2. DCU Business School
Assignment Submission
Student Name: Seánpaul Walsh
Student Number:
Programme: MMK - MBS in Marketing
Project Title: Individual Assignment
Module code: MT543 Sustainability Marketing
Lecturers:
Project Due Date: 26-MAY-2011, 4.00pm
Declaration
I the undersigned declare that the project material, which I now submit, is my own work.
Any assistance received by way of borrowing from the work of others has been cited and
acknowledged within the work. I make this declaration in the knowledge that a breach of
the rules pertaining to project submission may carry serious consequences.
I am aware that the project will not be accepted unless this form has been handed in along
with the project.
Signed:_________________________
2
3. Company Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 4
Operations .................................................................................................................................... 4
Presence........................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Critical Evaluation of Sustainability Marketing Mix ............................................................................ 7
Customer Solution ......................................................................................................................... 7
Communication ............................................................................................................................. 8
Customer Cost ............................................................................................................................... 8
Conveneince..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Overall Evaluation ....................................................................................................................... 10
Recommended 3 Year Plan .............................................................................................................. 11
Bibiography .......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Appendices...................................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix A Greenstar Service Offerings .................................................................................. 13
Appendix B Greenstar Enviornmental/Sustainable Business Practices .................................. 15
Appendix C Greenstar Industry and Societal Awards ............................................................... 16
Appendix D Greenstar Intitatives ............................................................................................. 20
Appendix E Energy Scheme ..................................................................................................... 23
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4. Greenstar Ireland is Ireland‟s leading integrated waste management company. It is a sister company of
Greenstar Global. They provide a comprehensive one-stop-shop recycling service to a broad client
base including semi-state, major national and multi-national organisations. A more detailed account
of their service offering can be found in Appendix A (on page 13). From a detailed review of the
publically available material I can confirm that Greenstar Ireland are completely aware of the
sustainability marketing concept, employ it in their business model and hold it in high regard on their
agenda.
As stated by Belz and Peattie (2009), Sustainability marketing is the building and maintenance of
sustainable relationships with your customer as well as the social and natural environment. In relation
to Greenstar I feel that operations are associated to the natural environment and presence to the social
environment.
Greenstar‟s own operations are evidently aligned with their core mission of offering of services that
promote sustainable business. This can be concurred in their mission statement
“Leadership that is trusted to deliver cost effective and sustainable services which
empower customers and stakeholders to achieve a better future through technologies
that address the challenges of climate change, renewable energy and resource
redeployment. Greenstar is committed to the highest possible environmental and
operational standards. The company has a duty both legally and morally to ensure
that its operations are carried out with the minimum of negative environmental
impacts. This is a duty Greenstar is determined to meet”
(Greenstar Online, 2011)
I found that within their operations they adhere to all environmental standards. The company currently
holds 15 EPA* waste licences, which cover their waste transfer facilities, materials recovery facilities
and four landfill sites. Greenstar state that they have also applied for licences in relation to a number
of other sites across the country and these are pending. In the case of each licensed operation they
state that both on site facility management staff and staff from Greenstar‟s head office environmental
section, correspond regularly with the EPA and other regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with
*
EPA-Environmental Protection Agency
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5. requirements of the waste licence. I believe that with the company‟s transparency of information is a
great indication of their practices.
Further evidence of their operations shows that they are committed to maintaining sustainable
operations. The company was recognised and certified by ISO 14001 in 2004. This certification was
applicable to all of their facilities. A specific example would be their operation of Ballynagran
Landfill in County Wicklow which is also operated in line with a comprehensive Environmental
Management System which ensures compliance with strict standards. The standard was regarded so
high that it was awarded the highly desired UK CIWM PEEL‟s people‟s cup for „Best Operated
Waste Facility in Ireland or the UK‟ and the prestigious Green Apple Award for Environmental Best
Practice in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Both of these awards schemes are internationally recognised
and have been in place for over 15 years. Greenstar‟s Ballynagran facility is the first ever Irish waste
facility to win the award. Further evidence of their industry recognition for operations can be found in
Appendix C (on page 16)
Greenstar also play a large role in promoting the concept of sustainable business in the market and
within society. Their presence in the industry and society is widespread.
