, and in the locality, of your site - do this during different operating conditions and at different times of the day
- ensure operations are managed in a controlled and consistent manner, and in accordance with all relevant permits, licences and registered waste exemptions
- keep your site clean
- tell your staff why they need to avoid creating a nuisance, and how they can do this
You should ensure that nuisance events do not become persistent and regular as this is more likely to result in legal action.
Try to maintain good relations with your neighbours. Give neighbours early warning of any particular activities that you plan to carry out, such as building work or installing new plant.
Notify your local council's environmental health department and your local Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) office in advance of any event that is likely to generate a nuisance that may cause complaints.
Display details of a contact person for your site so that local residents know who to contact with any concerns and you can deal with them quickly.
How to deal with complaints about nuisances
If you receive a complaint make sure you:
- keep a record of the complaint
- investigate the complaint, for example check the activity operation and the boundary of the site
- deal with it promptly and appropriately, and tell the complainer what actions you have taken
- record the results of investigations and any resulting actions
- use the information to improve your procedures and prevent further complaints
You may want to inform your local council environmental health department and your local NIEA office of any complaints, depending on the nature of the complaint and what your permits, licences or registered waste exemptions require.
If a complaint is made to your local council, an environmental health officer will assess if you have caused a statutory nuisance. If a complaint is made to NIEA, officers will assess if you have breached your permit conditions.
Ask your local council's environmental health officer and NIEA to inform you of any concerns or complaints they receive. You may be able to deal with these complaints before formal action is taken.
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Noise and vibration nuisances
How your business can avoid causing noise and vibration nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.
Noise and vibration caused by your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit noise and vibration to avoid causing a nuisance.
Permit and exemption noise conditions
If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, a waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may contain conditions that control emissions, such as noise and vibration. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (either the Northern Ireland Environment Agency or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
Prevent your burglar alarm from causing a nuisance
If your business is in a designated alarm notification area you must:
- register your burglar alarm with your local council
- provide details of a person who holds the site's keys
- make sure the key holder knows how to use the alarm system
You could be fined if you don't register. Contact your local council to find out if your business is in an alarm notification area.
Prevent your burglar alarms from causing a nuisance by making sure that:
- you have a maintenance contract and a callout agreement
- the alarm automatically shuts down after no longer than 20 minutes
Good practice to limit noise and vibration
You should avoid or minimise noisy activities, particularly at night. Pay particular attention to noise and vibration created by your traffic movements, reversing alarms and deliveries. If you operate a night shift, move materials into the work area during the day or early evening.
Switch off radios and loudspeakers unless necessary.
Keep noisy activities and equipment away from areas where noise may cause a nuisance, such as your site boundary. You can use existing buildings to shield the noise source.
Use solid panelled fencing around your site instead of wire fencing. This can help to screen the source and reduce the level of noise from your site.
If possible, landscape your site boundary with mounds or raised borders to further reduce noise nuisance to your neighbours.
Ensure your buildings have adequate soundproofing and shut your doors and windows to reduce noise.
Stand outside your site boundary and listen for noise that neighbours may consider to be a nuisance. This is especially important when installing or moving equipment.
How to stop your vehicles and machinery causing a nuisance
Service your vehicles and machinery regularly. Correctly maintained equipment will make less noise and will be less likely to break down.
Fit noise-reducing devices, such as silencers and baffles, to your machinery, or contain machinery within enclosures.
Use mains-generated electricity instead of diesel generators.
Reduce noise from your vehicles by:
- setting up a one-way driving system on your site to minimise the use of vehicle reversing alarms, and consider using broadband reversing alarms that use white noise
- imposing speed limits on your site
- turning off engines when they are not in use
- checking brakes are properly adjusted and tyres correctly inflated
- not revving engines unnecessarily
- only using horns in emergencies
- replacing exhaust systems as soon as they become noisy
- replacing vehicles with quieter models or electric or gas-powered alternatives
When you replace vehicles or machinery, consider buying quieter alternatives. New equipment can introduce a noise problem. You should carry out a noise assessment before you install a new piece of equipment.
