WITH a portfolio of 3,300 navigational charts and 220 nautical publications the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is busy all year round meeting demand from the Royal Navy and international mariner.

The printing and production of UKHO's Admiralty charts inevitably means there is waste.

But UKHO is making great strides in recycling and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

The move comes as UKHO scrutinises how it operates and adjusts to meet stringent Ministry of Defence targets which state all Government departments must become a zero waste to landfill organisation by 2020 and recycling levels must improve by a minimum of 8% a year.

UKHO has already achieved a number of improvements - in the last year approximately 800 tonnes of print supply waste was generated and 96% of it was recycled, earning UKHO a revenue of £125,000.

Other recycling successes achieved in the last year include:

  • Approximately 30,000 litres (about 30 tonnes) of chemicals produced from various production processes - 95% was recycled via bio-digestion treatment and returned to the watercourse.
  • Around 70 tonnes of used aluminium litho printing plates produced - 100% recycled, melted down into pure aluminium and re-used as raw material for things like engine blocks.
  • Approximately 1,100 empty 25-litre plastic containers produced - 100% recycled, granulated, caustic washed and re-used as raw material for injection moulding e.g. drainpipes, fascias.
  • Some 640 tonnes of chart paper waste produced - 100% recycled into raw material.
  • Approximately six tonnes of cardboard packaging produced - 100% recycled, either baled for re-cycling into raw material or shredded for use as animal bedding.
  • Around 15 tonnes of mixed metal waste collected from around the site - 100% recycled into raw material.
  • About 1.5 tonnes of used printing ink tins - 100% recycled, processed and re-used as raw material.