Recycling news: 2016

Industry news Air Products rejects TV1 suspension claims Air Products has denied reports that it is halting work on its primary gasification plant in Tees Valley – after trade union Unite raised concerns today that hundreds of jobs could be axed at the site. Tees Valley 1 (TV1) is expected to treat up to 350,000 tonnes of waste per year via Hull city … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Mar 2016 Industry news Cambridgeshire waste boss jailed for £1.1m tax fraud The director of a Cambridgeshire recycling company which fraudulently claimed more than £1.1 million in VAT repayments has been jailed for four years. Brian Brader, 35, from Chatteris near Ely, set up NKB Recycling in September 2010, claiming to export waste products such as cardboard and plastics to China and India. However, it was found … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Mar 2016 Industry news Falling export demand sees textile collections drop Pressure on the prices paid for textiles for reuse and recycling were one factor in the volume of material collected falling by around 4% in the UK in 2015, according to a report published by WRAP today (8 March). But figures for the year are incomplete and are likely to be linked as well to … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Mar 2016 Industry news Testing fears ahead of tighter landfill tax regime Concern over potentially “inconsistent” tests on waste fines material* is mounting as skip hire firms fear they could be unfairly penalised on materials landfilled after April 1. Operators who want their material to be charged at the lower rate of landfill tax of £2.65 per tonne will have to produce loss on ignition (LOI) test … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Mar 2016 Industry news Energy Secretary Rudd tours Peterborough ERF Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has praised the ‘innovation’ on display at Viridor’s Peterborough Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) after visiting the plant last week. The MP for Hastings and Rye visited the £72 million facility, completed in late 2015, as part of a wider visit to Peterborough, to learn how the city is developing a future-fit … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news UK and North Sea countries agree bottom ash trade deal EXCLUSIVE: An international voluntary agreement has been struck between the UK, France, Flanders and the Netherlands designed to stimulate international trading of secondary resources left over after waste incineration, such as incinerator bottom ash (IBA). The deal could also impact on the trading of refuse derived fuel (RDF), plastics and compost. Signed in Brussels by … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news Circular benefits as London works with other cities Moving to a more circular economy will bring a range of benefits to London, especially in the face of a rising population, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment, Matthew Pencharz has told a high-level international conference in the capital. And, the event, held last Friday (March 4) at City Hall also heard that the cities … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news Government to press on with red tape programme Fire prevention, packaging, WEEE and waste definitions all feature in a government response to industry on ways to cut red tape. Published today by the Department for Business, the document suggests a harder line will be taken on how the UK implements EU waste legislation – suggesting there is a ‘common theme’ among its consultation … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news Hull waste wood biomass plant to open in 2017 A multi-million pound waste wood biomass energy plant is expected to be operational in Hull by March 2017, under plans announced on Friday (March 4) by the project’s developer HRS Energy. The 22MW facility at Tansterne will have the capacity to process up to 175,000 tonnes of waste wood each year, with 100% of the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news Ekman grows UK presence with Reliance Fibres deal Swedish trading firm Ekman Group has made a significant move into the UK with the acquisition of Reliance Fibres, a trading company based in north London. Ekman handles more than one million tonnes of recovered materials a year, ranging from paper to metals, and also has interests in the pulp and wood pellets sector. The … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news EU and UK at odds over recycling targets European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella has reaffirmed his rationale for new recycling targets shortly after the UK revealed its concerns over the proposals. Last Friday (4 March) a meeting of the Environment Council took place in Brussels with an environment minister present from each EU Member State to discuss the Circular Economy proposals for the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Mar 2016 Industry news Food Waste Bill delayed again Discussion by MPs of football governance, immigration and European Parliament elections meant that the proposed Food Waste (Reduction) Bill failed to be heard in the House of Commons last Friday (4 March). Although it has been re-listed to be heard a second time on Friday 11 March, the Bill was objected to by the government … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 5 Mar 2016 Industry news The Week in Waste – 4 March 2016 Take a look at the ‘Week in Waste’ video report. In this week’s report by letsrecycle.com, sponsored by Biffa, we report from the Organics Recycling Conference in Daventry where Tom Goulding interviews ORG Chair, Alexander Maddan. Also we report on local authority contracts in southern England and highlight how latest figures on waste electrical and … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 4 Mar 2016 Industry news