Loudspeakers
You must not use loudspeakers or public address (PA) systems in a public place for any kind of advertising, except from a vehicle selling fresh food, for example ice cream vans. In this case you may use a PA system only between the hours of midday and 7pm.
If you want to use loudspeakers or a PA system outside of these hours, you must have consent from your local council. You must specify the time, date, location and duration of use in your application and submit it 21 days before it is needed.
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Odour, dust and smoke nuisances
How you can avoid causing odour, dust and smoke nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.
Odour, dust or smoke from your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit the amount of odour, dust and smoke you create to avoid causing a nuisance.
Permit and exemption conditions for smoke, dust or odour
If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may have conditions that control emissions, such as smoke, dust or odour. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
How to avoid odour nuisances
Certain odours can be considered a nuisance. To determine whether an odour is a statutory nuisance, or whether it is in breach of permit or licence conditions or your registered waste exemption, a council environmental health officer or NIEA officer will assess:
- its intensity
- its character - easily recognised odours are often a greater nuisance
- its source and the prevailing weather conditions, such as wind direction and speed
- the time and duration of its release
- the intensity of its effect - how annoying, intrusive or offensive it is
- whether the odour would be expected in that location
- what measures are required to stop the cause of the nuisance
Assess whether odours are likely to be emitted from your site and the most likely sources, and put appropriate control measures in place. Make this a part of your routine site inspections.
Control or stop the odour at its source. You should be able to demonstrate that you follow good practice in your operations and that you have used the most effective means to prevent an odour nuisance.
How to avoid dust and smoke nuisances
Do not use bonfires to burn waste - you could be committing an offence. Instead find ways to reuse, recover, recycle or correctly dispose of your waste.
If you must burn waste, follow legal requirements to avoid committing an offence - see burning waste.
Keep equipment that reduces dust and smoke emissions, such as filters and cyclones, in good working order. Make sure that where dust is collected it is emptied on a frequent basis and disposed of correctly.
Make sure boilers, especially oil or solid fuel units, are operating efficiently and do not emit excessive smoke - see preventing air pollution.
You can plant shrubs and trees in belts around the edge of your premises to help screen out dust and smoke pollution, but this should not be used in place of suitable process control or specialised equipment.
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Source URL
/content/odour-dust-and-smoke-nuisances
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Litter nuisances
How your business can avoid causing a litter nuisance and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.
You must ensure that any waste produced, stored, transported or disposed of by your business does not harm the environment. This is known as your duty of care, and you must ensure that you:
- store and transport your waste appropriately and securely to prevent it from escaping
- check that your waste is transported and handled by people or businesses that are authorised to do so
- complete waste transfer notes to record all waste you transfer and keep them as a record for at least two years
See duty of care for business waste.
If you fail to deal with a litter problem, your local council could issue you with a fine.
Street litter control notices
If it can be proved that certain litter problems have been caused by your business, your local council can issue a street litter control notice against you. This notice forces your business to clear the litter and introduces specific measures to prevent the recurrence of littering.
If you do not comply with your street litter control notice, you can be prosecuted. Alternatively, the council may issue you with a fixed penalty notice.
Outdoor advertising
If you want to advertise your business using outdoor signs, you must ensure that you do not cause a litter nuisance. Your outdoor advertisements must:
- be kept clean and tidy
- be kept in a safe condition
- be displayed with the permission of the owner of the site
- not obscure official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs or make hazardous the use of these types of transport
- be removed carefully when required
Depending on the type of advertising your business wants to use, you may need advertising consent from your local council planning section. You do not need consent to display signs in the following areas:
- enclosed land - such as bus or train stations and sports stadiums
- inside your own building
Some other signs can be displayed without consent, provided they conform to certain conditions and limitations. This includes signs relating to hotels, bed and breakfasts, and houses.
You may need consent to display the following advertisements:
- posters
- illuminated signs
- gable-end advertising
- shop-front fascias
For more information, download planning guidance on outdoor advertisements (PDF, 299K).