The company is part of the “IBEC renewables Working Group”, which meets every quarter to express
the views of the renewable energy industry with regard to policy and support measures necessary to
attain EU Directives and Regulatory targets in achieving diversification
of the energy mix toward more sustainable and renewable resources.
Greenstar is also strongly committed to its CSR and in particular to
issues affecting the environment. However unlike other firms where
CSR is often reactive, Greenstar‟s CSR is focused around the
customer and environment than at a corporate level. Their policy
although, a mix between strategic and responsive, focuses around
promoting recycling and recovery rates, informing and educating
about environmental activities, supporting local economies by
sourcing materials locally, working with suppliers to minimise their Figure 1-Responsive & Strategic Approaches to
environmental impact, supporting local charities and sporting CSR (Porter & Kramer, 2006)
organisation and sponsoring research work with local authorities and educational institutions to
increase awareness and influence behaviour in the area of waste minimisation and conservation of
resources.
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6. It is Greenstar's company policy to reinvest back into the communities in which it works. Greenstar
aim to make the communities in which they operate better places to live. Therefore they work closely
with community groups on both societal and national level.
Examples of some of the initiatives they sponsor, promote and organise are Green Schools, National
Environmental Education and Awareness Programme, National Schools Educational Programme,
Green Awards, community Clean ups and many more. A detailed account of all their societal
initiatives can be found in Appendix D (on page 20)
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7. As highlighted above the level of awareness with the concept of sustainability is very high within the
organisation. The sustainability marketing mix can be classified with the “Four C‟s” of marketing.
They are a progression and evolution of the traditional four P‟s of marketing, Product, Price, Place,
Promotion. A simple explanation is that the Four C‟s are Customer orientated, that is they look at the
company from a customers purchasing perspective, whereas the Four P‟s are Product Related; that is
they look at the company‟s marketing mix from the perspective of selling a product. In defining the
four elements of the sustainability marketing mix, we must also consider the different stages of the
consumer purchasing process; Pre Use, Usage, and Post Use.
Customer Solution in essence refers to whether Greenstar are attempting to solve customer problems
or simply produce a service for consumption.
Pre Use: Greenstar's pre usage of their product refers to their service offering. At present their pre use
offering would be the education initiatives they engage in and the general education they provide on
the benefits of their services and how a consumer can recycle easier. This, although also a selling
point for the company, is both helping to solve an environmental problem; increase recycling through
awareness and also aiding the decision of a consumer; to adopt Greenstar‟s services to reduce waste
billing.
Usage: This refers to the actual usage of the Greenstar service range. By adopting their services the
consumer is getting a range of solutions. They are getting a solution to how the manage their waste
and recycling, a reduction in their costs of how they dispose of waste as cheaper to recycle, more
efficiency in and lower overheads through reuse of some products (See Appendix A, on page 13),
fulfilling legal requirements and fulfilling a self need that may exist to be a more conscious consumer.
Post Use: Although it is difficult to estimate what the post use value of the service is it may refer to
the end recycled product, i.e. rubbish, which is used again. IT may also refer to the bins used which
after use are designed for multiple uses so there is no post usage. The final post usage as referred to
earlier is the customers satisfaction of knowing that they are behaving consciously for the
environment.
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8. I believe that Greenstar are very environmentally and customer solution orientated. IT would appear
that they are delivering on these solutions also based on their repertoire of satisfied customers; 75,000
domestic and 25,000 business customers, and based on the awards they have received over the years,
(see Appendix C, on page 16) (Greenstar Online, 2011).
Within the concept of sustainability marketing communication refers to how the company engages
and communicates with the customer directly. This differs to the traditional method of constant
promotion of a product.
