VC Cooke Ltd

V C Cooke view responsible environmental management as our number 1 priority. Following a thorough review, we have started the journey of embedding sustainability into the way we do business, by making it an essential part of or strategic planning and monthly business review processes. This has been accompanied by the setting of clear corporate sustainability targets across the key areas where we can make a positive impact and add real value. Waste minimisation, sustainable resources, community investment and education to encourage best practice from staff, customers and the supply chain throughout East Anglia and the UK.

For further information please see our policies for Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability

Closed-loop ethic

Wherever possible V C Cooke send all recyclables for processing within the UK and encourages customers to purchase these recycled products in order to assist the growth of the local (UK) marketplace.

Carbon mapping

In partnership with a carbon offset company V C Cooke is able to offer clients theopportunity to calculate the carbon footprint generated by their waste disposal operations and to take positive actions to offset the results.

Offsetting is essentially the "balancing" of CO2 emissions by avoiding an equal amount of emissions somewhere else. Greenhouse gases are emitted when fossil-fuelled energy is consumed. One tonne of carbon dioxide has the same impact on climate change wherever in the world it is emitted - or saved.

This service further raises awareness of the environmental impact of the client's waste disposal procedures.

V C Cooke's close proximity to it's customers is attractive when addressing the carbon mapping resulting from our partnership

The future: Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)

V C Cooke is constantly looking for ways to improve recycling and reduce the burden of landfill. Although we remove all recyclable materials, it is an unfortunate fact that a percentage of Municipal Solid Waste is not suitable for recycling and currently has to go for landfill. We are closely monitoring developments in RDF processing, from incineration to pyrolisis and anaerobic digestion, to further reduce landfill by using waste to produce fuel.

Energy from waste has many benefits including:

• Reduces the UK's reliance on landfill for waste disposal
• Helps local authorities meet government targets
• Waste used to produce electricity reduces the amount of methane and carbondioxide produced by waste in landfill
• Reduces our dependency on fossil fuels to generate our electricity
• Using waste to produce electricity displaces carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels
• Retrieves metals to recycle
• Produces bottom ash that can be used as a replacement for quarried aggregate inthe construction industry

Community Impact

V C Cooke are pleased to support local events and charities and welcomes involvement in projects that benefit our environment. In 2009 and 2010 our sponsorship of local events included provision of recycling and waste management services for; Beccles Carnival, Duck Race and Southwold Model Railway Exhibition. Other projects included removal of aggregate from Beccles Lido, topsoil for Clinks Care Farm, Bungay Library Garden and Beccles Brownies Centenary rose garden; tin can recycling for Loddon Scouts and auction items for Bungay Football Club.

V C Cooke is keen to increase its work in the local community, with further schools projects and work with local charities already in the pipeline for 2011.

We are pleased to consider any local projects with which we may be of assistance.

For further details about our work with the local community please click on the link at the top of sidebar on this page.

Recognising young peoples environmental initiatives

Commissioning artwork as part of Ravensmere Primary School's recycling projectsupporting planned new building development.
Providing workshops and roadshows in other local schools to raise awareness of waste minimisation

Sponsorship of two categories in the 2010 Chamber of Commerce Awards

This was a fantastic opportunity for individuals and schools across the Waveney area to . show us their green streak. Protecting the environment has always been an important issue of ours and what better way to acknowledge our future green ambassadors than to reward them for their environmental contributions.From recycling cans and paper, to energy conservation and travel to school schemes, the awards were open to any schools with a "green" strategy in place, or which had built a plan to be implemented over the coming twelve months. We are pleased to be able to congratulate the winners, Ellingham Primary School and Denes High School who saw off strong competition and impressed the judges with their green strategies.

We are again sponsoring these awards for 2011 and further details can be found in the latest news section of this website.

Award Winning Service

Success in the 2009 Waveney Chamber of Commerce Awards in the categories for Sustainable Business Practice and Community Impact.

2010 winner of green apple trophy for environmental initiatives

Winners of three categories in the 2010 Waveney Chamber of Commerce Awards:

Essex and Suffolk Water Community Impact Award

Peter Aldous MP Business Investment Award

M R King & Sons Excellence in Customer Service Award

Winner of EDP Community Impact Award 2011