Recycling news: 2015

Industry news Tyre recycling firm director jailed for waste crimes A former tyre recycling company director has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment and his company fined a total of £195,000 after illegally depositing and storing around 114,000 tyres at a site in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire. Paul Cook and his Motherwell-based firm Earthmover Tyre Recycling Ltd, which is no longer trading, were sentenced at Hamilton … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news Green Alliance proposes joint government ‘resource council’ Environmental think tank the Green Alliance has called for the establishment of a National Resources Council, made up of ministers from several government departments, to coordinate government policy on waste. The recommendation comes in a report published by the Alliance today (March 2), titled “UK resource governance for the 21st century”. The report assesses the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news GIB to fund Herts gasification plant The government’s Green Investment Bank is to part-finance the construction of a gasification facility in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, which will treat up to 90,000 tonnes of refuse derived fuel per year. GIB and its investment partner Foresight Group are investing a total of £30 million into the facility, which is being developed by AssetGen Partners, for … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news We write to the EU Health Commissioner regarding our concerns regarding misleading communication of EFSA’s Bisphenol A report On 25th February we sent a letter to the EU’s Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, highlighting our concerns with the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) conclusions on Bisphenol A (BPA), and also asking what progress has been made in addressing the regulatory gaps in our protection from chemicals in food packaging. On BPA, the letter focusses particularly on […] CHEM Trust · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news Woods looks to spread textile recycling message VIDEO REPORT: The Textiles Recycling Association’s new president, Ian Woods, wants to get the message of textile recycling better heard across the UK. Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Mr Woods who becomes president of the association last month, explained that during his three years in office he had a number of aims. letsrecycle.com video production While accepting … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news East Cambridgeshire in TEEP assessment An assessment of commingling as a collection system for mixed dry recyclables by East Cambridgeshire district council has confirmed the approach as meeting regulations. But, just days ahead of its closure, Aylesford Newsprint last month expressed renewed concerns about used newspapers from the district, even though it used them to make newsprint. Details have emerged … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news Restructuring at ECO as Faulkner and Oakes depart The new company formed in the wake of the demise of bottle recycling business ECO Plastics is undergoing restructuring with two senior directors having departed. German investment firm Aurelius bought the assets and business of ECO Plastics, based at the Hemswell industrial estate in Lincolnshire in December, after the firm was placed into pre-pack administration. … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2015 Industry news Man found at London waste depot killed by ‘crush injuries’ A man who was found dead by workers at a waste transfer station in West London last week has been named by police. The man was formally identified by officers as 47-year-old Marek Cuprys, who was originally from Poland and had no fixed address. Police also confirmed a post-mortem examination carried out at Fulham Mortuary … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 27 Feb 2015 Industry news News in brief With news on; Secretary of State for Environment Elizabeth Truss visits AWM; REACT Energy withdraws biomass application; Viridor wins waste wood contract; Perthshire waste operator gets community order, and; Shanks achieves financial closure Elizabeth Truss visits Yorkshire waste firm Secretary of State for the Environment Elizabeth Truss has taken a tour of Associated … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 27 Feb 2015 Industry news Aylesford closure prompts recycling resilience concern The resilience of the UK recycling industry should be considered as a matter of urgency by the new government after the May general election, a leading local authority resources partnership has said. The Kent Resource Partnership (KRP), the council body representing the 13 local authorities across Kent, raised its concerns over the future of the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 27 Feb 2015 Industry news Shanks accepts first waste load at Rotherham plant Shanks Group has accepted the first delivery of waste for treatment at its 265,000 tonnes-per-year capacity waste recovery facility in Manvers, Rotherham. The facility, which has been developed in partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, includes a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and anaerobic digestion (AD) plant. It will treat residual waste from around 340,000 households … Read M… letsrecycle.com News · 27 Feb 2015 Industry news Views sought on enhanced waste crime powers An 11-week consultation on the government’s proposals to enhance regulators’ ability to tackle waste crime and poor performing waste sites in England and Wales has today (February 26) been launched by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The proposals will see regulators given enhanced powers for suspending permits and issuing enforcement … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 26 Feb 2015 Industry news Wheelabrator EfW wins ‘contract for difference’ in DECC auction Wheelabrator Technologies’ proposed energy from waste facility in Kent has been awarded a ‘contract