photo by Sun Investment Development Pl Sp. z o.o.
Good practices and investments related to Cleaner Production
Example No. 27
Minimizing glass waste in the design office
Company:
Sun Investment Development Pl Sp. z o.o. – Branch in Gliwice
Industry branch: RES (Renewable Energy Sources)
Main services: design of photovoltaic farms
Resources in question:
- Water
- Waste
For environmental reasons, the company's employees have never been supplied with water in plastic bottles, only in glass, but non-returnable ones. It was decided to check other options for providing drinking water to employees, with even greater environmental benefits and more financially beneficial for the company.
Applied solution:
In January 2021, the decision was made to change the supplier, and since then the company's supply of water, delivered in returnable glass containers, has been taken over by a local entrepreneur (thus the truck delivery was abandoned, and water can now be picked up in person at a point 240 meters away from the company). Water is brought in crates, in which empty bottles are returned later (see photos).
Other options were also considered, such as the installation of tap water filters (both under-sink – the cheapest option – and tap-mounted water filters – a slightly more expensive option) or water dispensers (the most expensive option), but due to, among other things: sharing of some utility rooms with other companies, convenience of use, taste qualities of the water and previous experience within this scope, and – above all – the company's planned relocation in the next 2 years, the solution described above was temporarily decided upon.
The adopted option is cheaper than the idea of installing a water dispenser on the company's premises and than the solution used so far (non-returnable glass bottles), but definitely more expensive than filters (with filters, however, one would have to take into account the additional costs associated with water consumption for washing cups and the consumption of detergents, which in this option would be borne by the company).
Other options were also considered, such as the installation of tap water filters (both under-sink – the cheapest option – and tap-mounted water filters – a slightly more expensive option) or water dispensers (the most expensive option), but due to, among other things: sharing of some utility rooms with other companies, convenience of use, taste qualities of the water and previous experience within this scope, and – above all – the company's planned relocation in the next 2 years, the solution described above was temporarily decided upon.
The adopted option is cheaper than the idea of installing a water dispenser on the company's premises and than the solution used so far (non-returnable glass bottles), but definitely more expensive than filters (with filters, however, one would have to take into account the additional costs associated with water consumption for washing cups and the consumption of detergents, which in this option would be borne by the company).
Obtained benefits and effects of the implementation:
On an annual basis:
- Return of more than 11,000 300 ml glass bottles per year for refilling (less glass waste), equivalent to about 2.25 Mg of waste per year
- Savings of about PLN 9,000 per year, due to the lower purchase price of water in returnable bottles than in disposable glass bottles
- No waste from film (in which packs of non-returnable water were packaged) – about 18 kg/year
Crates of returnable glass bottles at the company's headquarters
photo by Sun Investment Development Pl Sp. z o.o.
Sources:
- Report on the Cleaner Production Project No. 49.803, developed within the framework of the Cleaner Production Academy at Sun Investment Development Pl Sp. z o.o. – Branch in Gliwice: “Minimizing waste generation in the design office in Gliwice”
- Materials (including photos) submitted by Sun Investment Development Pl Sp. z o.o. – Branch in Gliwice
Polish version:
This
material has been subsidized by the National Fund for Environmental
Protection and Water Management. The Polish Cleaner Production Movement
Association is solely responsible for its content.
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