Greenstar are extremely good at engaging with their customers. This is evident in how they operate
their business online and on the ground. Greenstar use the internet to communicate and engage their
customers. They host an impressive website as well as social media tools Facebook and Linked IN.
There is also a built in live help/Q&A facility for registered customers where you can log in and be
assisted. Following this there are customer testimonials and client cases hosted on the website which
creates for further engagement.
These testimonials and the amount of information also impact on the two features stated by Belz and
Peattie (2009) as fundamental to communication; consistency and credibility. As I stated earlier, the
aspect of the transparency with Greenstar‟s operations and the freedom of information available
conveys that they are consistently looking to improve through customer feedback. They also state
online that they will release all information upon request to queries. I believe that this confidence to
open all business operations and processes to public investigation shows that they are entirely credible
in their operations. This is also backed up by their presence in the social environment; recognised by
IBEC and working on behalf of the Irish government. Their credibility and consistency is further
reiterated by the vast amount of awards they have received from year to year.
Another method the company uses to engage is through the creation of and sponsoring of local and
national initiatives (See Appendix D, on page 20).
Overall their communication is very effective however I do believe that they could increase their
communication with national authorities/local authorities in order to increase message to wider
audiences.
Traditional price does not consider the total cost of manufacturing or ownership of a product or
service. There may be time costs, transportation costs, tradeoffs, etc. Cost can be looked at from two
perspectives; the consumer perspective, which calculates the totality of costs to a consumer
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9. considering purchasing a product, and the producer perspective, which calculates the total cost of
providing the product.
Pre Use: Greenstar‟s customers costs are formed of the billing they pay Greenstar i.e. money and the
pre cost of acquiring their services i.e. time; phone calls to set up account and select service/in some
cases meetings for business customers where Greenstar call out to assess your business, search costs;
price comparisons, background checks. Greenstar try to reduce these costs by providing a very
informational website with various informational pack downloads as well as operating a low-cost
phone line. Their own costs refer tithe cost of setting up the website, the maintenance of it, the
reimbursing of telecoms for phone line and then the cost of paper and labour to secure contracts.
Usage: The energy required by a consumer her e for Greenstar must refer to the physical energy of
separating their waste and the actual moving of the bin to the road. This is low and is aided by the
colour coded purple bin of Greenstar as well as downloadable information and posters for the home
and business stating dates and instructions. Switching costs are high for the customer as it is a big
change in behaviour and forces a break of habit. It requires the customer to be aware and remember to
put out a second bin each week as well as change their overall process. Greenstar already address this
through communicating and engaging customers the benefits of using their service e.g. cost savings
and environment savings. Greenstar will also incur the cost here of actually collecting the material,
labour and delivery to waste recycling plant as well as consultation hours for business customers.
Post Use: As the service is bought on contract the post use is difficult to calculate as customers may
renew. The only post use I discovered was the disposal of the bin containers themselves if a customer
decides to stop using the company‟s services. In this case Greenstar state that they collect the
containers from the home of the ex-customer and re-use them therefore making the post use cost low.
In sustainability marketing terms convenience refers to the customers‟ ability to access the product or
service offering.
Greenstar have 12 customer services units as well as 10 online addresses of availing of their services
nationwide. As mentioned before the phone line is low cost and contracts can be mailed out so is of
some convenience to the customer as they never have to leave their home. With regard to business
customers the same approach applies but it is very convenient as Greenstar come to you the only off
putting aspect is the change must be facilitated by that company‟s management/employees. The
product usage allows convenience as users can access their account online. Using the service presents
one inconvenience to adhere to, that is following Greenstar‟s collection schedule which requires you
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10. to put the container out for collection once every two weeks however how much of an inconvenience
this is I am unsure as the resulting outcomes outweigh this inconvenience.