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Source URL
/content/litter-nuisances
Links
Artificial light nuisances
How your business can avoid causing light pollution and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.
Artificial lighting from your business could be considered a nuisance. If it is, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice and you could be liable to pay a fixed penalty or prosecuted if you do not comply. You must find ways to avoid causing a nuisance from artificial lighting.
How to avoid causing an artificial light nuisance
Plan the lighting for your site to ensure lights only come on when they are needed. A lighting plan can reduce your energy costs as well as reducing the risk of nuisance to your neighbours.
You should:
- position lights so you only need to use the minimum number of lights
- dim or switch off lights when they are not required
- use baffles, shields and louvres to reduce obtrusive light
- use lights that switch off automatically when natural light is available or when they are not required, for example using motion detectors
Angle your lights downwards or use light fittings that reduce light shining upwards. The ideal angle of lighting is less than 70 degrees from the vertical. Lights that shine upwards are more likely to cause a nuisance, waste money and create light pollution.
Check that security lights do not produce excessive glare which could affect drivers or neighbours. Only use the amount of lighting you need. Lights that are too strong can create dark shadows, which could encourage theft or vandalism on your site. Consider using security lights that are activated by movement. However, check that they are only triggered by humans and not animals.
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Source URL
/content/artificial-light-nuisances
Links
Construction noise and pollution
How to avoid causing nuisances on building sites from noise, vibration, pollution and site logistics.
Construction activates on building sites involve heavy machinery and works which can cause a nuisance. You should find ways to minimise noise, vibration and pollution during construction works.
Types of building site nuisances
Some common types of building site nuisances include:
- vibration
- dust and smoke
- light pollution
- noise pollution
- large vehicle movements
- unplanned road and pavement closures
When can construction machinery be operated?
Building, demolition and excavation machinery can operate between:
- 7am and 7pm from Monday to Friday
- 8am and 1pm on Saturdays
Local council control of construction nuisances
If your building site activities cause a nuisance, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice.
Your construction site could face restrictions on the:
- type of plant or machinery you use and the activities you can undertake
- hours when you can work
- levels of noise, artificial lighting or dust
If you do not comply with these restrictions the council can stop your construction operations and you could also be fined.
If you are planning construction work and know that it is likely to cause a nuisance, you can apply for prior consent from your local council.
Your local council will outline restrictions on possible construction nuisances before the work starts. You can apply for this consent at the same time as seeking approval under building regulations. This may save you time later on.
Join a construction best practice scheme
You can apply for best practice accreditation such as the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). This can help you to put procedures in place in your company or on individual construction sites to limit nuisances.
You can find out more about the CCS Code of Considerate Practice.
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Source URL
/content/construction-noise-and-pollution
Links
Artificial light nuisances
Types of nuisance
Examples of nuisances and when your business may be responsible for the common or statutory nuisances you cause.
There are two main types of nuisance that your business can cause:
- statutory nuisance
- common law nuisance
What is a statutory nuisance?
Nuisances caused by certain activities set out in legislation are called statutory nuisances. A statutory nuisance can be caused by:
- noise and vibration
- smoke, fumes or gases
- dust
- steam
- odours
- kept animals
- waste deposits, for example with the risk of vermin
- poor state of premises
- foul, stagnant or obstructed water
- insects coming from your business premises
- artificial lighting
Your local council can serve you with an abatement notice if your local environmental health officer finds that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur.
An abatement notice can require you to:
- stop causing a nuisance or impose restrictions on your operations to prevent any further occurrence
- carry out works or take other steps to restrict or remove the nuisance
An abatement notice is a legal document and if you do not comply with it you could be prosecuted.
Individuals can also bring a statutory nuisance case to court.
What is a common law nuisance?
If you cause a nuisance that causes harm to people or damages property you may be causing a private nuisance and could be sued by individuals or organisations. You may have to attend a court hearing and pay compensation or damages.
