KMF Group

The KMF Group specialises in manufacturing and delivering sub-contract sheet metal services to leading original equipment manufacturers (OEM) across the UK and Europe. Investment in their people and cutting-edge process technology ensures that they are in a position to consistently meet their customer quality and short lead-time expectations.

KMF has been working with Brown Recycling for more than 20 years, addressing a series of specific recycling needs and seeking to continuously improve sustainability practices across the business.

At one of our regular review meetings with KMF, Mitch Brown, Co-Managing Director at Brown And Terry Stanway, Purchasing and Facilities Director, discussed their waste services and the forthcoming Simpler Recycling regulations coming into effect on 31st March 2025. Keen to ensure they were ready ahead of time and could communicate the changes to their team, Terry asked us to propose how best to handle the segregation of the different waste streams to meet the new regulations.

The Challenge

An initial on-site audit of the current internal waste facilities flagged that having just 2 small recycling bins in communal areas was not effective. These were getting filled quickly, being emptied up to 4 times per day, and only had 1 shared waste sack inside, leading to recyclables not being properly segregated.

The Solution

Our team conducted a thorough assessment of KMF’s current recycling practice and proposed a tailored solution to streamline and enhance their processes.

This recommended converting the current 87-litre units to capture food waste, with new installed 100 litre internal waste recycling bins with two slots designated for plastic bottles and aluminium cans, increasing capacity and improving segregation. Located in high-traffic communal areas, both inside and outside, with external 1100L drop-front wheelie bins to hold all the waste from the internal bins.

Waste stream specific guides were added to the bin sign boards to ensure staff understood what could and could not be placed in the food waste bins, promoting effective recycling. We also provided training sessions to educate KMF staff on effective recycling practices, ensuring everyone was on board with the new initiatives.

The Outcomes

The implementation of the new waste capture bins combined with the staff training sessions led to a significant improvement in KMF’s recycling efficiency.

The dual-stream capture bins reduced the frequency of bin emptying and ensured better segregation of recyclables. The increased awareness and understanding of recycling practices resulted in a more sustainable and compliant waste management system across KMF.

Furthermore, the additional recycling infrastructure helps to increase recycling performance. KMF can track their recycling progress online with access to detailed reporting via our Brown Recycling online customer portal. This portal provides real-time data on waste collection, segregation efficiency, and recycling rates, allowing KMF to monitor their environmental impact and make informed decisions to further improve their sustainability practices.

The collaboration between KMF Group and Brown Recycling has proven to be highly effective in addressing KMF’s recycling needs and improving their sustainability practices. By implementing innovative waste capture solutions and providing comprehensive training, KMF is well-prepared to comply with the new Simpler Recycling regulations and continue to improve their environmental performance