From careful review and analysis I believe that Greenstar current sustainability mix is very effective. I
believe that their biggest challenge is within the communication aspect. Their toughest barriers come
in the form of growing the business and the infrastructure already in place in Ireland and in business
reluctance to change waste disposal behaviour. By the first I am referring to the contractual
agreements already in place with local authorities and households to manage waste. The second refers
to their business customer and their need to engage more business customers by emphasising the
value of their service.
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11. I have suggested a sustainability marketing plan that aims to improve Greenstar‟s communication
aspects whilst maintaining their efforts on other areas of
the mix.
I believe that because of the powerful position of
Greenstar in the industry that they need to put more
structure around their initiatives. Greenstar are doing a
host of effective initiatives to support the community, the
country and the environment however I believe that they
need to expand their efforts and set targets, similarly to the
Plan A concept adopted by M&S. At present they appear
to carry out events „here and there‟ and there is no real
consistency in terms of a destination.
I present the „Star Plan‟. The concept behind this plan I that Greenstar set out long
term objectives relevant to the events they run in accordance with Ireland as a
country at the mind of it all. I believe that they could set out 5 major commitments, reflective of the 5
sides of their icon, to have achieved by midyear 2014.
Step No: Explained: Timeline:
Engage Government and local authorities on the cost benefits of selecting Greenstar as the main provider of all waste 2011-2012
disposal in the country as this is mainly done by local authorities. I believe that this will ensure waste is managed more
1
appropriately and could cost the authorities less money. If unsuccessful, Greenstar should aim to acquire more areas
though county councils
By adopting this approach Greenstar can then set targets on households and businesses waste figures and their plan to 2011-2012
2
reduce it. E.g. To make all of Irelands waste 75% recycled.
3 Roll out the plan and monitor progress. 2012-2013
Change content communicated to customer. Now communicate targets and cost savings to customers in order to 2012-2013
4 attract and engage in Star Plan Campaign furthering Greenstar's credibility. E.g. M&S educated customers and also
engaged them with their products.
At present Greenstar currently pilot turning waste to energy (See Appendix E, on page 23 ). This can not only be used as 2013-2014
leverage in negotiations with authorities but to enhancing their communication content with customers. By developing
5 the content and communicating an incentive to the customer to recycle. This would be arrange with the energy
provider and consumers who recycled X amount would receive Y amount off their energy bill or by adopting the
Greenstar management system you would be entitled to energy discounts.
6 Measure Results and re-set new targets whilst creating new content containing results. 2013-2014
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12. Belz, F.M & Peattie, K. (2009), „Sustainability Marketing; A Global Perspective‟, Wiley Publishers
Inc.
Porter, M.E & Kramer, M.R (2006), „Strategy and Society‟, Harvard Business review, 84 (12): 78-92.
Greenstar Website, Available at : http://www.greenstar.ie/index.html, (Accessed last on 25th May
2011)
Greenstar Community Newsletter January 2007, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 20th April May 2011)
DLR Home recycling information, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 18th April May 2011)
Greenstar EHS Policy 2010, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 19th April May 2011)
EIS Millennium Business Park Case study, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 25th April May 2011)
Fingal County Area collection times Poster, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 20th April May 2011)
Greenstar BBS 2010 Presentation, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 20th April May 2011)
Greenstar Joint Recycling Promotional Leaflet, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 20th April May 2011)
Need For Adaptability in modern Waste management, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 18th April May 2011)
Spring 2011 Business Newsletter, Greenstar Online Website, Available at:
http://www.greenstar.ie/htm/about/press_area.html (Accessed last on 20th April May 2011)
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13. †
Greenstar‟s expert team of advisors offer a Waste and Environmental Auditing service. They provide
each client with recommendations to improve its waste and environmental practices ensuring
compliance with environmental legislation, reducing environment impacts whilst introducing
effective cost savings in waste disposal.
Greenstar' service also includes an on-site education programme tailored specifically to the
requirements of the company. They offer educational talks, activities and reading material in relation
to recycling and waste minimisation. Clients are advised on the best methods of implementation and
operation of new systems. As part of the programme, in-house staff training, (including sub-
contractors) is provided and includes an environmental awareness section. Updates on developments
in environmental and waste management related legislation are also provided on a regular basis.
