Skip Navigation Links
Home
News
About the Project
Themes and Outputs
Other Publications
Archive
Contact Us
 
10: Reverse logistics
Skip Navigation Links
Outputs
Methodology
Data Collection
Partners Involved
 

Outputs

  

New studies:


Sarah Maynard, Adrian Hickford, Andrew Crossland, Tom Cherrett (2010):

A case study investigating the reverse logistics associated with Oxfam's operations in area W16


abstract
Work undertaken by the Transportation Research Group as part of the Green Logistics project looking at freight impacts in urban centres, identified that charity shops can receive significantly more weekly vehicle activity compared to other retail stores. A study of businesses on Winchester High Street suggested that the typical charity shop received 6.3 waste collections per week due to the nature of the core goods sold (donated second hand items). Charity shops receive deliveries of potential stock from a variety of sources, the saleability of which cannot be gauged until the items are inspected by staff. This process inevitably leads to waste generation as items donated with good intention are deemed un-sellable due to their particular characteristics. As a result, a variety of waste contractors, jobbers and other companies can be involved in the collection of the residual waste and recyclate generated. An opportunity arose with Oxfam to study these take-back routes in detail and better understand how take-back works in this sector.

The main aim of this research has been to:
  • Investigate the 4 key transport layers (Wastesaver, recycling contractor 1, man-with-a-van and shop adopted bank collections) used to service Oxfam shops and banks within area W16.
  • Focus in detail on the man-with-a-van activities to:
i) Quantify the current daily and weekly activity undertaken
ii) Identify ways in which operational savings could be made using routing and scheduling optimisation
  • Develop ideas for further in-depth research, to be undertaken as part of the Oxfam supported PhD over the period June 2010 to June 2013, following on from the Green Logistics project.
Appendix B of the Take-Back study


Triantafyllou M. and Cherrett T. (2010): Waste Management and Take-Back Processes in a Dedicated Shopping Centre
Results from the WestQuay shopping centre Managers Survey
 
Abstract
The aim of the study is to investigate the feasibility of implementing more collaborative approaches to waste/recyclate and returns collections using the established returns networks, largely used in isolation by the various businesses and associated supply chains in a dedicated shopping centre. This research project uses WestQuay shopping centre located in Southampton UK as a case study example. WestQuay has improved its recycling rates, with a significant increase in the mean waste tonnage being diverted from landfill between the periods January 2006 to April 2007 (mean: 26 tonnes) and May 2007 to August 2008 (mean=143 tonnes), whilst minimising its waste logistics. The survey identified that where the recycling performance of individual businesses was compromised, this was often because of a shortage of personnel, lack of available time for material management, absence of a corporate waste management strategy, insufficient storage space for recyclate in-store or a lack of equipment to manage waste and recyclate in-store.



Maynard S. and Cherrett T.J. (2010): Characteristics of Retail Waste Logistics on Winchester High Street -
Initial findings from the High Street Business Managers Survey

Abstract
The main aim of this research was to review the current waste management procedures employed by businesses in Winchester High Street, identify examples of best practise and explore opportunities for more collaborative approaches to improve sustainability. There are 120 businesses on Winchester High Street, of which 83 (69%) were involved in the survey. The results include detailed data, analysis and recommendations on:
  • Waste composition
  • Waste contracted collections
  • Collection systems used by waste contractors
  • Back-loading using reverse logistics networks
  • Backloading operational systems
  • Household waste recycling centres
  • Sustainable approaches to retail waste collection in an urban centre
  • Coordinated take-back
  • Combined commercial and domestic collections



McLeod F. N. and Cherrett T. J. (2010): Sustainable take-back in urban centres: the scope for joint domestic and trade waste collection services - A case study analysis in Winchester


Abstract

The potential benefits from combining collections of domestic and trade waste were investigated using the city of Winchester as a case study example. Although joint collections are, arguably, of most benefit when collecting recyclable waste, this study considered joint collection of residual waste from households and mixed waste from trade customers, as this was the existing trade collection arrangement. Detailed data on existing trade and domestic collections were obtained from the waste contractor employed by Winchester City Council to undertake the collections. Five residual waste domestic rounds and one trade round covering the city and surrounding areas were used in the study. Collections rounds were modelled using the vehicle routeing and scheduling package, LogiX, developed by DPS International.



