2020 Recycling & Waste Management Awards

BUILD Recycling & Waste Management Awards 2020 14 Waste Management Operator of the Year - South East England Oct20031 s a family-run company, Westminster Waste Limited brings together a team of experienced staff who have helped lead the way in waste recycling across the region since the beginning. To start, Ivan gives us a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into some of its specialisms. “Since Westminster Waste Limited started operating in 2010, we have specialised in the management of construction and demolition wastes, offering skips, roll-on roll-offs, wheelie bins and caged vehicle collections. “As a whole, we believe we are where we are because of our strong focus on quality and continuous improvement. This is further shown by winning the award of Waste Management Operator of the Year – South East England.” The UK waste management industry today is proving to be a fiercely competitive one to operate in, and as Ivan goes on to explain, maintaining high standards and remaining at the forefront of innovation has been key to the firm’s success. “Through our high quality and innovation shown in all of our company activities we have been able to stand out from the crowd. For example, we offer a 100% diversion from landfill, and our PAS402 accredited annual report shows that we continue to achieve this target each year. “The high quality of our services is also reflected in the accreditations we hold. FORS Gold and CLOCS Champion status was awarded to us in 2015, and we have retained the status since. In 2019 we were accredited with ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) and PAS402 (Waste Reporting) certifications. With a full fleet of EURO 6 standard lorries equipped with a full suite of market leading vehicle safety technology, we have been able to reduce the carbon footprint from our activities, while making the roads safer.” Regarding the internal culture in place at Westminster Waste, teamwork and making sure staff members represent company values is of most importance as Ivan goes on to explain. “Naturally, we believe that the biggest asset any company can have is their staff and it’s for that reason we invest in our drivers, making sure that our staff represent our company values when facing customers, other road users and members of the public.” As you would expect with any other company, safety plays a vital role in the workplace of Westminster Waste, and as Ivan points out this has always been at the centre of the company’s internal culture. “Getting everyone home safe is the biggest and most important task of any employer. Moreover, this is why safety is always the Established in 2010, Westminster Waste Limited is a leading waste management operator across South East England. Following on from their success in the Waste Management & Recycling Awards 2020, we got in touch with Ivan Szabo to find out more. A number one priority for our company, from the way we designed our facility, followed by training and engagement with staff, and is topped off by monitoring from the management team.” The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has proved to be a challenging time for everyone and that is no different for Westminster Waste, as Ivan explains further. “While waste management services are essential, we can only stay as active as our customers are. During the lockdown, the demand for our services dropped significantly and as a result, we found ourselves in a difficult position. The decision was made, to remain open (with skeleton staff), to ensure that the remaining customer demand can be met. “However, after the initial few weeks, we have noticed a slow but steady increase in demand for our services. After gradually bringing staff back from furlough, by mid-summer we were operating at full staff levels and we were as busy as ever. Fortunately, there has been no job losses due to Covid-19 and we have increased the size of the team to meet the demand of our customers, so we are extremely proud of that.” Finally, Ivan commented on the future of Westminster Waste and shared one or two of the firm’s plans moving forward. “The year 2020 has rewrote our plans for the year so a few of our projects have been postponed for now. To respond to the situation, we prioritised projects to improve the back-office process, and to move towards becoming paperless. Having already implemented a fully electronic visitor and induction system on our site, we will further expand this to other areas of the business. “Currently, we are also in the process of migrating to an electronic fleet management system. Once in place, this will also help us achieve Earned Recognition status with the DVSA. The final step planned in this process will be the electronic waste management software, which should not only help efficiency by cutting down admin work, but also enable us to have a massive reduction in the amount of paper we use in the business. “Our biggest project however is relocation. With our current facility in Maybank Wharf operating at full capacity, to enable the business to grow, we will need to increase our processing capacity. On top of this, we are located in a high-value development area next to the Thames in Charlton. We have already taken the first steps in this process, but 2020 has obviously delayed this project as well.” Contact: Ivan Szabo Web: www.westminsterwaste.com