Greenstar provides an Office Recycling Scheme to its clients. Our expert team will set up the
infrastructure for the segregation, collection and storage of materials from recycling containers
provided. The programme assists our clients in attaining their recycling targets as outlined under
current national and EU legislation and also ensures legislative compliance with the WEEE directive.
Within the office recycling scheme are:
Greenstar provides a paper recycling service to its clients for white office paper, mixed paper,
newspapers, magazines, brochures, cardboard and a wide range of fibreboards. Recycling
receptacles are provided for the segregation of paper and a regular collection day appointed.
Greenstar has a specialised plastics recycling facility where a wide range of plastics can be
processed, catering for both packaging and non-packaging plastics. Services such as
shredding, granulation, bulk storage and baling are available which are particularly effective
in the processing of industrial plastics.
Greenstar offers a comprehensive electronic waste recycling and management programme to
the electronics and software industries in Ireland. This service offers clients a “cradle to
grave” solution where redundant product streams can be recovered, reused and recycled.
†
Adopted from Greenstar Service Offering Pack provided by Greenstar Online
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14. A small change in procedure will make a big impact in the office environmental culture. The
concept of the “Binless Office” is simple and efficient. It involves the removal of the
underdesk general waste bins, and the introduction of a “Desk Tray Recycler”, whereby all
materials are placed in the tray throughout the working day. At the end of the day or when the
tray is full, the tray is brought to a central recycling area and the materials in the tray are
segregated into bins specific to each waste stream. This simple to implement waste
management programme can reduce a business‟s general waste bill by up to 20% per annum
by reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and increasing the amount of segregated
recyclable streams such as paper, cartridges, pens, electronic waste, computers and
peripherals. The binless office can be implemented in a number of environments including
offices, factory floor, production lines, warehouses and canteens.
The advantages of the Binless Office include significant cost savings , less office
consumables, reduced collection frequency, increased recycling rates, reduced material to
landfill and overall waste minimisation as staff become more aware of the waste they
generate .Any combination of bins and recyclable / recoverable materials can be catered for.
This would be determined by an initial site audit and consultation with the client to determine
the optimal bin layout. The recycling centres are conveniently located around the office to
facilitate ease of use for the staff.
Greenstar provides a confidential shredding service offering a secure documented and
witnessed destruction of sensitive or outdated company documents, data and media.
Certificates of destruction and recycling; and video evidence of disposal are supplied on
request.
The Greenstar research team investigate the recycling / recovery potential of any waste
materials that are present on a clients site. Materials that are resigned to residual landfill may
prospectively be recycled or recovered which can result in cost reductions and improved
recovery rates. Other recyclables such as glass, metal, timber and C&D waste are also
managed in the programme.
Greenstar provides a specialist composting service for food and biowaste for all industry sectors
including industry canteens, restaurants, food production companies and hotels. They specialise in the
management of bulk food waste recycling, in a safe and cost effective manner, from large containers
through to bulk tankers. All organic waste collected is digested or composted in an environmentally
friendly manner.
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15. ‡
Greenstar regards environmental protection as an integral and essential part of good business
practice. We are committed to achieving and maintaining a high standard of environmental
quality in all of our operations. Greenstar aims to set the standard by:
At a minimum, meet, and where appropriate, exceed the requirements of all relevant
legislation.
Reduce waste in all operations and ensure use of the best environmental option for
disposal of unrecoverable waste.
Promote the use of recycled materials and find sustainable markets for recovered
materials.
Promote the concepts of continuous improvement and pollution prevention through
the setting and review of environmental objectives and targets.
Provide the necessary training and support to staff so that they can carry out their
environmental responsibilities effectively and professionally.
Promote the adoption of environmentally sound practices by contractors, suppliers
and customers.
