With the new GDPR regulations do you require confidential shredding?

Thanks to GDPR regulations your company is responsible for the proper handling of confidential data, ensuring that it is both stored and (where necessary) destroyed correctly.

We held a Q&A with our Technical Sales Consultant, Adrian Saltmarsh to find out more about confidential shredding.

What sector would you say would benefit most from confidential shredding?

It’s definitely worth considering within all sectors if you handle customer data, although from recent experience the retail and e commerce sector has been most affected.

Can shredders be added to existing equipment?

Yes, a shredder can be a small stand alone unit or integrated into a larger waste system.

The shredded material can be either collected in a bag and disposed of or baled, on a larger system the shred can fall directly onto a conveyor or into a baler.

Can I bale shredded paper?

Yes, shredded paper bales very well in the correct machine, shredded paper can often cause a mess, we therefore supply bagging systems for horizontal balers.

Bagging system on a horizontal baler

What materials can I shred?

Almost any material can be shredded. Normally polythene or cardboard that carry customer name and address labels are the largest consideration when conforming to GDPR regulations.

Bespoke options?

All bespoke situations have a solution somewhere. With a wide range of standard options it gives scope to build a bespoke unit to fit within your application.

Bespoke Static Compactor With Bin Lift

Greenbank were recently contacted by a hospital in the North West of England, to create a bespoke waste management solution.

Our customer required two units to compact their waste fed via a single touch button controlled bin lifter, they also desired many additional features such as lights placed within the cages, the control panel to be key operated for safety and security reasons and the machine maintenance panel hatches to be hinged for easy access.

Along with meeting the needs of our customer in supplying two static compactors with bin lifters (fed via a single entry safety cage), we were also able assist by building in the following extra benefits:

1. A warning light system that notify operators when the unit is 3/4 full and completely full
2. A CONNECT intelligence system that informs customers of skip level full notifications and of any breakdowns. This information is also sent directly to ourselves to reduce call out time with any future service breakdown call outs.
3. Complete comprehensive use and fault finding training with operatives.
4. The compactors were installed with retainers to prevent the spring back of waste material
5. Full length side panels from the base of the machine to the floor to prevent waste from blowing underneath and aid cleaning up the area.
6. We installed end ratchet container clamps to allow the skip driver to remove the container without the need for access in to the bin lift cage.

Murray completes ABM course!

Congratulations to our Head of Service, Murray Johnston, on completing his Advanced Business Management course!

The Advanced Business Management course trains students in the science of business management including the study of the key business topic areas in order to become effective business leaders.

Murray completed modules on Leadership, Management, Finance, Operations, Sales and Marketing. The course lasted 15 months in which Murray spent many early morning and late nights completing.

Speaking about the ABM course, Murray Johnston, said: “This 15 month gruelling course has taught me many life lessons especially in the business area.  Each module had to be related back to Greenbank so it was easy to put changes into practice straight away.  It has set me up extremely well for future challenges and I cant wait to put these into practice.  The best module was definitely the one on leadership it taught me what my leadership style is and how to make the most of the strengths I have.

The broad knowledge I learnt across the whole business was well received and I would like to thank all team members for their help throughout the course.”

Are double chamber balers a thing of the past?

Double chamber balers have seemed to deteriorate in popularity during recent years, you may ask why and our top three reasons are…

1. The Health & Safety risks associated with double chamber balers – sliding the heavy press head across from one baling chamber to the other increases the risk of strain injuries
2. Labour intensity of double chamber balers – reduced loading aperture as the bale size increase
3. Customers often don’t have the same quantity of each waste stream – there is often 2-3 times more cardboard then polythene so the second chamber could end up being nothing more than an inefficient storage box

Your next question may be, if people aren’t using double chamber balers how are they dealing with two waste steams?

At Greenbank we advise customers to purchase two vertical balers, a B4 and B20, which cost approximately the same as a double chamber baler. (Usually customers tend to have less polythene and more cardboard, hence the small and large vertical balers.)

Vertical balers benefit from simple control panels, automatic eject systems and low noise levels, which make life easier and safer for operators. To operate our range of vertical balers, only the baler door needs to close, there is no sliding of the press head which reduces the risk of strain injuries.

Where space is limited on site, two smaller units can be me efficiently positing in tight corners where the larger twin machine may not fit.

The main benefit of having two vertical balers as opposed to a double chamber baler is the ability to load waste simultaneously.

Speak to us today to find out more

#WorldEnvironmentDay

This world environment day its time for a change.

World Environment Day occurs on the 5th of June every year and is the United Nation’s principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment.

First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues, this year the campaign is targeting plastic pollution.

People around the world are taking notice of plastic pollution. And more and more, they’re pledging to do something about it.

We’ve helped numerous companies tackle their plastic waste from polythene to PET, we have machines suitable for your application.

Greenbank’s range of vertical balers are perfect for soft plastics such as LDPE  and PP strapping whilst our X-Range balers  provide the ideal solution for hard plastics such as HDPE and PET.

How spacious is your waste storage area?

If you produce a high amount of recyclable material but don’t have a lot of space for a machine to compact it then a Greenbank fully automatic baler could be just what you’re looking for…

HPK 750 H

Greenbank’s HPK 750 H fully automatic baler, is a side tying machine. In general, such machines take up more space due to the tying needles that are placed at the side of the machine. Greenbank’s HPK 750 H has a unique tying mechanism which doesn’t require needles (as seen above).

This machine is perfect for compacting delicate items such as shredded paper, tin cans and plastic bottles.

