Recycling Works: Almac Group's New Environment Initiative Saves £72,000 Per Year

12 November 2012 -- Following the launch of research, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing company Almac’s new recycling initiative in May 2012, the amount of recycled waste at Almac dramatically increased from 19% to 70% in just a couple of months, and has since remained at around 70%. Almac’s environmental set up now consistently saves the company £6,000 per month.

Thanks to a dynamic approach to recycling, Almac’s Antrim-based subcontractor McQuillan Envirocare manages all waste on site and new materials have been added to the recycling list, such as aluminium. Unsightly open skips have been replaced by 100 different wheelie bins and mini ‘recycler’ trains travel up and down the yards, keeping them in optimal condition. Beyond making Almac a ‘greener’ place to work in and to live close to, haulage fees and landfill tax have decreased, encouraging further savings.

McQuillan Envirocare’s Technical Manager, Neil McCauley stated: “We work in partnership with Almac to ensure their environmental and sustainability obligations are met through current and innovative waste management techniques. As our largest client, Almac helped to create new jobs by the employment of dedicated McQuillan Envirocare staff and indirectly by securing several jobs already within our organisation. We value this close working relationship and look forward to continued success over the coming years.”

Almac, one of Northern Ireland’s largest employers, is keen to successfully carry out its environmentally-friendly initiative not only in terms of its production waste, but also in terms of office and household waste, leading by example by involving each of their employees in the process. Recycling bins are available in offices and staff are actively encouraged to use them and to change their environmental behaviour at work and hopefully at home.

Wayne McMeekin, Almac Group HSE Manager said: “Back in April 2012, Almac was recycling 19% of its waste. The original target agreed within our new environment initiative was to reach 40% in December. We are delighted that all our hard work has paid off to the point of reaching 70% waste recycling in June 2012 and maintaining a steady performance since, saving Almac £72,000 per year. This is a fantastic result, which benefits not only the company in terms of savings but also Northern Ireland and its residents in terms of enjoying a better a quality of life and a solid reputation in terms of caring for their environment.”

The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and IXRS® technology (IVRS/IWRS), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The company employs over 3,300 individuals and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California.

For more information about the Almac Group, please visit www.almacgroup.com or e-mail info@almacgroup.com

Tristan Jervis

Managing Partner

Holborn Gate, 26 Southampton Buildings

London WC2A 1BP

Telephone: +44 (0)207 861 3838

Direct: +44 (0)207 861 3019

Fax: +44 (0)207 861 3839

E-mail: t.jervis@defacto.com

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