Communicate their Policy to all employees and sub-contractors who work on behalf
of Greenstar.
Foster openness and dialogue with our neighbours and the general public.
Make their environmental policy and records available to the public and interested
parties.
Communicate their Policy to all employees and sub-contractors who work on behalf
of Greenstar.
‡
Adopted from Greenstar Service Offering Pack provided by Greenstar Online
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16. Gold for Best Direct Mail High Volume
Silver for Best Billing Communication
Silver for Best Loyalty Campaign
Bronze for Best Utility
Greenstar won the Distinction award (the highest award in the prestigious awards category)
from the National Irish Safety Organisation. The Distinction award is given to companies that
have "demonstrated the existence of a proactive health & safety management system
combined with evidence of strong management leadership of continual improvement, health
& safety management system reviews and superior performance".
The award was made based on:
The implementation of an Integrated Environmental Health & Safety Management system at
our Material Recovery Facility at Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Evidence of continuous improvement in relation to our health & safety performance across
the Group
Evidence of senior management involvement in driving culture change through the Safety
Leadership Team and management and staff training
New Product or Service Award - (for its domestic Pay As You Go Service, New Centralised
Administration Department & Text Messaging Service).
Best Small or Growing Contract or Shared Service Centre Award – this award recognises
small, new and growing contact and shared services centres and rewards excellence in
standard, procedures and results in centres with less than 50 staff.
Greenstar won the Distinction award (the highest award in the prestigious awards category)
from the National Irish Safety Organisation. The Distinction award is given to companies that
have "demonstrated the existence of a proactive health & safety management system
combined with evidence of strong management leadership of continual improvement, health
& safety management system reviews and superior performance".
The award was made based on:
The implementation of an Integrated Environmental Health & Safety Management system in
Millennium Park
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17. Evidence of continuous improvement in relation to our health & safety performance across
the Group
Evidence of senior management involvement in driving culture change through the Safety
Leadership Team, MBR meetings and management and staff training
Greenstar‟s Ballynagran landfill won the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best
Practice. It is established as one of the major environmental recognition schemes in the UK
and internationally, the annual Green Apple Environment Awards recognise, reward and
promote environmental best practice around the world. The Green Organisation which runs
the annual awards is an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment
group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around
the world. Greenstar‟s Ballynagran Landfill was also invited to join National Green Heroes,
an elite group of environmental achievers who their experience to help environmental best
practice around the world.
Greenstar won the Best Small or Growing Contract or Shared Service Centre Award at the
CCMA Ireland Awards 2008. This award recognises small, new and growing contact and
shared services centres and is dedicated to rewarding excellence in standard, procedures and
results in centres with less than 50 staff.
This prize is awarded annually by the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management to the waste facility
judged to have the highest standard of excellence in its operational team. The 2008 PEEL cup was
awarded to Ballynagran Residual Landfill, Co Wicklow, Ireland, operated by Greenstar. This is the
first occasion in the 20 year history of the PEEL People's Cup that it was awarded to a facility in
Ireland.
Greenstar won the "Outstanding Large Business Award”. These awards recognise excellence in
service, local employment and contributions to the local community.
In 2007 Greenstar became the first recipient of a Vodafone Passion for the World Around Us business
award for the Bray area. The company was recognized for their continued contribution to their local
community and work in promoting environmental awareness and waste management throughout the
locality, making Bray a more pleasant place to live. The Passion for the World around Us Awards are
run by Vodafone in partnership with Bray Chamber and 17 other Chambers nationwide. The awards
recognize and reward people and businesses who make an effort to improve their local communities
and who have been successful in making a positive contribution to the world around them.
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18. Greenstar Recycling Ltd was named the Repak Recycling Large Operator of the Year at the Award
Ceremony which highlights companies that have contributed to the environment by minimising and
recycling packaging waste and this year had the theme of "Keep Recycling - let's get it sorted".
Greenstar recorded a 110% increase in its recycling of packaging waste such as metal, paper and
plastic between 2004 and 2005, resulting in over 28,000 tonnes of waste being diverted from landfill.