If the nuisance is affecting a public space or a large number of people, you may be causing a public nuisance. You may have to pay compensation or damages. Your local council may also take action against you to restrict your activities or prosecute you.
If the nuisance occurs because of a structural defect on your premises, action may be taken against you as the owner of the premises, even if you're not the person responsible for causing the nuisance. Action may be taken against you if the person responsible for causing the nuisance cannot be found. You can also be found liable if the nuisance has not yet occurred but is likely to occur.
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Good practice to avoid causing nuisance
How your business can avoid nuisance disputes and how to successfully deal with complaints about nuisance.
You may have to pay compensation for any damage caused if you create a public or private nuisance. If you cause a statutory nuisance your local council may make you carry out, or pay for, work to stop or reduce the nuisance.
How to avoid causing a nuisance
Make sure that your business activities are not:
- damaging, or likely to damage, people's health
- preventing or interfering with people's rightful use and enjoyment of land
- interfering with public space and public land
If you identify any nuisance you should take all reasonable steps to prevent or minimise it. To avoid causing a nuisance, you should:
- check your site for waste or evidence of vermin regularly
- check noise, odours and other emissions at the boundary, and in the locality, of your site - do this during different operating conditions and at different times of the day
- ensure operations are managed in a controlled and consistent manner, and in accordance with all relevant permits, licences and registered waste exemptions
- keep your site clean
- tell your staff why they need to avoid creating a nuisance, and how they can do this
You should ensure that nuisance events do not become persistent and regular as this is more likely to result in legal action.
Try to maintain good relations with your neighbours. Give neighbours early warning of any particular activities that you plan to carry out, such as building work or installing new plant.
Notify your local council's environmental health department and your local Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) office in advance of any event that is likely to generate a nuisance that may cause complaints.
Display details of a contact person for your site so that local residents know who to contact with any concerns and you can deal with them quickly.
How to deal with complaints about nuisances
If you receive a complaint make sure you:
- keep a record of the complaint
- investigate the complaint, for example check the activity operation and the boundary of the site
- deal with it promptly and appropriately, and tell the complainer what actions you have taken
- record the results of investigations and any resulting actions
- use the information to improve your procedures and prevent further complaints
You may want to inform your local council environmental health department and your local NIEA office of any complaints, depending on the nature of the complaint and what your permits, licences or registered waste exemptions require.
If a complaint is made to your local council, an environmental health officer will assess if you have caused a statutory nuisance. If a complaint is made to NIEA, officers will assess if you have breached your permit conditions.
Ask your local council's environmental health officer and NIEA to inform you of any concerns or complaints they receive. You may be able to deal with these complaints before formal action is taken.
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Source URL
/content/good-practice-avoid-causing-nuisance
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Noise and vibration nuisances
How your business can avoid causing noise and vibration nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.
Noise and vibration caused by your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit noise and vibration to avoid causing a nuisance.
Permit and exemption noise conditions
If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, a waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may contain conditions that control emissions, such as noise and vibration. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (either the Northern Ireland Environment Agency or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
Prevent your burglar alarm from causing a nuisance
If your business is in a designated alarm notification area you must:
- register your burglar alarm with your local council
- provide details of a person who holds the site's keys
- make sure the key holder knows how to use the alarm system
You could be fined if you don't register. Contact your local council to find out if your business is in an alarm notification area.
Prevent your burglar alarms from causing a nuisance by making sure that:
- you have a maintenance contract and a callout agreement
- the alarm automatically shuts down after no longer than 20 minutes
Good practice to limit noise and vibration
You should avoid or minimise noisy activities, particularly at night. Pay particular attention to noise and vibration created by your traffic movements, reversing alarms and deliveries. If you operate a night shift, move materials into the work area during the day or early evening.
Switch off radios and loudspeakers unless necessary.
Keep noisy activities and equipment away from areas where noise may cause a nuisance, such as your site boundary. You can use existing buildings to shield the noise source.
Use solid panelled fencing around your site instead of wire fencing. This can help to screen the source and reduce the level of noise from your site.