Defra ministers ‘passionate’ over circular economy Defra ministers are “passionate” about the circular economy, Parliament has been assured by the department’s minister in the House of Lords. The assurance of passion for the circular economy among ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs came just 24 hours before resource and recycling minister Rory Stewart headed to Brussels for … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 4 Mar 2016 Industry news Composters warned of Xyllella threat The composting sector has been warned by Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) that the plant disease Xyllella fastidiosa is likely to impact on the sector, if it spreads to the UK. The disease, prevalent on parts of the European mainland could affect plants ranging from oak trees to roses. And, an expert from … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 4 Mar 2016 Industry news Incinerator health study findings expected this year A wide-ranging set of studies looking into the potential impacts of UK waste incinerators on human health is expected to be published this year, according to Public Health England (PHE). First announced in 2012 in response to public concern over emissions from energy-from-waste (EfW) plants, it was originally envisaged that the joint UK and Scottish … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 4 Mar 2016 Industry news ‘Strong’ TEEP case for separate food waste collections There is a strong TEEP case for councils to collect food waste separately from households – but a “policy push” is needed to offset the cost. This was the message from Peter Jones, consultant at Eunomia, who discussed the implications of separate food waste rounds at the 2016 Organics Recycling Conference near Daventry yesterday (3 … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 4 Mar 2016 Industry news CELEBRATE ST PATRICKS DAY WITH US AT LONDON IRISH The count down begins.... less than two weeks until St Patrick's Day. How are you celebrating? Powerday will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day with London Irish when they take on Gloucester Rugby on ... Powerday · 4 Mar 2016 Industry news Stewart set for Brussels Circular Economy talks Resource and recycling minister Rory Stewart is to attend the first meeting of environment ministers in Brussels where the European Commission’s Circular Economy proposals will be discussed. The MP for Penrith and the Border will be in Brussels tomorrow afternoon (March 3) to discuss the proposals alongside environment ministers from across EU member states, Defra … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 3 Mar 2016 Industry news Government begins Green Investment Bank sale The process of selling off the ‘world first’ Green Investment Bank to private ownership kicked-off today (March 3), with investors invited to register their interest, Business Secretary Sajid Javid has announced. According to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), a transfer to the private sector will allow the GIB “to maximise investment into … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 3 Mar 2016 Industry news Endocrine disruptors: ‘Better Regulation’ or better public health? CHEM Trust, together with Health and Environment Alliance, have just published a comment piece in Euractiv: “Endocrine disruptors pose a substantial risk to public health, yet the European Commission has dawdled time and again on introducing measures that would finally limit their use. Now is the time to put this right, write Genon Jensen and […] CHEM Trust · 3 Mar 2016 Industry news Lead acid battery collections decline ahead of ‘portable’ shift The volume of lead acid batteries collected by battery compliance schemes in the final months of 2015 declined compared to previous quarters, ahead of a change in rules over which batteries can be classed as ‘portable’. Figures published by the Environment Agency this week show that overall a total of 14,879 tonnes of waste portable … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 3 Mar 2016 Industry news ‘Green Capital’ Bristol to act on household waste Bristol council is to launch a new waste strategy that aims to cut refuse to landfill – as it attempts to cement the city’s credentials as a former ‘Green Capital’ of Europe. Council chiefs in the South West city are aiming to axe food waste in residual bins by 75% and produce the lowest amount … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 3 Mar 2016 Industry news Suez to oversee East Devon three-weekly waste service East Devon district council has awarded a seven-year waste and recycling collection contract to its current operator Suez, which will see a new fleet of kerbside-sort vehicles collecting a wider range of plastics and cardboard from households. Worth more than £30 million, the deal has the option to extend for a further three years and … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2016 Industry news Lichfield and Tamworth take on new collection fleet The Lichfield & Tamworth Joint Waste Service has begun taking delivery of a replacement fleet of 22 new vehicles that will start collecting recycling and waste from 76,000 homes across the two boroughs. The delivery of the vehicles has followed a competitive tendering process, which saw Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) chosen as the service’s … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2016 Industry news Agency finds higher 2015 WEEE collection rate Figures published by the Environment Agency suggest that collections of WEEE carried out during 2015 may have been higher than previously assumed. Provisional household WEEE collection figures for the final quarter of 2015, published by the Environment Agency yesterday (1 March) show that a total of 521,609 tonnes of WEEE was collected throughout the year. … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2016 