Gloucester-based TBS Engineering, a world leader in high-speed automated assembly equipment for the energy-storage industry, first contacted Waste Mission to handle its scrap-metal recycling. However, it quickly became clear that the challenges extended far beyond metal waste. With multiple materials and multiple contractors handling everything from cardboard to coolants, waste management had become fragmented, inefficient and admin-heavy.
TBS invited Waste Mission to take on the management of all their waste streams. The result was a joined-up, compliant and cost-efficient system that reduced both environmental impact and administrative burden.
Challenges for TBS Engineering
Over the years, as TBS expanded internationally, its waste management grew organically and somewhat ad hoc. Different departments had commissioned their own contractors, leading to a patchwork approach in which multiple suppliers handled different waste types — each with its own processes, costs, and collection schedules.
This had several effects:
- Increased vehicle movements and a higher carbon footprint
- Containers not always suitable for specific waste types
- Occasional site issues such as contaminated rainwater runoff
- Extra time spent managing multiple service providers
When TBS partnered with Waste Mission for scrap-metal recycling, it became clear how much simpler operations could be under a single trusted supplier.
Waste Mission’s streamlined solution
TBS asked Waste Mission to extend its remit to include cardboard, wood, coolants, aerosols, fluorescent tubes and cables. Waste Mission provided compliant containers for each waste type, including stillages for lead waste, skips for wood and scrap metal and drainage features to prevent contamination.
This expanded partnership then grew again to cover all remaining waste streams, including:
- WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
- Batteries and oils
- Glass and hazardous liquids
By consolidating everything into one comprehensive, compliant contract, Waste Mission helped TBS simplify its entire waste operation, drastically reducing the number of collections while improving traceability and transparency.
Business impact
The transformation was immediate. TBS Engineering now benefits from:
- One point of contact for all waste needs
- Reduced emissions through fewer collections
- Fully compliant and properly segregated storage solutions
- Substantial administrative and time savings
- Better recycling rates and a stronger sustainability profile
TBS estimates its cost savings at around 40%, thanks to higher rebates for metal recyclables and the efficiencies gained from a single supplier. Most importantly, TBS’s facilities team can now focus on production growth rather than juggling multiple waste contracts.
Darren White. Health, Safety and Environment Manager for TBS Engineering says, “Waste mission has given guidance on our hazardous waste, WEEE waste, including printer waste that we required, as well as educating us on other waste with better possibilities for recycling.”
