Sort goods and packaging for disposal

This standard is about sorting goods and packaging allocated for disposal. This is to identify which are of further use and can be returned to the manufacturer or supplier, which can be repaired, recycled, reused, re-purposed or re-sold, and which are of no further use and must be discarded or thrown away. It will involve preparing the goods and packaging materials for onward transfer and responding to any problems that arise.

When working with equipment and machinery you must be appropriately trained and hold current certification, where required, in line with relevant legislation.

This standard is relevant to all operatives who sort goods and packaging for disposal as part of their job role.

1  maintain the health and safety of yourself and others at all times, in line with the relevant legislation and organisational requirements
2  assess the risks associated with the work before starting and throughout the activity, take action to minimise risks where possible or report in line with organisational procedures

3  confirm that the required personal protective equipment (PPE) for the work being carried out is worn at all times, in line with organisational procedures
4  confirm that the relevant training has been received to carry out the work, recognise the limits of your competence and seek access to further training where required
5  comply with the policies and procedures of the organisation and the relevant legal and organisational requirements relating to the disposal of goods and packaging
6  identify the goods and packaging to be sorted and conduct initial checks to determine their suitability for further use
7  sort the goods and packaging in line with organisational procedures for further use or discarding
8  where required, remove any parts of goods and packaging that are of further use before discarding 
9  obtain information and advice, when you are unable to identify or classify goods and materials
10  handle goods and materials using handling methods and equipment, in line with organisational procedures
11 place the goods and materials that are suitable for further use and those that are for discarding, in the required locations
12 maintain effective communication with colleagues when carrying out the work
13 deal effectively with issues that arise, within the scope and limitations of your responsibilities and competence, and report issues which cannot be resolved, in line with organisational procedures
14 maintain the work area in a clean and tidy condition throughout the activity
15 maintain and store the required records in line with relevant legal and organisational requirements

1   your responsibilities under the relevant health and safety legislation and organisational requirements
2   how to identify hazards and assess risks associated with the work being carried out, and the suitable control measures and Safe Systems of Work (SSoW) that can be put in place to reduce risks
3   the relevant personal protective equipment (PPE) that should be worn when sorting goods and packaging for disposal
4   the types of equipment used for sorting goods and packaging and how to prepare, use, maintain and store these safely and correctly
5   the requirements for training and certification to operate moving and handling equipment
6    the organisation’s specifications on the types of goods and packaging that are suitable for further use, and those that are not, and where to find more information
7   the organisation’s policies and procedures and the relevant legal and organisational requirements relating to the disposal of goods and packaging
8   how to sort the different types of goods and packaging in line with organisational procedures
9   the types of issues arising from the sorting of goods and packaging
10   the roles and responsibilities of colleagues and why it is important to maintain communication and work effectively with colleagues when carrying out your work
11   the issues that may occur when sorting goods and packaging for disposal, the actions to take and organisational procedures for reporting issues that cannot be resolved
12   the importance of maintaining the work area in a clean and tidy condition when carrying out work activities and the organisational standards for this
13   the information and recording systems used by the organisation and the legal and organisational requirements for maintaining records, including data protection legislation and organisational procedures for data security

Further use: return, repair, recycle, reuse, re-purpose, re-sell

Goods and packaging: returned goods, damaged goods, out-of-date goods, surplus and waste packaging 

Handling methods: manual, mechanical, gravity

Health and safety includes mental and physical wellbeing

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) could include: high-visibility clothing, hard hats, protective clothing, eye protection, masks, gloves, safety footwear

Safe System of Work (SSoW) is a method of work that puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to manage identified hazards, which are broken down into four elements: safe person; safe equipment; safe place; and safe practice.