Willshee’s Waste & Recycling has been appointed by ground-breaking construction company TopHat to undertake a major waste management contract that showcases market-leading sustainability in practice.

TopHat produces design-led, low carbon modular homes through a unique technology-enabled approach which has innovation and protection of the environment at its heart – from concept stage to manufacturing to waste disposal.

With ambitions to significantly increase output when it begins operations in its new factory in Corby in 2024, TopHat is committed to significantly reducing its percentage of waste. Zero waste to landfill is now a given and the focus is on using insight to maximise the amount of reused materials and the most responsible disposal methods possible.

TopHat group supply chain & logistics director Rachel Beech commented: “We have been hugely impressed with the slick operation and level of technology at Willshee’s MRF site and also, in particular, the effort that goes into researching and implementing the reuse of materials. Waste wood, for example, goes to a manufacturer of chipboard – of which we need huge amounts!

Using insight

“Once a month, we study the data provided through Willshee’s customer portal and look at trends and examine ways to further improve efficiencies in manufacturing. The insight has helped us to reduce the volume of materials such as timber and plasterboard that we dispose of. Having understood more about waste quantities, we have invested in new software that allows us to process the raw material in a more economical way – resulting in less waste.

“Seeing the stats for the amount of cardboard we handle was another learning, we now rent an onsite compactor from Willshee’s which reduces the number of waste collections, and subsequently reduces our costs.

“Simple things too, like the layout of our bins, have also been improved. And this commitment to learning and continuous improvement will remain a core part of our strategy as we embark on our next stage of growth”.

Willshee’s managing director Dean Willshee says: “We feel very pleased and privileged to be working with this innovative, highly sustainable business. At the heart of our partnership with TopHat is following a solutions-based strategy that’s hard-wired into the insight provided via the customer portal. This approach uses live data to drive business decisions about how to reuse more materials and reduce waste. This is complemented by a programme that delivers the most responsible methods of disposing with waste to support the company’s commitment to continually improving their carbon footprint”.

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