9 minute read
The Big Sustainability Expo 2022 18
using – even when the company is closed. Then, visit the Expo for ways to reduce energy and waste and so much more – it’s easier than you think.
The Expo prides itself on being one of the most comprehensive events in the UK calendar. With the aim of covering as many different products, technologies, services, innovations and solutions as possible in order to help their UK-wide delegates meet their own project challenges.
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No organisation is doing everything, they are keen to stress. And no company has all the answers. But the answer right now is to begin to adopt your own environmental strategy. Step-by-step – this is a marathon not a sprint. Create your own journey with advice you can pick up on the day. One that has a well-defined, manageable framework and one that your business can hold accountable. This can still be achieved while considering the nuances of your industry sector and, very early on, they promise you will view this as less as a burden and more as a smart, effective way to run every business.
Their parting shot, they told us is to point out that this is a topic you cannot afford to ignore. It is embedding itself into every aspect of business today. It provides the ability to meet finance, funding, tender and stakeholder expectations. To meet new and existing customer expectations and attract the retain the best workforce. Start doing something now, they urge, shout about it on your literature, your website and on social media. Do it now before your customers ask the question no business wants to hear if it cannot meet their expectations. And your efforts will be richly rewarded with reduced running costs and more streamlined processes.
The Big Sustainability Expo opens on September 22nd at the home of premiership football club Southampton’s St. Mary’s Stadium, to a UKwide audience that includes many of our largest corporations, SME’s, non-profit and charity. Together with our public sector local authorities, rail, MoD, NHS Trusts, universities and colleges.
The message is clear, you can no longer afford to ignore this topic, so educate yourself and your team. The event is FREE to attend for everyone.
info@southernsustainability.co.uk
Expo Show Floor.
THE BIG SUSTAINABILITY EXPO
southernsustainability.co.uk
WATERLESS TECH BREAKTHROUGH – THE ECO-SOLUTION TO CUTTING CO2, AND HALVING URINAL RUNNING COSTS
Businesses could save over £1,200 on their annual water bills for every three urinals installed, at the same time as slashing CO2, simply by switching to waterless urinals. The findings have been released by Smarti Environmental, the UK’s leading waterless urinal business, which will be on Stand 72 at the Big Sustainability Expo 22.
The savings are possible with the installation of its latest product, the eco-friendly Vortex triple seal valve (TSV), which has been designed to cut urinal running costs by over half, at the same time as dramatically lowering carbon footprints, eliminating bad urinal smells, blockages and eradicating the spread of infections caused by flushing urinals.
The smart-tech, eco-friendly, retro-fit Vortex valve ends the need for water in urinals, saving on average 100,000 litres of clean water and 105kg CO2 per urinal, per year. It also prevents airborne infections caused by spray during flushing, which has been shown to spread 500,000 germs per inch, per flush, landing on skin, surfaces and clothing, spreading viruses including Covid-19, influenza and norovirus.
The Vortex TSV, fits 98% of all urinals, and enables businesses to retain their existing urinal bowls while cutting annual running costs by over 50%, compared to conventional water-flush alternatives. Based on average water bills across the UK, Smarti Environmental’s Vortex valve provides an annual saving of circa £630 on a typical bay of three urinals supplied by one cistern, rising to a saving of up to circa £1,230 in the South West.
Confirmed as the fastest flowing waterless urinal solution on the market, the fully recyclable, British-manufactured, hygienic one-way multi valve system, traps all odours so that the foul drain smells become a thing of the past. The Vortex valve also accelerates the flow of urine down into the drainpipe, and includes an eco-friendly bio-block enzyme ring and integrated bio-tablet which breaks down uric acid and bio film proteins during use, making urine PH neutral – a world first! This means less energy is required in sewerage treatment processing, further reducing environmental impact. When the enzyme ring depletes, it turns from blue to clear, ready to be replaced using a simple non-touch key change-out system.
Combined with Smarti Environmental’s SteriKleer enzyme in-pipe pipe-pods, the Vortex multi-valve solution actively lubricates sewerage pipes, breaking down all biofilms and uric salts in pipework to prevent blocked pipes.
With the absence of water, calcium build-up caused by a chemical reaction between water and urine cannot occur. This ends the all-too-common experience of bad drain smells, floods and overflow when water-flush urinal pipes become calcified and back-up. Importantly, this prevents expensive and entirely avoidable plumbing and maintenance costs often experienced by businesses including airports, holiday parks, pubs, hotels and tourist attractions.
Using 100% environmentally friendly enzyme technology – including its 24-hour odour and bacteria suppressing SteriKleen surface spray – Smarti Environmental also eliminates the need for harsh bleaches, cleaning fluids or drain un-blockers.
