Awards Shortlist
The Wales Public Sector Waste and Sustainability Conference and Awards 2010 focused on celebrating the successful environmental improvement, sustainability and resource efficiency campaigns and projects that are happening all over Wales.
These Awards were the first of their kind not only in Wales and the UK but also in Europe. Nowhere else in Europe have public sector waste minimisation achievements been recognised in a specifically dedicated event.
2010 was the first year that the Wales Public Sector Waste and Sustainability Awards have been held and the response received was impressive. A total of 29 excellent applications all worthy of recognition were received. But there could only be 5 winners.
The judging panel, made up of a panel of representatives from the public sector in Wales, spent many hours deliberating over which organisations stood out as demonstrating best practice in each category. The decisions were tough.
The Welsh Assembly Government and the Wales Public Sector Waste Minimisation Campaign would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter the Awards.
The Shortlisted Award entries for each category were as follows:
Resource Efficiency Excellence Award
University of Wales Aberystwyth – Lilac Bag Scheme – this scheme was launched in October 2007 to address the disposal of recyclable materials on University managed residences. It mimicked Ceredigion County Council’s mixed recycling scheme for domestic residences making it easier for the council to collect the waste.. UWA piloted the scheme before rolling it out across the university and engaged the guild of students and the local authority in order to make the full launch successful. As a result of the scheme UWA is able to divert 1.26tonnes/week of waste from landfill.
Coleg Gwent - During 2007 the college identified that 100% of all the waste produced by the college was sent to landfill sites for disposal. The college identified and implemented a number of initiatives to reduce the total waste being produced by the college. Over the next two years the college worked proactively to reduce all waste and increase the recycling rates and prevent the waste going to landfill. In three years the college has reduce the waste it sends to landfill from 738 tonnes to 416 tonnes.
National Library of Wales – the National Library of Wales is committed to reducing its environmental impact through actively monitoring and reviewing consumption of resources, adhering to legislative requirements, maintaining the Green Dragon standard and communicating effectively to staff. By closely monitoring consumption and implementing simple, low cost measures the National Library of Wales has reduced the amount it sends to landfill and the costs associated with this my 50% in 2 years.
Sustainability Award
Coleg Llandrillo - The College’s long term commitment to sustainability is demonstrated through their continued implementation of a formal EMS, the continued employment of environmental officers, through regular meetings of the Environmental Focus Group (whose membership comprises of both staff and students) and through their network of site-based environmental champions. Coleg Llandrillo sees sustainability as reducing the amount of resources it utilises in its day to day activities and carries this message to a local and global audience through their continued fund raising for local charitable organisations and by developing links with various community - based organisations in other countries.
Deeside College - The College demonstrated embedded sustainability through various measures including: the regular use of ‘Sustainable Impact Assessments’ on any new measures introduced at the College; the use of alternative micro renewable technologies to meet some of the College’s heat, electricity and water requirements and the ‘Waste Pays Scheme’; all of which have a positive long-term impact on both students and staff. Deeside College attaches a significant value to sustainability and spreads the sustainability message to the local community through the continued maintenance, in partnership with local charitable organisations and businesses, of the College’s ‘learning garden’.
Pembrokeshire College - Triggered by an energy audit in 2003, the college set out to reduce it's energy consumption and improve sustainability in the following five years. To support this the college restructured how it managed environmental issues and established a Sustainable Development and Environment Committee to oversee all main environmental initiatives. The committee has a wide spectrum of membership from student representation through to senior college management. The committee has developed a register of environmental impacts for the college and use this to set objectives and targets. Activities range from reducing the use of resources, increasing reliance on sustainable resources through to the subsidising of a staff to work minibus scheme and a sustainable construction learning centre.
Swansea Metropolitan University – The university’s environmental management and good practice extends beyond its own campuses and they are very active within local and wide area environmental interest and steering groups, helping to shape and deliver improved environmental performance within the local community and the city of Swansea. Environmental performance and sustainability are embedded well within the strategic aims and day-to-day operation of the university.
Partnership Award
For the Partnership Award, judges were looking for organisations that have recognised that in order to achieve a particular objective that a joined up approach with another organisation or group is far more effective that facing the challenge single handed. Unfortunately due to a lack of appropriate applications for this award the judges were unable to shortlist.
It should be noted however, that the judging panel did recognise that there are some excellent examples of partnership working towards resource efficiency and waste minimisation but that this wasn’t evident through the number of applications.
Innovation Award
University of Wales Newport – Cooking oil to biodiesel – The University of Wales Newport is one of a small number of public sector organisations in the UK that have embarked on turning the used cooking oil from its kitchens into a fuel used by vehicles travelling on and between campuses. The University also sponsored and carried out the mechanical work to allow a group of students to take part in the London to Mongolia rally using a vehicle powered by waste vegetable oil. They were successful in getting to within 500 miles of the destination using waste vegetable oil as their fuel, which is a great achievement.
Her Majesty’s Prison Service – Wales Estates Management Group – HMPS has innovatively tackled resource efficiency and waste minimisation changing the way it monitors and manages waste and then by working closely with local suppliers, employing prisoners and using technology by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by 50% in 2 years. Where waste can be recycled and reused on site it is. Usk prison also conducts charitable activity recycling and redistributing discarded spectacles to third world countries. Where spectacles are unusable their parts are sent for recycling and revenue is generated for HMPS.
Green Star Champion Award
Jamie Lewis – Her Majesty’s Court Service
As Regional and SE Wales Area SD representative he has taken the lead on SD issues within HMCS Wales and has made a real difference. He has developed excellent working relations across Wales and also on a national level. Without Jamie’s drive, enthusiasm and innovation, HMCS Wales would not have achieved so much in 10 months. HMCS Wales has been at the forefront in implementing sustainable operations in its activities to support HMCS’ SD Delivery Plan, Central Government, and MOJ policy and it is to his credit that Jamie has championed this work. Jamie is well respected both internally and externally to the organisation and has continues to demonstrate that he is committed to long-term sustainable solutions.
The Environmental Unit – South Wales Police
By identifying, separating and monitoring waste, The Environmental Unit has been able to effectively initiate ‘Reuse and Recycle’ schemes, and as such, landfill waste provision at Headquarters has been reduced - This has led to financial savings that have been invested in recycling initiatives and has promoted a more sustainable and environmentally aware South Wales Police.
Elizabeth May – Swansea Metropolitan University
Elizabeth May is supported by her Vice- Chancellor, and by the University’s staff and students. She leads a team -the South West Wales Higher Education Partnership Sustainability Project; the SWWHEP Energy Coordinator and the SWWHEP Resources Officer who are working across three universities, SMU, Swansea and Trinity University College to improve resource use, reduce energy and water usage and gain environmental management certification. She lectures on the university’s most sustainable courses on biodiversity and environmental management as well as giving guest lectures across the University. She is the University’s Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Champion, and the Sustainable Procurement Champion