The annual Repak Awards Dinner took place on the 7th of October 2004 in the Berkeley Court.
Greenstar Recycling Ltd. was chosen through a stringent judging process as one of five finalists for
the coveted Repak Packaging Recovery Operator of the year Award 2004. A certificate was presented
to Greenstar in acknowledgement of substantial achievements in the area of packaging recycling in
the above category. The awards were established to promote and encourage good recycling practice,
amongst industry, Local Authorities, waste contractors and young people in Ireland. In the spirit of
recycling even the Repak Recycling Award was made from recovered / recycled glass, plastic, steel
and wood!
Stephen's Green Shopping Centre won a best practice award from Dublin City Council for their
environmental endeavours in waste management. The principal areas that they were recognised for
was in housekeeping, bin structure and segregation of waste streams. The improvements that the
Greenstar waste management programme made in the Stephen's Green Shopping Centre also resulted
in reduced administration time, thereby creating more free time for staff to perform other functions.
Greenstar Recycling Ltd. was accredited with the Excellence through People certification in 2002. It
is Ireland's national standard for human resource development. The certificate was received as
acknowledgment of the human resource structure put in place to promote excellence in the workplace
through the training, development and involvement of the key resource, Greenstar employees.
Greenstar Recycling Ltd. won a Green Apple Award in the Waste Recycling Category. The Green
Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice are awarded jointly by the Chartered Institute of
Wastes Management and The Green Organisation, an independent, non-profit making environment
group with the main aim of recognising, rewarding and promoting the positive side of environmental
endeavours throughout all sectors of the environmental industry.
KTK Landfill received the prestigious CIWM Green Apple Award in 2001 for Best Landfill
Operation in the UK and Ireland. The Awards are presented in recognition of companies or
organisations in the Waste Management Industry that demonstrate environmental excellence in their
particular field. The award was received – for both – the operation of the landfill, in relation to quality
programmes, standard operations and controls on site; and the public information programme that was
implemented. The programme involved open communication with the local community, designed to
encourage community involvement, improve community relations and impart information through an
open and transparent policy.
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20. Greenstar is a sponsor of Green-Schools, the international environmental education programme,
designed to promote and acknowledge school action for the environment. By working with Green-
Schools Greenstar are committed to educating, influencing, and improving environmental awareness
of young people and the wider community.
Greenstar's service includes an on-site education programme tailored specifically to the requirements
of the company. They offer educational talks, activities and reading material in relation to recycling
and waste minimisation. Clients are advised on the best methods of implementation and operation of
new systems. As part of the programme, in-house staff training, (including sub-contractors) is
provided and includes an environmental awareness section. Updates on developments in
environmental and waste management related legislation are provided on a regular basis.
Greenstar works with local schools and educational establishments to provide educational visits to its
various recycling facilities and landfills around the country. To date, hundreds of schoolchildren have
been able to visit our facilities and get firsthand experience of the state-of-the-art technology and
engineering designs used.
Greenstar is the main sponsor of the Green Awards, a major awards programme set up to celebrate the
achievements of Irish businesses and organisations that are making substantial efforts to tackle the
challenge of climate change. As lead sponsor of the Awards they recognise the importance of
supporting and rewarding Irish companies who have 'set the standard' in terms of environmental
leadership. In addition, Greenstar believes that companies who adopt environmentally sustainable
practices into their business strategies can also benefit commercially. They believe that these efforts
are vital for Ireland's green economy and our positive contribution towards global sustainability. In
2008 10 of the 17 award winners were Greenstar customers.
Greenstar is one of the main sponsors of the National Green Pages which is the largest ever free and
independent Green marketing initiative of its kind in Ireland. The National Green Pages provides over
250,000 homes and businesses with a comprehensive and valuable reference book of environmentally
friendly products and services throughout Ireland.
