STAFF and partners at the Oxford office of business advisers Grant Thornton have made a tidy £11,000 saving over the last 12 months.

And the secret? "Rubbish...or rather lack of it!" says office managing partner, Stephen Dexter.

In 1997 Grant Thornton agreed to act as a case study for the Vale of White Horse Waste Minimisation Project.

The aim of the project was to see how costs could be reduced and environmental performance improved in a typical office environment.

Organised by the Vale of White Horse District Council and monitored and audited by AEA Technology Environment of Culham, it was hoped the project would result in a series of recommendations which could be followed by businesses throughout Oxfordshire.

"We have always considered ourselves to be environmentally aware," said Stephen. "However, this exercise has enabled us to highlight numerous areas, where, given a little thought, waste can be considerably reduced.

"What has surprised me personally, however, is that while this has obvious environmental benefits, the cost savings have also been significant."

In agreeing to take on the project, Grant Thornton established an Environmental Committee made up of tax investigators senior Claire Peedell, corporate tax manager Mark Ashby, audit trainee Rachel Rowlands and headed by office manager John Birdler. Working closely with staff at AEA Technology Environment, the committee was able to identify a number of waste minimisation and energy projects which could be implemented at little or no cost.

Mr Birdler said: "Simple recycling schemes and energy efficiency projects can reap instant financial rewards. They do, however, require management commitment and accurate record-keeping to be effective.

"I am pleased to say that everyone in the office supported this project and although the initial exercise has now been completed, the lessons learnt will continue to be practised and further areas of saving investigated."

Increased use of technology means that much of the firm's work is now undertaken on computer - the computerised filing of client self assessment forms, for example, has cut down considerably on the amount of paper that would otherwise need to be filed and stored. In addition, the majority of technical manuals, tax guides and client audit forms now come in software packages.

He added: "This change was going to occur anyway. But even with the move to computerised accounts, we were getting through an awful lot of paper and there had to be ways of reducing it."

The environmental committee came up with two recommendations: reuse and recycle.

"A lot of paper that comes into the office, or is generated within the office, is used on one side only," said Mr Birdler. "The committee agreed that such paper containing non-confidential information should be made into notepads for use around the office or be used to supply our plain-paper fax machine.

"Paper that cannot be reused is now sent for recycling, which has reduced our total waste disposal costs by 50 per cent." Other areas identified by the committee included office supplies - the office now uses recycled laser toner cartridges which cost £39 less than new ones; transport - committee has introduced a policy aimed at reducing emissions from business mileage and encouraging staff to share cars or use public transport; energy efficiency - a "switch-off" campaign using e-mail messages and posters around the office has been instigated, energy efficient lighting has been fitted in all parts of the building and the number of lights used in walkways and other areas where desks are not located has been reduced - although the committee has been careful not to compromise safety for energy efficiency.

Future action will include: the replacement of paper towels with alternative laundered towels - the paper towels currently used in the office toilets cost around £2,000 a year and contribute to the waste to landfill ... laundered alternatives from a local firm would cost around £650 per annum; increased use of double-sided photocopies; further reduction in paperwork by the increased use of e-mail and other electronic communications systems. Mr Birdler said: "Although the initial project has now been completed, the environmental committee will continue to meet on a regular basis in order to maintain the level of waste minimisation achieved to date and to identify further areas of activity.

"We are currently in the process of adopting an environmental policy which will be integrated with our existing health and safety policy so that it can be referred to at all times. We also hope to set up a computerised system for recording stationery purchases, energy use and so on, enabling environmental performance to be monitored and cost savings to be accurately identified." Commenting on the project, Kay Montandon of AEA Technology, said: "The enthusiasm and dedication of the Grant Thornton team in taking on this project has been wonderful.

"Reducing resource consumption, using less energy, minimising waste disposal to landfill and seeking to reduce transport emissions are environmental improvements that go hand-in-hand with reducing company expenditure.

"Grant Thornton has shown in this case study how an office based business can, with minimal investment, reap benefits by improving their environmental performance. The basic requirement for this success is a commitment to incorporate environmental management principles into all aspects of company activity."

To find out more about the Vale of White Horse Waste Minimisation Project and how your company can benefit from environmental management expertise contact Derek Vickers at the Vale of White Horse District Council on 01235 540381 or Kay Montandon of AEA Technology Environment on 01235 463082.

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