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Our Sites
Waresley
The Waresley factory is the Company’s largest manufacturing
site and operates a formalised Environmental Management System
similar to the Hartlebury system. This is to undergo formal
certification to BS EN ISO 14001 with the initial assessment
in November 2005 and final certification planned for early
2006. In 2005 the site has adopted a more project based focus
on specific environmental issues looking particularly at waste
management, energy use, noise and dust control. This has been
incorporated in specific initiatives on improvements to overall
factory efficiency facilitated by team working projects co-ordinated
by the Ceramic Industry Forum. The location of the factory
on a large industrial estate provides an opportunity to take
part in collaborative schemes with respect to waste management
and waste recovery. Trials are ongoing to establish any ‘waste’
or recycled materials deriving from other industries (for
example recycled container glass) which can beneficially be
used as part of the raw material mix for brick manufacture.
A major milestone at the Waresley site is that from late 2004
the site has been supplied with approximately 80% of its requirement
for electricity from generators fuelled by landfill gas from
the adjacent landfill site. In addition ongoing improvements
to the kiln and dryers are seeking to reduce the site’s
overall consumption of natural gas.
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Hartlebury
We are delighted that in 1998 we achieved EMAS (Eco-Management
and Audit Scheme)at Hartlebury.
For the past ten
years the Hartlebury site has been the flagship for the development
of Environmental Management Systems having been the first
brick factory in Europe to be verified to the European Eco
Management Audit Scheme (EMAS) in 1998. The site has retained
EMAS registration since that time with period re-verification
and most recently in 2005 the site was re-verified to EMAS
by Lloyds Register on the basis of the 2004 Environmental
Statement. Additionally the site has been formally verified
to the International Standard BS EN ISO 14001. Environmental
Statement 2004
The Hartlebury Environmental Management System (EMS) is now
quite mature but continues to be developed to ensure ongoing
compliance with the requirements of the PPC Regulations and
other new legislation as it is introduced. 2005 has seen the
commencement of clay extraction from a new quarry known as
New House Farm and this has only been possible following an
extensive programme of landform creation and landscaping in
order to screen the operations to prevent noise and visual
disturbance. Of particular significance to the development
was the requirement for machines to cross over a small lane.
Works to widen the lane were conducted and we continue to
monitor and mitigate environmental impact during its use.
This site was subject to a full Environmental Impact Assessment
as part of the planning application process. As with all our
quarries the operations are restricted to generally 6 to 8
weeks each year and are timed such that disturbance to soils
and habitats is kept to an absolute minimum.
We have actively tried to build biodiversity into the development.
The management of quarry water provided opportunities in the
creation of five new pools and over 2 km of ditching. The
ditches were created following advice from Middlemarch Environmental.
The Hartlebury site remains one of the most efficient brick
factories in the UK with respect to energy use and waste.
A particular issue at the site is the proximity of a small
number of houses and the potential adverse impact of noise
emissions given that the factory operates seven days per week.
This is currently the subject of discussion with the Local
Authority with respect to the conditions of the PPC Permit
for the site. A major investment programme is in progress
to reduce noise levels from fixed plant including installation
of silencers on fans serving dryers and kilns. Close supervision
is also required with respect to all activities in the clay
stockpile area which is a particularly sensitive location.
From October 2005 the site will be progressing with the development
of extruded bricks with a higher level of perforation as permitted
by the new European brick standard BS EN 771-1. This has a
number of environmental benefits including reduced consumption
of raw materials and reduced weight for transportation to
site.
An outside agency conducted site visits, assessed the environmental
policy, environmental programme, review and audit procedures,
management system and the first Hartlebury Environmental Statement
and confirmed they complied with the European Regulation EMAS
is derived from.
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Sedgley
A full EMS has been devised for Sedgley works. This included
a preparatory review, a full environmental effects analysis
and procedures to manage those significant environmental effects.