for difference’ by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) today (February 26). It is one of 27 renewable energy projects to have secured funding from the first round of DECC’s £315 million auction, which aims to support the delivery … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 26 Feb 2015 Industry news Mixed views over 2014 WEEE performance Responses to yesterday’s announcement by business minister Matthew Hancock that the UK has met its WEEE collection target in 2014 have been mixed, with some questioning the financial benefits of new WEEE regulations. Mr Hancock welcomed the news yesterday (February 25) that the overall target to collect 490,000 tonnes of WEEE in 2014 was met, … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 26 Feb 2015 Industry news AD capacity to increase ‘fourfold’ by 2017 The number of anaerobic digestion plants in the UK has almost doubled in four years with capacity due to increase ‘fourfold’ by 2017, a report published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has revealed. As of October 2014 there were 140 facilities operating across the country – up from a baseline of … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 26 Feb 2015 Industry news Agency satisfied Avonmouth dust levels are safe Dust levels at Avonmouth docks near Bristol do not pose a risk to public health, the Environment Agency has concluded, after carrying out air quality monitoring close to premises operated by metal recycler Sims Metal Management and waste wood and RDF firm Boomeco. Both the Agency and Bristol city council began monitoring air quality in … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 26 Feb 2015 Industry news No criminal charges over Glasgow RCV crash No charges have been brought against Glasgow city council or the driver of a waste collection vehicle which crashed in Glasgow before Christmas, killing six. Yesterday (February 25) Scotland’s Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (CoPFS) ruled that there was no evidence to support a prosecution against the council ‘in respect of any Health and … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 26 Feb 2015 Industry news BIS minister hails first year of new WEEE regime A government minister has hailed the first year of compliance under the revised WEEE regulations as a success, claiming that changes to legislation have saved electronics producers close to £20 million. The comments come alongside the revelation that businesses have met their targets to collect WEEE as set out by the government at the start … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news Keenan Recycling awarded £2.7m Moray contract Scottish firm Keenan Recycling has been awarded a five-year contract to treat mixed organic waste on behalf of Moray council. The Aberdeenshire-based company will treat around 12,000 tonnes of municipal food and green waste each year at its in-vessel composting facility in New Deer. The contract is worth £2.7 million with an option to extend … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news Councils face newspaper price crash Local authorities and contractors across England and Wales were today assessing the impact of the closure of the Aylesford Newsprint mill in Kent. They are facing challenges on the pricing front as well as actually moving used newspapers and magazines on to a final outlet. At the same time, the paper industry was also reviewing … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news York to decide on Teckal status for waste services A council-owned company in York could be awarded waste contracts without undergoing a competitive procurement process, if approved by the city council at a meeting next week. Yorwaste Ltd, which is owned by North Yorkshire and City of York councils, would also be able to develop partnerships with other local authorities and public sector bodies … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news Secondhandfirst Styling Competition Clothes can be an incredibly powerful tool as a means of expressing ourselves and revealing a little of our individual... TRAID · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news ‘Iconic’ Packington landfill shuts after 50 years An ‘iconic’ landfill site near Birmingham finally closed its gates yesterday (February 24) after almost 50 years in operation. The Packington landfill site, which is located opposite the NEC and run by SITA UK, has received an estimated 35 million tonnes of waste since it first opened. At the height of its use in the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news Scotland omits LOI tests from landfill tax EXCLUSIVE: Loss-on-ignition testing for waste fines will not be introduced in Scotland when landfill tax powers are devolved to the province in April this year. The test, which determines whether a waste load should be subject to a standard or lower rate of landfill tax, is to be made compulsory for landfill operators in the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 25 Feb 2015 Industry news Moving in circles SITA UK’s director of external affairs Gev Eduljee reflects on the impact of the withdrawal of the European Commission’s circular economy policy package. Waste watchers look on with dismay as the European Commission tries to extricate itself from the tangle into which it has got itself following its ill-advised withdrawal of the circular economy package … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Russia blamed as Aylesford enters administration Aylesford Newsprint has this morning (February 24) appointed finance and tax firm KPMG as its administrator. The appointment of KPMG comes after the paper mill, which makes recycled newsprint, told staff yesterday that it was seeking to go into administration. News of the appointment of KPMG will confirm fears within the recycling sector that it … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Dorset AD operator prosecuted over toxic gas death A Dorset farm owner and his two businesses are facing costs totalling £135,000 following the death in 2009 of a 29-year-old worker who was