Disposal logistics
Under reverse logistics means all logistical measures for the preparation and implementation of disposal . This includes all planning and executing activities that relate to the use, recycling and orderly disposal of the disposal objects.
task
The task of disposal logistics is the spatial and temporal transformation of residues. Residues are all parts of the operational output that inevitably arise in the respective processes, but do not flow into the end object. Examples of this would be raw materials , auxiliary materials or supplies that are no longer used .
Objects
Disposal logistics objects are residues and waste in the broader sense. These can be divided into two further areas: waste for recycling (secondary materials and residues) and waste for disposal (waste in the narrower sense). In addition, a distinction is made between production-related and consumption-related residues. Production-related residues are resources that arise during the production process, but do not go into the end object. Consumption-related residues include, for example, packaging (at the start of product use), batteries (during product use) or scrap (after product use).
aims
Disposal logistics has both economic and ecological goals. Economic goals are, for example, the reduction of logistics costs. Ecological goals consist of the conservation of natural resources and the minimization of emissions in the context of disposal logistics processes.
The objectives as well as the tasks of disposal logistics are defined by legal provisions. There is a wealth of legal regulations, especially with regard to the sequence of residue treatment.
Disposal logistics in trade
Commercial waste disposal logistics is understood to mean all logistical measures for the preparation and implementation of the disposal of both production and consumption-related residues in a trade. This includes all planning and executing activities that relate to the use, recycling and orderly disposal.
Tasks of waste disposal logistics in the trade
The task of disposal logistics is the spatial and temporal transformation of residues. Residues are all parts of the operational output that inevitably arise in the respective processes, but do not flow into the end object. Examples of this would be raw materials, auxiliary materials or supplies that are no longer used.
In addition, the tasks of the reverse logistics includes detailed documentation which details in the Ordinance (NachwV) can be found and a proper disposal of the different waste products. The planning activities relate to the creation of a concept for the greatest possible recycling or further use of the residues.
Disposal logistics objects
Disposal logistics objects are residues and waste in the broader sense. In general, residues can be defined as used and used products, replacement units, returns, warehouse goods, empties, containers and packaging. These can be divided into two further areas: waste for recycling (secondary materials and residues) and waste for disposal (waste in the narrower sense). In addition, a distinction is made between production-related and consumption-related residues. Production-related residues are resources that arise during the production process, but do not go into the end object. Consumption-related residues include, for example, packaging (at the start of product use), batteries (during product use) or scrap (after product use).
Types of waste with their respective characteristics
The treatment of the different types of waste is very different.
While the collected residues of paper, plastic or residual waste mostly differ from private household waste only in terms of quantity, production companies in particular for batteries or battery-operated devices and electrical devices must deal with the specifics of the disposal of these devices in order to process this in accordance with the rules.
Even before production, when developing a product that is equipped with batteries, it is important to ensure that these contain a maximum of 0.0005 percent by weight of mercury and not more than 0.002 percent by weight of cadmium. Exceptions to this are emergency lighting, medical devices and cordless power tools. Furthermore, the installed batteries must be removable and their battery capacity must be specified. In addition, all devices sold must be reported annually. After using the devices, the manufacturer must take them back free of charge and spend the collected batteries in approved treatment facilities. The production company can be released from these obligations by participating in a collection and recycling system that takes on them.
The treatment of disused electrical devices is subject to the Electronic Scrap Ordinance, which specifies various design obligations for the construction of electrical devices. Accordingly, these must be designed to be as recycling-friendly as possible; this can be achieved, for example, by avoiding mixed materials for purely aesthetic reasons. Furthermore, there is an obligation to take back and label them, as well as the submission of an EU declaration of conformity for each device and an annual report of the number of all devices sold. The manufacturer must also ensure that returned devices are handled, recycled and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner in accordance with regulations. Participation in a collection and recycling system also releases you from the above obligations.
Participation in such a system is particularly recommended for small businesses or companies that have only covered a small proportion of their product range with electrical appliances.
The legal framework for waste treatment in commercial terms is specified by the Commercial Waste Ordinance (GewAbfV).
System elements
In order to ensure a controlled and coordinated collection of production waste, certain collection methods are used.
There are three common methods of changing, disposing and emptying.
With the one-way procedure, bags or special bins, if dangerous goods are involved, are picked up as soon as they are full. These single-use containers are not replaced by new ones, as is the case with the exchange process.
The exchange procedure is probably the best known. This can be found during renovation work on a house. Swap bodies are large construction bodies that are picked up as soon as they are full and are replaced by empty swap bodies.
With the emptying process, as is known from waste glass containers. Are the emptying bins emptied either in a certain rhythm or as required.
Process types
To illustrate a logistical process of waste disposal in industry, three levels are created.
The workplace level, the area level and the plant level.