The main outputs of WM10 on Reverse Logistics are:

  • WP1: A knowledge database of core goods, service vehicle and waste/returns activities for a case study business centre that can be used to inform future research beyond the scope of the consortium.
    Download: WP1 Progress update, December 2008 (pdf, 555kb)

  • WP2: A series of interrelated proven concepts for improving the efficiency of urban distribution that can be developed through industry spin out.

  • WP3: Case study demonstrations that will enable the effects of targeted technologies and processes for reducing reverse logistics vehicle impacts to be better understood. A series of papers and conference presentations reporting the results of the research.


University of Southampton Transportation Research Group publications, reports and datasets on reverse logistics

    • Cherrett T. J., McLeod F. N., Maynard S., Hickford A. J. and Allen,J. (2009) Understanding retail supply chains to enable greener logistics - a case study of delivery and take-back mechanisms in Winchester. Green Logistics WM10 Report.
    • Maynard S. and Cherrett, T. J. (2009) Characteristics of retail waste logistics on Winchester High Street. Green Logistics WM10 Report.
    • Maynard S., Cherrett T. J. and Waterson B. J. (2009) Monitoring Household Waste Recycling Centres Performance using Mean Bin Weight Analyses." International Journal of Integrated Waste Management, Science and Technology, Volume 29, Issue 2, 614-620
      Abstract
       This paper describes a modelling approach used to investigate the significance of key factors (vehicle type, compaction type, site design, temporal effects) in influencing the variability in observed nett amenity bin weights produced by household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). This new method can help to quickly identify sites that are producing significantly lighter bins, enabling detailed back-end analyses to be efficiently targeted and best practice in HWRC operation identified. Tested on weigh ticket data from nine HWRCs across West Sussex, UK, the model suggests that compaction technique, vehicle type, month and site design explained 76% of the variability in the observed nett amenity weights. For each factor, a weighting coefficient was calculated to generate a predicted nett weight for each bin transaction and three sites were subsequently identified as having similar characteristics but returned significantly different mean nett bin weights. Waste and site audits were then conducted at the three sites to try and determine the possible sources of the remaining variability. Significant differences were identified in the proportions of contained waste (bagged), wood, and dry recyclables entering the amenity waste stream, particularly at one site where significantly less contaminated waste and dry recyclables were observed.

    • Triantafyllou M. and Cherrett T. (2009) Developing business establishment surveys to understand Reverse logistics processes within a multi-retailer shopping environment. Transportation Research Board Annual Conference, Paper 09-2483, To be presented as part of the Travel Survey Methods Committee (ABJ40) special session on Freight Survey Methodologies.
    • Triantafyllou M. and Cherrett T. (2009) Understanding the returns mechanisms of a dedicated shopping centre. University Transport Studies Group conference. London (January 2009).

    Three working reports have been completed and passed through to Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council for use in their Town Access Plan strategy Development (20/12/08):

      • McLeod F. and Cherrett T. (2008) The characteristics of core goods and service vehicle activity in Winchester High Street - Initial findings from the High Street Business Managers Survey. Working Report, Transportation Research Group, University of Southampton. December (41 pages).
      • Maynard S. and Cherrett T. (2008) The characteristics of retail waste logistics on Winchester High Street - Initial findings from the High Street Business Managers Survey. Working Report, Transportation Research Group, University of Southampton. December (40 pages).
      • Hickford A. and Cherrett T. (2008) The characteristics of returns systems employed by businesses on Winchester High Street - Initial findings from the High Street Business Managers Survey. Working Report, Transportation Research Group, University of Southampton. December (16 pages).




    update 19 July 2010

    © Copyright 2010 - Green Logistics