CC40 V

A standard automatic channel baler is around eight or nine metres long, Greenbank’s CC40V machine measures under 5 metres including the run off table. Here’s how it compares to similar models…

As illustrated above, our standard automatic channel baler is significantly smaller than that of our competitors, yet has the same performance, throughput per hour and bale size as the comparisons models.

Our compact range of balers are the perfect solution for warehouse facilities, distribution centres and manufacturing outlets.

Speak to us today to find out more

Employee Of The Month Winner Announced

We’re proud to announce our employee of the month for April 2018, Scott Ward!

Scott is Greenbank’s stock controller, you can usually find him manoeuvring machines around the workshop and managing our goods in and out.

Greenbank’s employee of the month is decided by our staff. Each employee gets two votes, which they use to choose who within the company they believe has worked the hardest that month. The votes must be based on our statement of values. The person with the most votes receives the title of employee of the month and spins our wheel of fortune to reveal their chosen prize.

Following Scott’s win, Greenbank’s Head of Operations, Wayne Skelton commented: “Scott has always been a dedicated worker, but the past month he has worked exceptionally hard completing his daily tasks but also successfully completing a first aid and fire marshal course. We’re proud to have him as a member of our team.”

Well done Scott, and thanks for all your hard work!

If one of our members of staff has gone the extra mile for you, let Laura know (laura.mohan@greenbankgroup.net) and they might be on their way to winning our next employee of the month!

One-to-one with Michael Hayward

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?

Best meal, not an easy one. I’ve had probably more than my fair share haha. But if I had to pick, possibly the slow cooked St. Louis cut ribs topped with BBQ sauce from Copper Canyon Grill in Orlando. Amazing.

Where’s your favourite place in the world?

I’m lucky that I’ve been to a lot of great places. Dubai is incredible, Orlando is great fun, Mauritius was beautiful but home is probably my favourite.

What is your favourite family tradition?

No favourites, I enjoy every opportunity to get together with them.

Do you know any good brain teasers?

If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?….

(A secret!)

Have you ever met anybody famous?

I’ve met one of the greatest boxers Sugar Ray Leonard, he is a brilliant speaker and is probably the most famous person I’ve met.

If you could splurge on 1 must-have item, what would it be?

A Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder. My dream car.

Convert waste to revenue

As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

In today’s climate, many businesses are contributing towards a circular economy, ensuring that we increase resource efficiency and reduce the use of minerals and raw materials. In a circular economy, one business’s ‘trash’ is another business’s resource. This so-called trash, often cardboard or polystyrene provides an additional revenue source for many companies, across various industries.

Polystyrene

Many companies use EPS as a packaging material, including fish processors, electronic manufacturers and the food service industry due to its strong and protective nature.

Our range of Cobalt polystyrene compactors are specially designed for densifying packaging foams, a difficult material which they compact at a volume reduction of up to 40:1 and do so at incredibly fast rates. These machines are also suitable for EPP foam and polyurethane.

We offer polystyrene compactors in three models: SC1000, SC2000 and SC3000. These are different size machines that compact varying amounts of polystyrene. We can advise which model is best for your space and usage.

We have helped many companies within the fish processing industry turn their polystyrene waste into a profitable revenue stream.  We worked alongside Farne Salmon to generate a new revenue stream via the sale of the compacted EPS. The company previously had to pay for its polystyrene fish boxes to be collected, it now sells the compacted blocks produced by its Cobalt SC3000. The new revenue stream generated by the sale of the compacted EPS has paid for the purchasing of the two specialist machines.

Cardboard

Earlier this year China imposed stricter restrictions on imported cardboard, the new quality standards mean cardboard will only be accepted if the material is uncontaminated from other waste products. The material must also meet a 0.5 contamination rate, rather than the 1.5% previously applied (this is something our account managers can help you with during your free waste audit should you wish).

Although cardboard recycling is under much scrutiny at the moment due to the situation in China, the graphs below illustrate that the domestic and export prices from the past two years have been relatively steady and generally prices are increasing. From 2016 – 2017, the export prices increased by 11%.

Greenbank appoints new SHEQ Manager

Greenbank Waste Solutions, based in Middlesbrough, has welcomed Michael Hayward as SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment, Quality) and Compliance Manager, with specific responsibility for Greenbank’s health and safety policies and procedures.

With over 10 years’ experience working as a SHEQ Manager, Mr Hayward joins Greenbank from electrical contracting company, Groestar.

Mr Hayward holds NEBOSH qualifications in Occupational Health and Safety, Construction Health and Safety as well as Environmental Management.

The appointment of Mr Hayward follows Greenbank’s 72 square meters office expansion at its Middlesbrough based headquarters, which houses a full production workshop.

Mr Hayward is the sixth employee to join Greenbank during its latest recruitment drive, the company has extended its workforce by over 20% in the last eight months.

Michael Hayward, SHEQ and Compliance Manager of Greenbank, said: “I was thrilled to be offered the role at Greenbank, I was immediately struck by the passion and drive Greenbank showed to improve the business and protect its employees.

I believe that bringing the SHEQ role into the business displays the commitment to providing a safety conscious work environment as well as to providing its customers with the highest levels of service. I’m very excited and looking forward to becoming an integral part of the team!”

Robin Evershed, Managing Director of Greenbank Waste Solutions said: “Health and safety has always been paramount throughout Greenbank, this is why we decided to appoint Michael for the new role within Greenbank.  Michael brings an unsurpassed level of regulatory knowledge and experience to Greenbank.