The procedures were written with those personnel responsible
for managing or mitigating environmental effects.
The Sedgley works is a smaller and more traditional factory
which is increasingly specialising in the manufacture of higher
value products such as special shaped bricks and products
for export in unusual size formats. Management systems are
in place to control impacts to the environment with the major
focus being on reduction of energy consumption which, by the
nature of the products and the process, is high in comparison
with other factories. Maximising the recovery of ‘waste’
heat from the firing process for use in drying is a major
priority. The use of ‘waste’ materials from other
industries in the raw material mix is being investigated in
order to reduce raw material and energy consumption. Whilst
this can create benefits by reducing the quantity of material
sent to landfill, the current regulatory regime with respect
to waste management can often place obstacles in the way of
such projects. This is an issue currently being debated within
the BDA Sustainability Strategy group.
Although located close to housing and adjacent to the Baggeridge
Country Park as shown by the aerial photo on this website,
the site continues to operate with minimal environmental impact
on the neighbouring community. The site borders the Baggeridge
Country Park and an environmental initiative in 2005 has been
to develop a project to dredge accumulated clay materials
from one of the water features and created a re-contoured
lagoon for habitat creation. The material has been recovered
for future use in the brick making process and significant
improvement has been made to this Country Park resource. The
photographs show the pool immediately after works had been
completed and following re-filling of water.
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Rudgwick
We were delighted to acquire Rudgwick works (in September
1999). Rudgwick are undertaking a capital investment and installation
programme.
The Rudgwick site
is a very traditional process making clamp fired stock bricks
and one of only four remaining factories in the UK using this
process. The positive environmental impact of this site lies
particularly in the aesthetically pleasing products which
contribute greatly to the quality of the built environment.
In terms of sustainability the Rudgwick site is in many ways
ahead of its time with a long established principle of only
utilising water collected in the quarry in the brick forming
process and also incorporating ‘waste’ carbonaceous
material in the raw material mix to give the characteristic
brick appearance. The site is fully compliant with the conditions
attached to the PPC Permit and currently is the leading Baggeridge
Brick site with respect to health and safety performance.
During 2005 all the factory work force will be gaining appropriate
health and safety qualifications overseen by City and Guilds
Institute.
The quarry site has been improved during recent years to minimise
the visual impact from an adjacent footpath with the creation
of screening landforms. Drainage ditches at the base control
water whilst providing additional habitat.
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Kingsbury
The Kingsbury works continues to manufacture the widest range
of walling and paving products including a large proportion
of traditional ‘blue’ products and also the innovative
‘Corium’ tile cladding system using modern fast
firing technology. Recent investment has refurbished both
the tunnel kilns on site and a project has commenced with
the aim of reducing the degree of manual handling associated
with packing the brick and paver products.
Kingsbury quarry remains a focus of activity. Ongoing work
is continuing to support the habitat created for Great Crested
Newts under English Nature guidelines as referred to in earlier
reports. During 2005 one of the three newt ponds originally
created was relined as it had failed to retain water for a
continuous period of time. Following creation, Middlemarch
Environmental planted the pool margins and during the 2005
monitoring commented that ‘already after a couple of
months a large selection a aquatic invertebrates have colonised
pond three’. Unauthorised access to the quarry (making
use of public rights of way) is causing considerable problems
to the Company, the Police and the Local Authority.
The Kingsbury site was one of the first brick factories in
the UK to obtain a Permit under the PPC Regulations and has
successfully incorporated the new requirements – particularly
relating to monitoring of site water discharges – into
the environmental management procedures. As reported previously
the EMS at Kingsbury – whilst sufficient to satisfy
day to day compliance issues – is not yet as fully developed
as the system at other works with respect to performance monitoring
and aspects of continual improvement.
It remains a Company
objective to move towards development of a full ISO 14001
based system at the appropriate time. This will serve to co-ordinate
and link currently well established site programmes on energy
management and waste reduction.
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