exposed to toxic gases during the maintenance of an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at the farm. Dorchester Crown Court heard yesterday (23 Feb) that Matthew Pitt and David Bartlett were working … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Green Party MP defends Brighton’s recycling record Green MP Caroline Lucas has defended Brighton’s recycling performance at the launch of the Green Party election campaign in London today (February 24) – arguing the Party has inherited a ‘poisoned chalice’ from Labour. Speaking to letsrecycle.com at the event, Ms Lucas also called on Secretary of State Eric Pickles to ‘relax’ his weekly waste … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Successful partnerships ‘key to driving reuse’ Successful partnerships are “key” to driving up levels of reuse, according to WRAP, which today (February 24) published a range of materials aimed at encouraging local authorities, businesses and the third sector to team up. According to WRAP – the Waste & Resources Action Programme – partnerships are “fundamental” to success in establishing more re-use. … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Protect council comms budgets, LARAC warns A senior local authority recycling officer has warned of the effect of slashing council communications budgets on public engagement in recycling and the quality of recyclable material collected from households. Lee Marshall, chief executive of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), sounded the warning at the launch of a report produced by the Chartered … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Welsh Government launches landfill tax consultation The Welsh Government today (February 24) begins consulting on its long-anticipated Landfill Disposals Tax – which will replace the current UK landfill tax in Wales from April 2018. The devolved powers will allow Wales to design a system that ‘reflects Welsh priorities and needs’ – and will follow the transfer of landfill tax powers to … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 24 Feb 2015 Industry news Deflation concern as Aylesford talks continue Discussions were continuing this afternoon (Monday) over the future of the Aylesford Newsprint paper mill in Kent with the company expected to be placed into administration. However, a further statement is not now expected until Tuesday 24 February 2015. The company has said that it was starting a process to go into administration. The difficulties and … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news Councils report decline in metal thefts Incidences of metal theft have fallen by around a third since the introduction of legislation aimed at curbing the crime, local authorities have claimed. Figures published last week (February 21) show that there were a total of 40,680 reported metal thefts in England and Wales in 2013/14, this was down from 59,788 for the previous … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news News in brief With news on: GIB renewable energy fund; Shanks signs Netherlands hospitality contract; Neales wins Blackpool Pleasure Beach contract; Yorkshire landfill operator admits offences, and; BlueMAC Manufacturing reports growth Vince Cable announces £60m GIB fund Business Secretary Vince Cable has unveiled a £60 million funding boost for community-scale renewable energy projects primarily via the UK … letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news RDF exports expected to peak at 2.5m tonnes European demand for refuse derived fuel from the UK is close to reaching its peak, according to a report published today (February 23) by consultancy firm Tolvik. The report ‘RDF Exports: Here for Good?’ considers the future of the market for combustible waste material up to 2025. Its publication comes just days after the release … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news BIS offers guidance on dual use WEEE Guidance has been published today (February 23) outlining how electronic goods should be classified in line with changes to the law governing business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) WEEE. Definitions of household and non-household WEEE were amended in October after the UK’s classification of household and business WEEE were found to be … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news Eunomia to assist on two EU Commission projects Bristol-based waste management consultancy Eunomia has been awarded a duo of contracts to carry out work on behalf of the European Commission’s DG Environment. The work includes a review of municipal waste management plans across eight EU Member States, as well as leading a consortium to provide advice on the implementation of waste management in … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news Aylesford Newsprint seeking to go into administration Aylesford Newsprint, which produces 400,000 tonnes of newsprint annually from recycled newspapers and magazines, is seeking to go into administration. The company told letsrecycle.com that it had made the announcement to staff this morning. Aylesford is a major buyer of material from local authority sources in the UK, much of which is supplied via waste … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 23 Feb 2015 Industry news How to recycle old pens Zero hero Sandy has been chewing on the end of her pen trying to come up with a solution to her conundrum. She wrote: “What do I do with the “expired” biros and felt tip pens I came across? Can anyone think of a brilliant way to reuse them?” As ever I reached out to… Zero Waste Week · 22 Feb 2015 Industry news Scottish Borders scraps Galashiels gasification contract Scottish Borders council has terminated its 24-year waste treatment contract with New Earth Solutions over ‘project-specific’ technology and funding issues. The cancellation puts an end to New Earth’s proposed 60,000 tonnes-per-year capacity gasification plant in Easter Langlee near Galashiels, which had secured planning permission and draft permitting to treat waste. The decision not to procee… letsrecycle.com News · 20 Feb 2015