Environment in the Office

ISO 14001:2015 Clause 8.1 · UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018 (confidential destruction) · EPA 1990 Duty of Care — Office environmental controls

Procedure overview

A M Water Services manages its office environment to minimise waste, conserve energy, and protect personal data. The procedure covers four streams — confidential destruction (paper records containing personal or commercially sensitive information), hazardous office waste (printer cartridges, sanitary waste, WEEE batteries, fluorescent lamps), general waste, and recycling. Confidential destruction is performed by a contractor under a Certificate of Destruction; hazardous office waste is consigned under SOP 9.5; general & recycled waste is collected under SOP 9.4. Energy efficiency is built into day-to-day office operation: machines are switched off out of hours, lighting and heating are zoned, and replacement equipment is selected on a whole-life basis. All carrier licences and transfer / consignment notes are retained per SOP 4.7.

Environment in the Office — Process Flow

Office Administration

Leanne Mason (Director)
Office staff

Confidential Destruction

Identify documents containing personal or commercially sensitive information requiring secure destruction

Place into designated confidential destruction bin / sack

Bins full / collection due?

Continue accumulating securely

Yes

Arrange collection with approved destruction contractor

Obtain Certificate of Destruction; cross-check against transfer note

SOP 9.4 · SOP 4.7 Control of Records

Office Administration

Leanne Mason (Director)
Office staff

Hazardous Office Waste

Refer to COSHH assessment & SDS for office consumables (toners, cleaning agents)

Place spent printer / ink cartridges in dedicated WEEE / hazardous container

Place sanitary waste in segregated washroom container serviced by approved provider

Segregate fluorescent lamps, batteries & small WEEE for separate collection

Consign hazardous office waste under SOP 9.5; retain Consignment Note for 3 years

SOP 9.5 Hazardous Waste · SOP 4.7

Office Administration

Leanne Mason (Director)
Office staff

General & Recycling

Provide segregated bins for general waste and the recycling streams collected locally (paper / card, mixed dry recyclables, glass where applicable)

Empty internal bins daily into the correct external container; do not mix streams

Collection by local authority (general) and approved carrier (recycling)

Retain Waste Transfer Notes for 2 years

SOP 9.4 · SOP 4.7

Process / Activity

Decision Point

Document / Cross-reference

Approval / Conformance

Rework / Issue

Energy efficiency — office practices and equipment

Energy use is a significant aspect under APP_06 Aspects & Impacts. The table below sets out routine controls; performance is reviewed at the annual Management Review (SOP 6.4).

Control area	Practice	Notes
Lighting	LED throughout; switch off in unused rooms; daylight prioritised where practical	Sensors / timers where fitted
Heating & ventilation	Zone control; thermostats set to 19–21°C heating, 24°C cooling; turn off in unused rooms	Reviewed seasonally
IT & office equipment	Power down PCs & monitors at end of shift; standby disabled where appropriate	Replacement on energy-rating basis
Printing	Default to duplex / mono; reduce print volume by digital workflows	Cartridges segregated for WEEE collection
Procurement	Specify energy-efficient appliances when economically viable; consider whole-life cost	Linked to SOP 5.3

Carrier-licence due diligence applies in the office too

Every contractor that removes waste from the office — confidential destruction, sanitary, recycling, general — must hold a valid waste-carrier registration. A copy of the licence and an in-date Waste Transfer Note (or Consignment Note for hazardous streams) must be on file before the first collection. Where a Waste Transfer Note is unavailable, record manually: date of removal, collection address, description, quantity (estimated), carrier name & address, driver name & carrier-licence number, and destination address. Records are retained per SOP 4.7 (2 years for WTN, 3 years for hazardous-waste consignment notes).

Environment in the Office

Environment in the Office — Process Flow

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