GPSJ - SPRING 2025 - Flipbook - Page 29
LOCAL AUTHORITY & COUNCIL
GPSJ
Transitioning to a circular economy: a call
to action for local authorities and waste
management companies
By Paul Empson, General Manager, Bakers Basco
The news of the UK
government’s recent push
toward a circular economy
is a welcome and muchneeded step in reshaping
our waste management
practices. As part of its plan,
the government has launched
an initiative to tackle waste
and encourage recycling
across various sectors.
But while the overarching
goal is commendable,
local authorities and waste
management companies need
to be particularly vigilant in
addressing one area that is
too often overlooked: the
mismanagement of grocery
delivery equipment such as
bread baskets and dollies.
At Bakers Basco, we’ve been at
the forefront of managing a vast
pool of bread baskets and dolly
equipment used for transporting
bread to retailers across the
country. However, our industry
has faced a persistent challenge:
misplaced or abandoned bakery
equipment. Many of these items,
which are essential to the logistics
of the bakery supply chain, are
either inadvertently discarded
by waste collection services or
sometimes left in public spaces
without proper attention. The
result is not only waste but a
severe environmental impact
as these items often end up in
land昀椀lls instead of being returned
to the supply chain where they
can be reused.
As part of our commitment to
reducing environmental harm, we
have made signi昀椀cant strides to
prevent this. Through investments
in GPS tracking and a dedicated
national investigations team,
we have worked tirelessly to
recover misplaced equipment.
However, we are only one part of
the puzzle. Local authorities and
waste management companies
play a crucial role in this transition
to a circular economy. We need
them to be vigilant in their waste
collection practices and recognise
the value of grocery delivery
equipment in the supply chain.
This isn’t just about reclaiming
misplaced baskets; it’s about
ensuring that materials are reused,
repaired and put back into the
economy rather than thrown away.
With the UK government’s goal
to reduce waste and encourage
recycling, local authorities must
take active steps to prevent the
inadvertent collection of these vital
assets. When a bread basket is
taken away with general waste, it
not only represents a 昀椀nancial loss
to the industry but also contributes
to the unnecessary production
of new plastic products. This is a
critical issue and it’s one that we
need to address collectively as we
transition to a more sustainable
economy.
One of the most recent
incidents involved the discovery
of large quantities of misplaced
bread baskets across several
locations in a Scottish city. These
items were found abandoned in
public spaces and while this is an
unfortunate scenario it did prompt
the local Commercial Waste
Enforcement team to act swiftly.
They reached out to Bakers
Basco for assistance and we were
able to arrange for the prompt
collection and repatriation of the
equipment. This collaborative
e昀昀ort is exactly what needs to
happen more frequently across
the UK.
For local authorities and waste
management companies, this is
a call to action: to consider the
impact of their waste collection
practices and to work with
companies like ours to ensure
that important materials are not
lost in the waste cycle. By being
more mindful of grocery delivery
equipment in the waste stream,
local authorities can play a pivotal
role in the circular economy. It’s
about ensuring that equipment like
bread baskets, which are often
used hundreds of times, is not
discarded needlessly, but returned
for reuse, reducing the need for
additional production and saving
resources.
The government’s vision for a
circular economy is one that I fully
support, but the success of this
transition will require more than
just policy changes.
It requires a fundamental shift
in how we view materials and
waste. Local authorities must be
part of this shift, ensuring that
waste management processes are
aligned with the principles of reuse
and sustainability. We are more
than prepared to collaborate with
or assist the Circular Economy
Taskforce should they need inside
knowledge or additional support.
The time to act is now, and
through e昀昀ective partnerships,
we can all contribute to a circular
economy that works for everyone.
For anyone who comes across
these baskets, please contact
the Bakers Basco team, who
are willing to arrange collections
for free. You can report via
the recovery helpline: 08000
327323 or email: enquiries@
bakersbasco.co.uk.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SPRING 2025
29
