Environment and responsible waste policy

Scope Office work, travel, procurement, installation, maintenance and the handling or removal of equipment at customer sites.

Purpose and standard

Phone Guys will consider environmental impacts when planning work and buying, installing, maintaining or removing equipment. We will reduce avoidable waste and pollution, use resources carefully and comply with the waste and environmental requirements that apply to the actual location and activity.

Planning and purchasing

Confirm whether equipment can be repaired, reused or upgraded before proposing replacement, where technically suitable and approved by the owner.
Select equipment and packaging with regard to fitness for purpose, service life, energy use, repairability and disposal. Explain material trade-offs to the customer.
Plan journeys and deliveries efficiently where this is compatible with customer access, service needs and safe working. Avoid unnecessary idling and wasted visits.
Take accurate quantities to site, protect materials from damage and return reusable surplus through the agreed route.

Waste ownership and separation

Before removal, the operations lead must agree who owns the equipment and waste, who is responsible for its movement and the approved destination. Separate reusable equipment, electrical items, batteries, packaging and other waste where required. Protect data-bearing equipment from unauthorised access. Do not treat a customer’s general bin as an approved disposal route.

Responsibilities

The director will resource lawful waste arrangements and approve environmental claims. The operations lead will identify job-specific waste streams and the applicable jurisdiction, check contractors and give workers disposal instructions. Workers and subcontractors must keep waste secure, prevent escape and report spills or an uncertain disposal route before proceeding.

Transfer and disposal procedure

Identify and describe the material accurately, including any hazardous properties, batteries or data-bearing components. Check whether electrical equipment, hazardous waste or another specific regime applies.
Check that the carrier and receiving site are authorised for that waste and activity. Record the check and obtain the transfer or consignment information required for the actual movement.
Package, segregate and secure waste to prevent injury, leakage, fire or escape during storage and transport. Follow battery handling and site fire precautions.
Use an approved data erasure or destruction method for equipment containing information. Record owner authority, the asset reference, method and the disposal evidence without publishing sensitive details.
Retain the required transfer records for the applicable period and check that agreed disposal or recovery evidence has been returned. Escalate gaps rather than marking them complete.

Pollution and unexpected conditions

Stop the relevant work if there is an uncontrolled spill, damaged battery, unknown substance or suspected hazardous material. Protect people, follow the site emergency arrangements and inform the operations lead. Do not disturb suspected asbestos or undertake specialist treatment beyond competence and authorisation. Record any incident, referral and corrective action.

Improvement and honest claims

Maintain proportionate purchasing, travel and waste records and use them to set and review improvement actions. Record what is measured, the period covered and the method. Do not claim carbon neutrality, net zero performance, universal recycling or an environmental certification without current, relevant evidence.

Review and related policies

Review this policy annually and when work scope, law, a waste contractor or a significant environmental risk changes. The Health and Safety Policy covers safe working arrangements. The existing environment and supplier pages remain public context; project waste plans and lawful transfer records provide the operational evidence.

Questions about this policy

For a policy question or correction, use the Phone Guys contact page. Do not send confidential customer, employee, security or incident information through a public enquiry.