VC Cooke Ltd

A GREENER WAY OF THINKING

NOWADAYS global warming is never out of the headlines, and the public are being increasingly encouraged to reassess and improve their recycling habits. A local company that is literally at the cutting edge of waste recycling is V C Cooke Ltd. From their 20-acre site in Ellough a dedicated team of over 20 staff keep this well known local name at the forefront of waste management and recycling. "Education for all" is the company's maxim regarding attitudes to waste, with ongoing training for their own staff playing a significant part in the professionalism they adhere to at all times. Sales Manager Tony Atkinson, for example, regularly arranges presentations for schools and businesses to stress the importance of recycling. The company is also sponsoring a Young Environmentalist of the Year school's initiative this year. The V C Cooke staff are all trained to various NVQ standards, and the company is proud of its commitment to its Investors in People. It is also ISO 9001 Accredited and in working towards ISO 14001 Environment Accreditation anticipated later this year. Additionally its prestigious Green Apple Award is further testimony to the company's philosophy of training from within.
"Recycling is an important issue for me personally as well as for the company" explains MD Paul Thornton. "The government charge for landfill is increasing exponentially every year so to be viable, V C Cooke must be able to recycle more efficiently, which effectively allows us to offer competitive services to our local area. " The latest equipment is in use at the Beccles transfer station where a baler compacts valuable reclaimed materials such as cardboard, paper and plastic ready for transportation to a UK based processing facility . Recycled raw materials such as glass and metals etc are valuable resources and it is V C Cooke's job to sort and extract these from mixed wastes to further reduce the volume for landfill. Other useful commodities saved and reprocessed on site include soils, brick, concrete, uPVC windows and plasterboard.
Site operations manager, Jon Wells, looks after the dozen V C Cooke vehicles which are a frequent sight on local roads, covering an area of around a 20 mile radius of Beccles.
Jon also oversees the waste transfer station and public weighbridge, operated for commercial vehicles up to 50 tonnes and for any members of the general public needing to know the weight of their vehicle and/or loads. A vehicle pressure wash is also available for cleaning prior to MOT testing.
Another major service offered by V C Cooke Ltd is skip hire and commercial wheelie bin hire. The company offers skips ranging from 2 - 12 cubic yards, suitable for domestic and commercial use. Heavy duty wheelie bins of 660 and 1100 litres are also available commercially as are large roll-on/roll-off bins of 20, 40 and 50 cubic yards capacity. All can be collected and delivered within 24 hours, for any type of non-hazardous, solid waste. This waste is then sorted and picked to ensure all recyclable material are reclaimed. The company's aim is to assure local residents and businesses that high volumes of waste can be safely recycled. Currently over 80% of all waste that passes through the gates of the Ellough company is recycled.
New innovations for V C Cooke include the recycling of UPVC windows and doors, for which enquiries from window companies and local builders are welcome. The company has recently invested in an industrial security shredder that can effectively destroy and recycle all confidential documents. The company can advise other businesses on the legal and ethical implications involving sensitive information held on paper records. Schools, solicitors, accountants, medical practices etc are all covered by the Data Protection Act and need to carefully consider how confidential documents should be destroyed. V C Cooke can supply and collect five secure bags for £30. These remain security sealed until their contents are shredded. Certificated acknowledgement of the disposal is then produced to verify proper destruction.
Ethics such as these are also evident in V C Cooke's commitment to the local community. They provide services, free of charge, to many local projects such as the Beccles Carnival, Duck Race, local exhibitions and the new Lido facility.
Local companies of all sizes will find a friendly and efficient service right on their doorstep. With protection of the environment a very important issue to us all, the professionalism and investment in high standards will no doubt be a source of satisfaction to both V C Cooke's growing client list and to the local public collectively. For further details of the operation ring 01502 712328, visit the website www.vccooke-ltd.co.uk or email enquiries@vccookeltd.co.uk

(As seen in the Beccles Independant Aug 2010)

Submitted by V C Cooke on Tuesday 12th October 2010