If possible, landscape your site boundary with mounds or raised borders to further reduce noise nuisance to your neighbours.
Ensure your buildings have adequate soundproofing and shut your doors and windows to reduce noise.
Stand outside your site boundary and listen for noise that neighbours may consider to be a nuisance. This is especially important when installing or moving equipment.
How to stop your vehicles and machinery causing a nuisance
Service your vehicles and machinery regularly. Correctly maintained equipment will make less noise and will be less likely to break down.
Fit noise-reducing devices, such as silencers and baffles, to your machinery, or contain machinery within enclosures.
Use mains-generated electricity instead of diesel generators.
Reduce noise from your vehicles by:
- setting up a one-way driving system on your site to minimise the use of vehicle reversing alarms, and consider using broadband reversing alarms that use white noise
- imposing speed limits on your site
- turning off engines when they are not in use
- checking brakes are properly adjusted and tyres correctly inflated
- not revving engines unnecessarily
- only using horns in emergencies
- replacing exhaust systems as soon as they become noisy
- replacing vehicles with quieter models or electric or gas-powered alternatives
When you replace vehicles or machinery, consider buying quieter alternatives. New equipment can introduce a noise problem. You should carry out a noise assessment before you install a new piece of equipment.
Loudspeakers
You must not use loudspeakers or public address (PA) systems in a public place for any kind of advertising, except from a vehicle selling fresh food, for example ice cream vans. In this case you may use a PA system only between the hours of midday and 7pm.
If you want to use loudspeakers or a PA system outside of these hours, you must have consent from your local council. You must specify the time, date, location and duration of use in your application and submit it 21 days before it is needed.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/noise-and-vibration-nuisances
Links
Odour, dust and smoke nuisances
How you can avoid causing odour, dust and smoke nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.
Odour, dust or smoke from your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit the amount of odour, dust and smoke you create to avoid causing a nuisance.
Permit and exemption conditions for smoke, dust or odour
If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may have conditions that control emissions, such as smoke, dust or odour. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
How to avoid odour nuisances
Certain odours can be considered a nuisance. To determine whether an odour is a statutory nuisance, or whether it is in breach of permit or licence conditions or your registered waste exemption, a council environmental health officer or NIEA officer will assess:
- its intensity
- its character - easily recognised odours are often a greater nuisance
- its source and the prevailing weather conditions, such as wind direction and speed
- the time and duration of its release
- the intensity of its effect - how annoying, intrusive or offensive it is
- whether the odour would be expected in that location
- what measures are required to stop the cause of the nuisance
Assess whether odours are likely to be emitted from your site and the most likely sources, and put appropriate control measures in place. Make this a part of your routine site inspections.
Control or stop the odour at its source. You should be able to demonstrate that you follow good practice in your operations and that you have used the most effective means to prevent an odour nuisance.
How to avoid dust and smoke nuisances
Do not use bonfires to burn waste - you could be committing an offence. Instead find ways to reuse, recover, recycle or correctly dispose of your waste.
If you must burn waste, follow legal requirements to avoid committing an offence - see burning waste.
Keep equipment that reduces dust and smoke emissions, such as filters and cyclones, in good working order. Make sure that where dust is collected it is emptied on a frequent basis and disposed of correctly.
Make sure boilers, especially oil or solid fuel units, are operating efficiently and do not emit excessive smoke - see preventing air pollution.
You can plant shrubs and trees in belts around the edge of your premises to help screen out dust and smoke pollution, but this should not be used in place of suitable process control or specialised equipment.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/odour-dust-and-smoke-nuisances
Links
Litter nuisances
How your business can avoid causing a litter nuisance and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.
You must ensure that any waste produced, stored, transported or disposed of by your business does not harm the environment. This is known as your duty of care, and you must ensure that you:
- store and transport your waste appropriately and securely to prevent it from escaping
- check that your waste is transported and handled by people or businesses that are authorised to do so
- complete waste transfer notes to record all waste you transfer and keep them as a record for at least two years
See duty of care for business waste.