Commenting on the launch of the all-new Vortex TSV Valve, Kimberley Hill, New Business Development Manager at Smarti Environmental, said: “In all sectors, clean, fresh-smelling, and freeflowing urinals matter. Guests, staff and members of the public remember the good, the bad and the ugly. “Fitting waterless Vortex TSV triple seal valves guarantees an end to foul-smelling urinals, but more than that, it allows you to share the environmental benefits that going waterless brings; a fact that staff and guests increasingly look for, appreciate and remember, especially as the world moves to Net Zero status.”
Kimberley added: “We’re committed to helping all sectors cut carbon and costs through the adoption of the waterless urinals, which is why, we offer organisations with 100 or more urinals in their group a free washroom trial for 3 months, and free installation of our retro-fit waterless valves. Smaller businesses can benefit too, as our waterless technology brings overall running costs down by more than 50% compared to the cost of running conventional flushing urinals.”
As part of the Vortex TSV valve offer, Smarti Environmental undertakes a free site survey, identifying the current amount of water used and projected savings. For the trial, urinal drainage pipes are checked and, if in need of replacement, are installed at no cost within the fully serviced package option. Cisterns are removed and waterless valves fitted, all typically in just one day, minimising down-time.
Visit smartilimited.com or join us on stand 72 at the Big Sustainability Expo 22 for more information. Call 01392 311 202 for a no obligation washroom survey and quote.
Fitting waterless Vortex TSV triple seal valves guarantees an end to foul-smelling urinals, but more than that, it allows you to share the environmental benefits that going waterless brings; a fact that staff and guests increasingly look for, appreciate and remember, especially as the world moves to Net Zero status.
SMARTI ENVIRONMENTAL
smartilimited.com
PLASTIC PACKAGING TAX: WILL ECONOMIC INCENTIVE ENCOURAGE BUSINESSES TO PRIORITISE ENVIRONMENT?
Plastic packaging tax is a form of environmental taxation that came into effect this year, on 1 April 2022. To examine whether plastic packaging tax will prove successful in creating a demand for more sustainable products, professionals should consider the implications of previous taxations such as the sugar tax.
PLASTIC PAKAGING TAX
In 2018, the government introduced a levy on soft drinks that contained more than 5g of sugar per 100ml. This resulted in the sugar content of soft drinks reducing significantly. In fact, according to a study by the University of Cambridge, households consumed drinks with 10 per cent less sugar in the first year that this came into effect. This suggests that the plastic packaging tax will prove to be just as successful, encouraging manufacturers and importers to reduce the amount of non-recyclable materials used. Here is a closer examination of the taxation and which companies it is likely to affect.
What is the purpose of plastic packaging tax?
The UK plastic packaging tax charges companies that manufacture or import packaging that is made out of less than 30 per cent recycled plastic. The standard taxation is £200 per tonne of plastic packaging. This applies to all manner of plastic packaging, whether it is used by companies or consumers. Plastic packaging used in the supply chain, such as bubble wrap and packaging peanuts, is equal to consumer single-use plastics, from disposable utensils to coffee cups made of plastic. The taxation will reduce the number of plastic products made from pure virgin material from entering landfill. It will also reduce how much is being used for waste-to-energy incineration and encourage businesses to create sustainable solutions, such as designing innovative cosmetic containers and recyclable food packaging.
Plastic packaging tax will incentivise a number of people within the packaging industry. First and foremost, manufacturers and importers of plastic
packaging exceeding 10 tonnes per year may
face charges. In addition to manufacturers and importers, the taxation can also affect businesses that buy plastic packaging. To avoid any unnecessary charges, packaging buyers and new product managers should keep a record of their purchasing history and consider buying from companies that favour recycled plastics. This has the possibility of creating a demand for more plastics made from recyclable materials within the industry. Judit Guerra-Falcon, product sustainability and compliance manager at Waddington Europe, which produces rigid plastic packaging, explains: “The goal of the UK Plastic Packaging tax is to provide an economic incentive for business to use more recycled plastics in the manufacturing of packaging. As a result, collection levels of plastic waste will increase. This may help to prevent this valuable material resource ending up in landfills or being incinerated.”
In fact, the taxation is estimated to increase the
demand for sustainable plastic packaging by
40 per cent, saving as much as 200,000 tonnes of carbon in 2022 to 2023.
The implications of the plastic packaging tax remain inconclusive, although governmental bodies will continue to monitor the use of plastic packaging in the coming months. However, the demand for sustainable plastic products is obvious, meaning that corporations and packaging buyers have the opportunity to prioritise the environment.
Article courtesy of Waddington Europe, a European thermoforming packaging specialist division of Novolex.alarms and emergency lighting.
