SIX weeks after the launch of edoc – a new online system for recording waste transfers – over 1000 businesses across the UK have apparently switched over to it.
Designed by the Environment Agency in partnership with the waste sector and government bodies from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, edoc (short for electronic duty of care) aims to provide “a modern and efficient alternative to completing and keeping paper waste transfer notes (WTNs)”. The system is intended to save businesses across the UK both time and money, and has so far been adopted by some of the large waste management companies including Grundon Waste Management as well as businesses such as Helistrat, B&M waste services and CIWM.
Toni Robinson, Compliance Manager at Grundon said: “We are currently in the process of switching over to edoc and are committed to encouraging all our clients to enrol and be actively using the new online system by the end of this year.
“We issue around 2000 waste transfer notes each month so being able to use the new online system in order to issue them is much more efficient, simpler and easier than through the old paper system. It is also much easier for our customers to edit, sign and share the notes and we are able to review and accept any changes made at the touch of button. The whole process is just greener, cheaper and trouble-free, as well as helping us meet our environmental goals by reducing the amount of paper we use.”
Tina Benfield, Senior Technical Advisor at CIWM said: “Like many small waste producers, we were glad to see the introduction of an online system for recording waste transfers but we didn’t feel that it would have a huge impact on our business. However, we have experienced some positive and unexpected benefits.
“We switched over to edoc as soon as it launched in January this year and since then, because we have had to weigh the amount of waste we produce each week for our collections, we have started to monitor more closely what we have been throwing away. As a result we have noticed that using edoc has made us all even more mindful of our waste and our overall waste production each week has decreased.”
See www.edoconline.co.uk for more details.