If you fail to deal with a litter problem, your local council could issue you with a fine.
Street litter control notices
If it can be proved that certain litter problems have been caused by your business, your local council can issue a street litter control notice against you. This notice forces your business to clear the litter and introduces specific measures to prevent the recurrence of littering.
If you do not comply with your street litter control notice, you can be prosecuted. Alternatively, the council may issue you with a fixed penalty notice.
Outdoor advertising
If you want to advertise your business using outdoor signs, you must ensure that you do not cause a litter nuisance. Your outdoor advertisements must:
- be kept clean and tidy
- be kept in a safe condition
- be displayed with the permission of the owner of the site
- not obscure official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs or make hazardous the use of these types of transport
- be removed carefully when required
Depending on the type of advertising your business wants to use, you may need advertising consent from your local council planning section. You do not need consent to display signs in the following areas:
- enclosed land - such as bus or train stations and sports stadiums
- inside your own building
Some other signs can be displayed without consent, provided they conform to certain conditions and limitations. This includes signs relating to hotels, bed and breakfasts, and houses.
You may need consent to display the following advertisements:
- posters
- illuminated signs
- gable-end advertising
- shop-front fascias
For more information, download planning guidance on outdoor advertisements (PDF, 299K).
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/litter-nuisances
Links
Artificial light nuisances
How your business can avoid causing light pollution and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.
Artificial lighting from your business could be considered a nuisance. If it is, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice and you could be liable to pay a fixed penalty or prosecuted if you do not comply. You must find ways to avoid causing a nuisance from artificial lighting.
How to avoid causing an artificial light nuisance
Plan the lighting for your site to ensure lights only come on when they are needed. A lighting plan can reduce your energy costs as well as reducing the risk of nuisance to your neighbours.
You should:
- position lights so you only need to use the minimum number of lights
- dim or switch off lights when they are not required
- use baffles, shields and louvres to reduce obtrusive light
- use lights that switch off automatically when natural light is available or when they are not required, for example using motion detectors
Angle your lights downwards or use light fittings that reduce light shining upwards. The ideal angle of lighting is less than 70 degrees from the vertical. Lights that shine upwards are more likely to cause a nuisance, waste money and create light pollution.
Check that security lights do not produce excessive glare which could affect drivers or neighbours. Only use the amount of lighting you need. Lights that are too strong can create dark shadows, which could encourage theft or vandalism on your site. Consider using security lights that are activated by movement. However, check that they are only triggered by humans and not animals.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/artificial-light-nuisances
Links
Construction noise and pollution
How to avoid causing nuisances on building sites from noise, vibration, pollution and site logistics.
Construction activates on building sites involve heavy machinery and works which can cause a nuisance. You should find ways to minimise noise, vibration and pollution during construction works.
Types of building site nuisances
Some common types of building site nuisances include:
- vibration
- dust and smoke
- light pollution
- noise pollution
- large vehicle movements
- unplanned road and pavement closures
When can construction machinery be operated?
Building, demolition and excavation machinery can operate between:
- 7am and 7pm from Monday to Friday
- 8am and 1pm on Saturdays
Local council control of construction nuisances
If your building site activities cause a nuisance, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice.
Your construction site could face restrictions on the:
- type of plant or machinery you use and the activities you can undertake
- hours when you can work
- levels of noise, artificial lighting or dust
If you do not comply with these restrictions the council can stop your construction operations and you could also be fined.
If you are planning construction work and know that it is likely to cause a nuisance, you can apply for prior consent from your local council.
Your local council will outline restrictions on possible construction nuisances before the work starts. You can apply for this consent at the same time as seeking approval under building regulations. This may save you time later on.
Join a construction best practice scheme
You can apply for best practice accreditation such as the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). This can help you to put procedures in place in your company or on individual construction sites to limit nuisances.
You can find out more about the CCS Code of Considerate Practice.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/construction-noise-and-pollution
Links