Invest now, save for decades!

• Benefits of waste recycling go beyond simply reducing waste
• It also decreases the amount of raw materials used and this saves money and helps the environment

Every day Henllan Bread produces pies, cakes and of course bread for a wide range of shops, schools, and hospitals across North Wales.

With increasing production, the cost of waste management also went up as this family-run bakery expanded operations. This led to much higher waste disposal volumes and costs as well. The business set an ambitious waste reduction targets across its whole operation from ingredients and packaging to damaged products and unsold returns.

Over € 10 000 was invested in new bins, signage and baling equipment, which enables the firm to segregate waste and recycle paper, card, and plastics. Henllan also sought local companies prepared to collect this separated waste for free, or even pay for some of it, and set clear instructions for staff on how to segregate the waste. This also meant the business no longer needs to rent as many mixed waste skips to clear its waste (from six 1 100 litre mixed waste bins a week to just two).

Key benefits

The company's campaign to beat waste revealed other measures. Henllan Bread is also planning to receive additional income from recycling their cardboard using the baler. Studies also identified novel ways for the bakery to use or sell cake offcuts. Management has also successfully reduced the amount of ingredients it needs, such as reducing its flour waste by 16 kg each day by sieving it.

The bakery is also able to minimise its over-production and -ordering, and reduce the amount of perfectly good food being returned and scrapped. Altogether, the measures resulted in over € 8 700 a year savings with potentially more to come.