Member Article

J & B Recycling drives green message

An award-winning waste management business has revved up a series of green driving projects to make its transport fleet more fuel efficient.

J & B Recycling is hoping to cut its fuel bills by more than 10% by encouraging drivers to operate more safely and efficiently on the roads.

The Hartlepool-based business is in the process of updating its 19-strong fleet of vehicles and wants to ensure it minimises both fuel costs and environmental impact.

Matt Tyrie, Transport and Logistics Manager at J & B Recycling, said: “As a waste management business, reducing our carbon footprint is at the very heart of what we do.

“We need to set an example by driving forward efficiency in every aspect of our operations.

“When we started to replace the fleet, we knew that had to go hand in hand with fuel efficient driving.

“Fuel is a massive cost for a business such as ourselves but I’m pleased to see that we are already making significant savings.”

All of J & B Recycling’s drivers have completed specific Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) training, which encourages them to adopt a series of techniques to cut fuel consumption.

The business has also installed Masternaut technology on all of its vehicles to measure driver performance such as when they are speeding, idling or accelerating too quickly.

The driver efficiency programme has been geared up in time for J & B Recycling replacing its entire fleet of vehicles.

And the business recently invested in a brand new 7.5-tonne curtain-sided vehicle, a skip wagon and hooklift vehicles and will replace five more of its 32-tonne hooklifts by the end of the year.

Operating newer more fuel efficient vehicles alongside improved driving is expected to reduce transport costs by as much as £45,000 a year.

J & B Recycling, which recycles approximately 100,000 tonnes of waste each year from household, commercial, industrial and construction sources, is Hartlepool’s Business of the Year and also won the Corporate Responsibility and Environment category at this year’s Teesside finals of the North East Business Awards.

It works with customers across the private and public sectors – including software giants Sage UK, Middlesbrough College, Middleton Grange Shopping Centre and Cleveland Centre (Shopping Mall) – and puts a particular onus on educating clients about improving their recycling rates.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .