Progress Towards Plastic Waste Pledge

The Riello UPS team shows a lot of bottle in the fight to reduce plastic waste. As part of our promise to cut and eventually eliminate single-use plastics throughout our entire operations, we’ve given each of our 70-plus staff a reusable stainless steel drinks bottle. It follows on from several other similar steps taken over recent months to reduce our plastic use and waste. We’ve substituted disposable plastic cups with ceramic containers, replaced plastic water bottles for visitors with glass, and swapped plastic drinks stirrers with an organic bamboo alternative. While all plastic pouches used in our tea and coffee dispensers are placed in dedicated bins for bulk recycling. In addition, Riello UPS is also changing the way we get milk supplied to our HQ in Wrexham, North Wales. Instead of the usual plastic bottles or cartons sold in supermarkets, we now get our milk fresh from start-up business Milk In A Box delivered in a cardboard box lined with a Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) bag. When the three-gallon box is empty, the cardboard is recycled while the LDPE bags are used to generate energy from waste, ensuring nothing ends up being sent to landfill. On average our team goes through 12 four-pint plastic bottles of milk a week, each weighing 50 grams. Over the course of a year, we estimate the switch will save nearly 600 bottles and almost 30 kg of plastic waste. This new method of milk supply will also cut our milk waste. The cardboard box is fitted to a specially installed chilled dispenser, meaning it lasts for up to five days once opened and 11 days unopened. This is 40% more than the lifespan of a standard plastic bottle of milk kept in the fridge. Riello UPS General Manager Leo Craig explains: “The amount of plastic waste we all generate causes huge harm to the environment. A single plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to fully decompose. We all share the responsibility to do something about this issue and to safeguard our planet for future generations. The steps we’ve taken with our milk supplier and eliminating single-use drinks bottles are relatively small changes in our day-to-day lives, but they have the potential to add up and make a big difference, especially if other organisations follow suit. Working in the energy sector we are well aware of the role we play in ensuring reliable power for a sustainable world. Our R&D teams work constantly to improve the efficiency of our products and we are at the forefront of smart grid-ready UPS and battery storage systems that help harness the power of renewable sources like wind and solar. While we were the first UPS manufacturer in Europe to rate our products by their efficiency using an Eco Energy Level that enables customers to make informed decisions based on the environmental impact of their choices.”

For more information on Progress Towards Plastic Waste Pledge talk to Riello UPS Ltd