Greenstar has sponsored this unique open art exhibition in the Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray for the last
3 years. Each year Greenstar provided a prize of €5,000 for the winner of the exhibition which
showcases a wide range of local artists in the Wicklow area. The exhibition offers both established
and emerging artists to have the opportunity to demonstrate their talents in the form of sculpture,
print, video, photography, painting and drawings.
20
21. Greenstar provided the Bray Lions Club with financial sponsorship for €5,000 per year for the use in
their community events. In addition, the company has been closely involved with all of the Bray
Lions Club events such as the Student of the Year Award, Christmas Food Appeal, Fund raising for
Chernobyl, Meals on Wheels to name but a few. Greenstar has also provided additional practical
support in terms of waste management provision to the charity.
Greenstar has sponsored this charitable event for the last 5 years. Open Door provides care, facilities
and activities for people with physical disabilities in North Wicklow and South County Dublin on a
daily basis.
It is Greenstar's company policy to reinvest back into the communities in which it works. In
demonstration of this, Greenstar has established Community Development Funds in Meath, Kildare
and Wicklow in the areas where our landfills are located. Greenstar invest a percentage of the landfill
profits back into the local community for specific projects and activities such as youth projects,
sporting facilities, educational programmes, environmental enhancement and the preservation of listed
or historic buildings. For example, approximately €250k of community development funds were
allocated to various community organisations located near our landfill facility at Knockharley, Co.
Meath such as Balrath Woods preservation, Churchfields Residents Association, Kentstown &
Seneschalstown Accordian Band and Seneschalstown GFC. A further €500,000 has been contributed
to the fund by Greenstar for which applications are under consideration.
This organisations works in partnership with An Taisce and local residents to organise clean ups of
the Wicklow coastline. Greenstar provide practical waste management support in the form of free skip
collections and provided over ten skips to this organisation in 2007.
These organisations works in partnership with An Taisce and local residents to organise clean ups of
the Wicklow coastline. Greenstar provide practical waste management support in the form of free skip
collections and provided many skips to these organisations in 2007
Greenstar work in partnership with Bray Lions Club, Local Schools and Bray Town Council to
undertake community clean ups on a regular basis. Once again, Greenstar provide free skips to assist
in the clean ups. To date, between 2 – 5 tonnes of litter have been collected in the Bray area alone.
Greenstar provide support to local residents associations in the Wicklow area and assist in clean-ups
of the area through the provision of free skips, wheelie bins and bags. Some examples of this are as
follows:
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22. Ardmore Residents Association in Bray, Co. Wicklow – Greenstar provided refuse bags,
recycling bags and skips provided free of charge to the residents association to assist with
their annual clean up.
Hollybrook Park Residents Association, Bray, Co. Wicklow - Refuse bags, recycling bags
and skip provided free of charge for annual clean up of estate.
Applewood Residents Association, Greystones - This is quite a large estate in Greystones for
which Greenstar provided refuse bags, recycling bags and skips for their clean up free of
charge.
Newcastle Residents Association - Refuse bags, Recycling bags and skip provided free of
charge
Woodstock Road Residents Association, Newtownmountkennedy - Skips provided by
Greenstar for Community Clean up free of charge
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23. §
For the purpose of utilising the biogas produced by KTK Landfill, Greenstar and G.A.S. a German
based landfill company have formed a joint venture company known as “Greenstar Gas Energy Ltd”.
When fully commissioned KTK will generate 3.75 MW of green electricity from biogas. A supply
arrangement for the off take of this power is in place with Airtricity. The ESB has issued a
connection agreement to the National Grid. Both electricity generation and supply licences from the
Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) have been issued. All necessary legal instruments are now
in place for this valuable green energy project. G.A.S. as a shareholder in the joint venture company
has entered into a Design, Build, Operate and Maintain contract to carry out this function over the
next decade. Greenstar will follow this model in developing landfill gas to energy projects for other
Greenstar landfills and other County Council owned sites.
§
Adopted from Greenstar Online 2011
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