Outsourcing waste management contracts to regional companies will not only grow the UK’s SME waste infrastructure, but will improve customer service as well.
So says Chris Giscombe, chair of the Waste Management Brokers’ Association (WMBA) which is gearing up to celebrate its first year anniversary this March.
Mr Giscombe is the founder of UK Waste Solutions Ltd, a waste management brokerage and one of three major broker companies to form the WMBA last year. His co-founding partners are Specialist Waste Recycling (SWR) and Newstar Environmental (Newstar) who merged last month (December 2017).
The three founding companies boast a combined turnover of more than £70 million and blue chip customers including Roadchef, Network Rail, Greene King and Savills.
It was this experience and the knowledge gained through working with blue chip clients that was the driving force behind the brokers coming together to create the WMBA 12 months ago.
Chris Giscombe of UKWSL and chair of the Waste Management Brokers’ Association
“On speaking to our customers we were getting the message they weren’t being listened to by the national waste management providers,” said Chris. “We listened and came up with innovative solutions which offered best value for them.”
Realising the potential out there, Mr Giscombe and his colleagues formed the WMBA to provide a united voice in the waste management brokerage industry, as well as raise standards and open up opportunities to both brokers and small and medium sized waste management businesses which supply the services.
The WMBA’s main objectives are:
- To promote the broker model as a viable and beneficial waste management solution
- To raise awareness of brokerage to corporate buyer
- To represent the broker model within the waste management industry with a consistent voice
- To work to a Code of Practice for all WMBA members
- To build a Central Compliance Database
“We felt the industry was lacking a central voice and there was limited knowledge out there about brokers and what we can offer in the market place,” declared Mr Giscombe. “So we set up the WMBA to provide excellent, high quality services based on the customer’s needs.”
Customer service
Mr Giscombe and his colleagues firmly believe WMBA members will be able to provide the highest quality customer service if the association works with the waste management supply chain as well as brokers.
He also believes working with SME suppliers will address one of the industry’s current biggest challenges: that caused by the larger “self delivery” model waste management companies buying up smaller operators, making it even more difficult for individual businesses to compete in the market place.
As such, WMBA membership is open to suppliers as well as brokers. Suppliers are also invited to attend quarterly workshops with the WMBA, aimed at improving collaborative working and increasing opportunities.
“We believe we can all be more successful by developing relationships with the supply chains,” explained Mr Giscombe. “Through the brokerage service we are giving smaller businesses access to local and national contracts they wouldn’t normally get to see.
“By working with local and regional companies they benefit from the contracts and are then able to develop innovative new solutions and infrastructure. It’s a win win for everyone,” he added. “We believe our model creates local jobs and allows SMEs to develop their businesses.”
Flexible
As well as supporting local companies, the WMBA says the outsourcing model for waste management offers a more flexible service to businesses looking for waste management solutions and is more environmentally friendly.
Work for Network Rail is handled by a WMBA member. Pictured: King’s Cross and St Pancras Stations (shutterstock)
“Because brokers can use different suppliers depending on location and need, there is less distance travelled by vehicles and the customers get a quality service provided by contractors from their region,” Mr Giscombe noted.
“The solutions can also be much more tailor-made and flexible than those offered by the self-delivery operators,” he added.
Within its first year the WMBA has launched a Code of Practice which all members must adhere to. A key element in the code succeeding was to ensure its broker and supplier members were all on board.
“It was very important to us that we got a buy-in to the Code of Practice from our supply chain as well as the brokers,” said Mr Giscombe. “That way we could be sure both parties would get the benefit of it.”
The Code covers a number of areas that members must prove they have in place prior to being approved as members. These include being fully compliant with legislative requirements, codes of practice, contractual and environmental requirements and health and safety performance.
They must also have suitable complaint procedures in place and be fully co-operational with regulators.
“Customers dealing with our members know that if they are a member of the WMBA they have been vetted by us and will therefore provide a first class service,” he remarked.
Waste crime
Furthermore, by having a Code of Practice, Mr Giscombe said the WMBA is also helping to address one of the industry’s other major challenges, that of waste crime.
“Waste crime is increasing more and more. As as association our role is to support the regulators in terms of helping to assess the good operators and rid the country of the poor ones. Our Code of Practice will help with this because our members will be operating things the right way.”
As the WMBA begins preparations for its first anniversary and a change in Chair person later in the spring, it is already working on more ambitious plans for 2018.
“We are developing a Central Compliance Database, which will allow members to securely access waste transfer notes, insurance information etc,” said Mr Giscombe. “We also want to develop a supply of consistent risk assessment method statements for our members.”
So the future appears to be looking bright for the WMBA and its members. “Brokers have historically not had the best reputation,” he said. “ We are looking to change all of that.
“We have operators in every major city in the UK and across all the regions. Each and every broker does their own thing in this industry, but we believe that by working together and maintaining a set of high standards, we have a chance to increase opportunities for everyone,” he added.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
