Uk Co. Slams Local Council for Buying Reman's from China

[Anonymous]

Uk Co. Slams Local Council for Buying Remanufactured Toners and Inks From China

A Wells company has slammed local councils for buying goods from China that could be supplied locally.
Haydon-based PBTI says it is disappointed Somerset councils are not supporting a local business that could save them money and lower their carbon footprint if they bought its recycled print cartridges.PBTI, which is one of the largest independent producers of recycled laser printer cartridges in the UK and a recent runner-up in this year’s Somerset Business Environmental Award, says if Somerset and Mendip councils sourced these items from them it could employ more people.

When Managing Director William May took over at the helm three months ago, he asked three local councils where they bought their print cartridges from."Sedgmoor District Council gave me the best response and have shown themselves very open to looking at what we have on offer. Somerset County Council only buys original cartridges rather than recycled, which is much more expensive, and we’ve had very little response from Mendip District Council.

"It seems a pity that when they have a local company on their doorstep they’re not being more supportive, particularly when you think about the loss of manufacturing jobs in Wells."We would hope that local organisations would support local businesses because for every 5,000 cartridges we sell, that’s another 10 new jobs for Wells."Local Wells MP Tessa Munt has added her weight to their argument after she was shown around its factory, which employs around 90 people, recently.

She said: "All the printing and copying done in council offices, government departments, and by public and civil servants, is paid for through our taxes. The least we should expect is that where small and medium-sized businesses – just like PBTI – can meet the need for quality, quantity and price, they should be the preferred supplier. I cannot see why our local authorities and Government officers shouldn’t change their purchasing policies to buy ‘green’, reduce waste and buy locally."

After her visit, Tessa met with Frances Maude from the Cabinet Office to discuss Parliament’s purchasing policy and she promised to write to the chief executives of Somerset County Council and Mendip District Council to encourage them to buy ‘green’ products that were local and would reduce waste.

A Somerset County Council spokesman said: "We use a company based in England to supply our printer cartridges. Almost every supplier sources their printer products from overseas."If a local Somerset company feels they can offer us a competitive rate, we’re more than happy to hear from them and ask them to approach us. They would then need to take part in a competitive tendering process for our contract."A spokesperson for Mendip District Council, said: "The council’s IT service is provided by our partners Capita, through the Capita contract we jointly procure printers and cartridges.

"The cartridges used at the council are supplied by the same company that supply and maintain our printers across the site in Shepton Mallet; this company is ISO accredited and has a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) ethos.

"As part of the council’s contract with Capita, we will not be looking to renew the printer/cartridge contract until 2013, at this time we will carry out a full procurement exercise to secure a new contract and will look to include local companies. In the meantime any company can log their interest on our preferred supplier system      (www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk) so that they can be alerted to new contracts that might be of interest to them."On average across the site the council uses around 10 to 15 ink cartridges a month and Capita’s Copy Shop recycle their cartridges through the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charity."

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October 27, 2011 at 9:08 AM