The company, part of the Kingfisher Retail Group which also includes DIY retailer B&Q, has achieved this through a range of initiatives, most notably the collection and sorting of its own waste. A backhauling system means the firm now has no need for traditional waste collections from its UK stores.
In the past year, 415 tonnes of waste have been diverted from landfill, with 4,700 tonnes of recycled materials collected and sorted across the country.
Screwfix quality manager Peter Harries said the initiatives are working well and the company has now achieved “zero waste to landfill status”.
He added that the new waste management system, designed with the help of recycling company SAICA Natur, allowed the firm to be “in control of waste streams and ultimately where the waste ends up – away from landfill”.
The backhauling system is simple. At each store, staff separate the waste into two streams – general waste and mixed recyclables. It is then transported in Screwfix’s fleet of delivery vehicles back to the distribution centre where recyclables are sorted for SAICA and general waste is compacted and sent to an energy-from-waste plant.
The biggest benefit, other than the reduction of waste to landfill, is that traditional waste collections have stopped, resulting in “huge” economic and space savings, said Screwfix.
edie staff