In a quiet Bradford cul-de-sac stands a shipping container.

The large metal storage box takes up no more space than a table tennis table, yet it has spawned a business that not only generates cash, but is saving two of the districts’s biggest employers thousands of pounds every year. And, on top of this, it is helping to save the planet.

There is a growing demand for businesses to improve their carbon footprint by recycling more. Five years ago Bradford College set up its own in-house operation to address this.

“In the past, everything was outsourced so we paid for all our waste to be taken away,” says the college’s building services manager Ian Brown. “As a large portion was confidential waste, this cost a lot, so we began to process it on site.”

That is where the shipping container comes in – it became the base for the business, recycling paper and card.

It immediately became clear that there was potential to do much more, and the company gradually expanded to take on metal, plastics, and furniture.

Three years ago a college building became vacant, providing an ideal base for the business, christened Green Solutions.

Joining forces with the University of Bradford, unwanted furniture from both institutions comes to the depot. “We have a re-use store, and that which isn’t re-used we sell to local businesses or on eBay,” says Ian, “So it is rare that any item is scrapped. Prior to this, desks would sit in stores until they were thrown away.”

The in-house operation has saved the institutions a large amount of money. Last year alone, if the institutions had bought the equipment they re-used, it would have cost around £250,000.

“The savings do not only come from what it would cost to buy new furniture, but on skips and storage of unused items,” says Simon Duarri, estates manager with the University of Bradford. “We are saving the costs of removing waste, of deliveries, and other outlay. Now we just drive a few miles to redistribute items.”

He adds: “But it is not just about money and balance sheets, it is about the working relationship you create – there is a real value to that.”

A website shop has been created, where departments at the college and university can find items of furniture such as chairs, tables, filing cabinets or bookshelves. “We have a van that comes every week to collect and distribute items,” says Simon.

Metal from furniture is recycled, and light fittings also end up at the depot. “Copper, aluminium and steel components can be removed and recycled,” says Ian.

The next step for the business was to offer its services to the wider business community. As a result, Green Solutions has become a thriving and growing concern, its approach to recycling attracting clients from across the district.

“It has built up dramatically,” says store worker Steve Ruddy, who oversees furniture deliveries and updates the re-use website. “After a length of time with us, should furniture not be required by the college or university it is made available to others.”

The business also offers secure storage and archive facilities, and a confidential shredding service, as well as relocation moves and clearances.

Now 55 firms use the service. “Those include printers, cash and carries, takeaways, newsagents and community groups,” says operational supervisor Anita Brook.

From an initial 300kg a week, every month more than 30 tons of paper and card is sold to a paper mill, while shredded paper is sold as animal bedding.

Students on work placements have helped further business and designed an accessible website. The business has also sparked enquiries from other institutions. “Barnsley College is interested in replicating the business, and the University of Glasgow is also looking at it,” says Ian.

The green practices carry on outside the building. In a space outside the back door is an allotment and two polytunnels growing vegetables and salad crops which can be used in the restaurants and cafes on the campuses. “Students can also grow crops then use them in catering classes,” says Steve.

A wormery helps to recycle food waste, supplementing the work of a composter used in the university.

Adds Simon: “With money getting tighter every year, this is the way forward. We began without huge bureaucracy – we started on a small scale and built upwards and that has been successful.”

Turnover is increasing by ten per cent year on year, and profits will be reinvested to student services. “The sky’s the limit,” adds Ian.

For more about Green Solutions, visit greensolutions.uk.net, or call (01274) 438887.