Industry news Creating ‘circular’ cities Wayne Hubbard, chief operating officer at the London Waste & Recycling Board (LWARB) unpacks the debate around the circular economy and looks at how cities could be crucial in its development. There is a lot of the talk currently about the circular economy. Although it is a concept that has been around for decades in … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2016 Industry news TRA announces details of Tyre Recycling Day 2016 The annual Tyre Recycling Day, organised by the TRA, is to be held in partnership with the RMA on 20 May 2016 at the Ardencote Manor Hotel, Warwickshire. Last year over 70 attendees attended the Recycling Day and the TRA is looking to continue that success in 2016. The theme for this year’s event is… Tyre Recovery Association · 2 Mar 2016 Industry news UK climate means no impact from EfW rule change Energy from waste facilities processing municipal solid waste in the UK will not be affected by a European Union rule change to the methodology used to assess whether the plants meet what is commonly known as ‘R1’ status. The new measures from the European Commission aim to change the methodology which is used to calculate … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 2 Mar 2016 Industry news Over 1000 British jobs could be lost if environment agency proposals are implemented, says TRA The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has raised grave concerns that over 1000 jobs will be lost if the Environment Agency’s (EA) proposed new fire prevention guidelines are implemented in full. The TRA believes the EA’s proposed stack height restrictions and minimum fire break widths are arbitrary and have not been subjected to a proper impact… Tyre Recovery Association · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news Biscuit producer makes donation for packaging non-compliance A multinational biscuit producer has contributed almost £40,000 to a leading charity – after failing to register the amount of packaging it had imported for 15 years. Bahlsen LLP, which imports a number of biscuit products and other foods, should have reported the tonnages to the Environment Agency under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news Veolia to run Hampshire’s HWRCs Veolia has been awarded a 14-year contract to manage the 24 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in Hampshire, including in Portsmouth and Southampton. The contract worth an estimated £70 million over its lifespan, will see the contractor manage an estimated 250,000 tonnes of material from the sites each year. The new contract will begin in … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news Alu D&T Challenge: Winners announced! Winners of the 2015/16 Alu D&T Challenge, a design competition for 11 to 14 year olds, were announced at a prize-giving event at Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham on 24 February. The national schools’ competition, linked to the Design and Technology curriculum at Key Stage 3, helps teach pupils about the material properties and sustainability […] Alupro · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news Retailers warn over recycling business plans Retailers have warned businesses which reprocess secondary material, such as used plastic bottles, that business plans for the processes need to be sustainable. The warning came in the wake of last year’s closure of the Closed Loop plant in Dagenham which suffered when the dairy industry stopped purchasing plastic bottles made from pellet produced at … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news Dorset to expand New Earth and Veolia deals Faced with more landfill closures, the Dorset Waste Partnership is to almost double the amount of refuse it sends to New Earth Solutions’ Canford mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant and send more material to Veolia for energy recovery. And, also from April 2016, the group of seven councils is expected to transfer residual waste from … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news Brominated vegetable oil - Chemistry World Chemistry World · 1 Mar 2016 Industry news News in Brief (29/02/2016) With news on: Biffa’s homelesssness appeal; Aylesford CHP plant assets; AMCS route-mapping project, and WRAP and Scouts in recycling campaign. BBC to broadcast Biffa’s bins appeal Biffa will be taking to national television this week to highlight the danger of people sheltering in bins. On Tuesday (1 March) morning, the Victoria Derbyshire Show, which is … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 29 Feb 2016 Industry news Transforming municipal waste services Paul Frith, director of Frith Resource Management discusses how councils are responding to budgetary constraints on waste services. When cutting doesn’t cut the mustard, then transformation is required. The ‘graphs of doom’, the projections of (dissolving) central government funding mean that local authorities are, to use the iESE model terminology, ‘reviewing, remodelling and reinventing’ serv… letsrecycle.com News · 29 Feb 2016 Industry news Palmer-Jones voices Circular Economy concerns Suez UK chief executive David Palmer-Jones has warned that a lack of ‘pull measures’ to encourage recycling and reuse will mean that the EU’s Circular Economy package will not have the desired effect at stimulating greener practices. Mr Palmer-Jones, who is also the president of European waste management industry body FEAD, made the comments at … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 29 Feb 2016 Industry news POWERDAY LONDON ABA PARTNERSHIP ENABLES BOXING CLUB REFURBISHMENT Through our London ABA partnership, Powerday has enabled the refurbishment of a South London Youth and Boxing Club which provides sport and youth engagement services for young people in Southwark. Th... Powerday · 29 Feb 2016