Contact: Kathy Kermanidis Position: Customer Services Ph: (03) 9569 9424 Fx: (03) 9569 4949 Postal address: 44 Oxford St, Oakleigh, 3166
As a result, Kathy carried out an environmental audit of the company and established strategies for cutting down waste and improving its disposal.
Besides the reduction in the use of natural resources and the volume of waste going to landfill, the more appropriate disposal of chemicals has greatly improved the panelbeating shop's ability to comply with the hazardous material regulatory regime.
Kathy adds that the adoption of an environmental stance "has already resulted in an improvement in our clients' perception of our business."
On the economic side, on site reuse has led to a 30 per cent reduction in the purchasing costs of raw materials.
Recycling of scrap metal provides revenue of $180 per year, and when combined with recycling of paint thinners, paint rags, and paper and cardboard, there has been a reduction in the overall volume of waste going to landfill, saving approximately $900 per year in tip fees.
To gain acceptance, Kathy developed simple measures which would not make any of the employees' tasks more difficult. Everyone had ideas why it wouldn't work, but eventually, at a staff meeting, they agreed to try out the program she had devised.
After coming up with their own ideas, in April 1992 Oxford Panels purchased the Australian Chamber of Manufacturers' Environmental Handbook for small Industry, thereby enabling a more detailed waste audit and informed review to take place. The Handbook gives you the strategies to carry out an audit," Kathy said. "It takes you through the process step by step."
A local scrap yard was found that would take car panels and bought radiators and batteries. Because the panel beating shop has only relatively mall volumes of scrap metal, scrap merchants were initially unwilling to pick it up. The major initial start-up cost of the program was probably the time which Kathy took in volunteering to take old panels to the merchants. After a while, however, she and the merchants established a system whereby they would pick up the metal whenever they were in the area - which suited both parties fine.
The cardboard was accepted by a local centre for the intellectually disabled.
All the initial coordination of recycling was carried out by Kathy. Separation of waste is now managed by a schoolboy, after hours.
As a result of the reduction in waste, the skip was emptied seven times last year, compared to once-weekly in the past. At $20 per lift, Kathy estimates the business saved approximately $900 a year from this alone.
Cutting down on waste has meant reduced purchasing costs of materials, such as in the reuse of thinners.
Additional income is received from recycling scrap metal, radiators and batteries.
While the financial savings do not appear great, Kathy said it means a lot to the business not to have to take away fibreglass panels or other unsaleable waste material. Under their new system, all waste is picked up and recycled.
Payback periods have not been estimated as all the equipment was already in place at the panel beating shop when the first audit took place.
Input is encouraged at staff meetings to ensure everyone supports the waste management program.
Goals are set to reduce or avoid waste: for example, taking care to avoid spills; or more accurately measuring what materials are needed, thereby avoiding waste.
Kathy is using the Australian Chamber of manufacturers Environmental Handbook for Small Industry as a guide in planning future stages. The Handbook provides management plans for achieving set targets in the areas of waste minimisation, energy, storage and handling and drafting an emergency plan.
Oxford Panels has gone on to review strategies for dealing with potential problems, such as what would they do if there was a fire in the paint department. An emergency plan is being created.
The next area under review is that of improving lighting and energy efficiency. "We've already started on what can be done easily straight away," Kathy said. Natural lighting has been improved in the workshop by increasing the number of clear perspex panels in the roof and by painting the lower walls white.
There are plans to save on energy costs this winter by changing from a single, large oil heater to three natural gas heaters, spaced out along the wall. "We plan to skim through the whole handbook doing whatever comes easily now, then we'll review what happens next," Kathy said in conclusion. Thus, whatever happens, it would appear that environmental auditing has become part of the culture at Oxford Panels.
For more informadon, contact
ACF /ACTU Green Jobs Unit 340 Gore Street Fitzroy,3065 Ph: (03) 9416 0355 Fx: (03) 9416 0767 Email:acflib@peg.apc.org.