The workplace level represents the workplace of every employee. There is a garbage can at this workplace. This is brought to the area level and its contents emptied into a large collection point. The area level represents the department of a company. In other words, every department should have a large collection point. From the department or area level it goes to the factory level. There, all collection containers are emptied from the area level into an even larger collection container. This container can then be picked up by a waste disposal company.
Depending on the size and layout of the factory, it is cheaper to hire additional employees who only take care of bringing the waste from each workplace to the respective collection bins. This saves the skilled workers' working time, which usually costs more per hour.
In addition to the logistical process, there is also the disposal process in commercial waste disposal. What happens to the waste depends on how well it is separated. If the waste is well separated, it can either be reused or reused. Whey, for example, is a waste product in cheese production or, to take another example, red mud, which is processed through a certain process in order to extract the iron it contains. However, if the waste products can no longer be used, they are disposed of in a landfill, incinerator or composting facility.
The treatment process takes effect after the disposal process. Here the waste is separated by dismantling, filtration and strong magnets. If possible, the separated waste products are converted into new raw materials or recycled into the old raw material. This is done through drainage, crushing and solidification.
Disposal in business
There are two aspects to consider when it comes to disposal. On the one hand the waste systems and on the other hand the “way of the waste”.
Waste systems are divided into bring systems and collection systems.
With the bring system, the producers of the waste bring it to a collection point themselves. This collection point is emptied by a waste company. The opposite is the fetch system, which is used at the workplace level. That is, the employees of the external waste company go directly to the worker's workplace and collect the garbage.
There is also a third disposal option, the mixed form, the bring-and-take system. With this system, the internal employees have to bring their garbage from the workplace to a transfer point. The external waste company picks up the garbage from there.
Deployment Process
The provision procedure in the trade is much more extensive than in the municipalities, but the extent of this depends heavily on the size of the company.
A distinction is made between central provision and decentral provision.
The control effort that arises when collecting the waste is very small with the central provision. The disposal company's vehicles also only have to drive past one location, which reduces the flow of traffic on the site. Therefore, the central provision is well suited for smaller company premises.
For large company premises, decentralized provision is usually more suitable, as the internal flow of traffic on the premises is minimized and the specialists do not have to drive the emptying containers or waste to a central location.
Collection and sorting
The aim of collection and sorting is to generate residue flows that are as homogeneous as possible, which is achieved by increasing the purity of the variety.
There are various forms of organization for collecting and sorting, which can be individually tailored to the requirements and needs of the company.
The first variant is the collection separated by type directly at the place of origin. In this case, an additional effort due to the provision of several containers at the workplace and the many transport processes must be considered. In addition, increased space requirements and container costs can be expected due to the large number of containers. However, it is the method which enables the greatest possible purity of the residues.
Another variant is the mixed collection at the point of origin. This means that any residues that arise are collected in a common container directly at the workplace and mix. With this method, additional process costs arise from storage, transshipment and transport processes, which are necessary to organize the collection containers. The mixed collection goes hand in hand with a high environmental impact, as recycling of these mixed amounts of waste is almost impossible. This can be partially counteracted by subsequent sorting. However, depending on the types of mixed waste, this is very cost-intensive due to the additional effort involved in the work to be performed.
The choice of a suitable process depends on the company's overall cost thinking and the suitability of the residues for reuse or recycling.
Another distinguishing criterion is the degree to which the waste producer is involved in the removal of the collection containers.
A distinction is made between a fetch system and a bring system as well as various mixed forms.
With the so-called collection system, the producer only has to put the residues in the containers provided for this purpose, in which they are then transported away. Sufficient capacity must be available, which is sufficient for the waste generated between the collection periods. This can be done both through manual handling and technical reloading systems.
The residue producers are integrated into the transport in a delivery system. This means that there is also an initial recording directly at the point of occurrence in small, manageable containers, which are then taken by the producers to central collection points after the work has been done. This system requires the willingness of the employees to participate in order not to provoke a production jam due to overfilled garbage containers that have to be emptied unexpectedly.
In practice, different elements of both systems are often combined and no pure forms are used. A distinction can be made in the treatment of different types of residues or they can be taken to several collection points (bring system) which are then transported to the central collection point (collection system).
Demarcation
Disposal logistics is differentiated from other logistical sub-systems such as procurement logistics , production logistics and distribution logistics , especially in relation to the object area. The procurement, production and distribution logistics mainly relate to production goods. Disposal logistics, on the other hand, focuses on the residues that arise in production, distribution and consumption processes. The direction of flow of the objects is another delimitation criterion. The residues run in the opposite direction in relation to (compared) to the material and product flows. Another difference between waste disposal logistics and the other logistical sub-systems lies in the aforementioned target relationship. Disposal logistics goals are both economically and ecologically oriented, whereas in supply logistics the ecology is taken into account in the observance of environmental protection goals.
literature
- Endl: The disposal logistics process chain . 1998
- Jansen: Handbook of disposal logistics . 1998