Recycling news: 2017

Industry news Chinese customs action on waste imports anticipated Chinese customs authorities look set to place a renewed focus on imported scrap materials, as part of an initiative dubbed ‘National Sword 2017’ – which has vowed to target ‘foreign garbage smuggling’. The scope of the ‘National Sword’ initiative has yet to be fully detailed, but a translation of a news post on the Chinese … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 15 Feb 2017 Industry news Liverpool opts against food waste collection in recycling drive Liverpool city council has opted not to introduce separate food waste collections in its bid to boost recycling levels, due to a lack of regional infrastructure to process the material. A report to be considered by the council’s cabinet on Friday (17 February) advises collections of food waste are ‘not currently cost effective’. The measure … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news Lords Committee in Brexit waste export warning Restrictions or tariffs placed on exports could limit the trade in waste derived fuels and other materials from the UK to Europe, a House of Lords Select Committee has claimed today (14 February). The Lords’ EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee delivered its report today titled Brexit: environment and climate change exploring the potential impact of … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news ACP praises PRN ‘value’ following packaging data Data suggesting the UK’s packaging recycling and recovery rate rose by nearly 800,000 tonnes in 2016 shows the value of the PRN system, the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) has claimed. The ACP – a Defra-appointed body which advises the government on packaging recycling – suggests that the provisional 2016 tonnages show that packaging recycling … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news Egbert Taylor Group announces netBin partnership Egbert Taylor Group has announced a strategic partnership with software developer FarSite Communications, for distribution of its netBin software system. The netBin fill-monitoring system measures container capacity using sensors and issues a warning to the user when a container is reaching capacity. Egbert Taylor Group, which has traditionally been known for its iconic steel containers, … Read… letsrecycle.com News · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news Why the European Parliament’s approach to recycling targets is wrong Roy Hathaway, European policy adviser at the Environmental Services Association (ESA) offers his view on proposals to change the way that recycling is measured across Europe. The Environment Committee of the European Parliament has been applauded for adopting an amendment to the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package that would set a 70% recycling target for … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news Congo forest: Norwegian government concern about new logging concessions The Norwegian government says it is taking “very seriously” evidence that the Democratic Republic of Congo is issuing new logging licenses after agreeing a $200million initiative to prevent deforestation. The news comes despite a moratorium on new logging licences being in place in the country since 2002. The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) aims to […] Unearthed (Greenpeace UK) · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news Analysis: How China’s heavy industries became ‘too big to fail’ 2016 was supposed to be the year when China truly cracked down on steel overcapacity. The government set targets to eliminate up to 150 million tonnes of steelmaking capacity over the next few years, more than the total capacity of any other country in the world. Instead, it ended up playing whack-a-mole. For almost every […] Unearthed (Greenpeace UK) · 14 Feb 2017 Industry news Hackney seeks to boost recycling on housing estates Hackney council is closing 1950s-era waste chutes in flats and is providing hundreds of extra communal bins in a bid to encourage more recycling on housing estates. Waste chutes were built into many post-war blocks to make it convenient for residents to dispose of their waste. At the time, households produced far less waste: most … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news Serco preferred for Wychavon collections contract EXCLUSIVE: Wychavon council has selected Serco as the preferred bidder for its waste and recycling collections contract, which will end its 23-year relationship with FCC Environment. At a meeting last week councillors for the Worcestershire district’s executive board were told that Serco had returned the lowest price bid for the contract – which could be … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news Packaging recycling likely to have hit 8.2m tonnes in 2016 Provisional data for the 2016 compliance year shows the amount of packaging recycled or recovered in the UK is likely to finish at an estimated 8.2 million tonnes. The estimated figure has been taken from monthly reporting figures recorded between 1 January 2016 and 10 February 2017. While the official overall figures for 2016 will … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news Recresco fined over door crush incident at Cwmbran Glass recycler Recresco has been fined £50,000 after one of its workers suffered crush injuries from a roller shutter door at its sorting facility in South Wales. The waste business was also ordered to pay costs of £9,944 at a hearing at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Friday (10 February), following the incident at Recresco’s Springvale … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news Appointments round-up (13/02/2017) With news on: Liz Goodwin nominated for LWARB post; Woodruff joins Ricardo; Cycle Link UK appoints Lydia Burchnall; Slicker Recycling in double appointment, and; PHS Wastekit fills senior role. Liz Goodwin nominated as LWARB chair The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced his intention to appoint former WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin as the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news Comment: Why nuclear power doesn’t deserve special treatment It would appear that the UK government’s nuclear power policy is taking another hit. Tomorrow Toshiba is expected announce that it’s pulling out of the NuGen project, taking 60% of the funding for the 3 reactors planned for Moorside in Cumbria with it. Right on cue, stories have appeared in the press saying that government […] Unearthed (Greenpeace UK) · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news China steel capacity increases despite factory closures China’s operating steel production capacity increased in 2016 despite government policies designed to tackle the sector’s oversupply crisis, a new report has found. A huge number of steel mills across China were shut down last year – with capacity equal to that of Europe’s largest producers Germany and Italy – as Beijing grappled with an […] Unearthed (Greenpeace UK) · 13 Feb 2017 Industry news The Week in Waste – 10 February 2017 VIDEO: In this weekly news round-up video sponsored by Bollegraaf, we report on a government U-turn over rule changes on a hazardous waste substance. Also, we report on a new interim waste disposal contract which has been signed by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority. The Week in Waste is sponsored by Bollegraaf Recycling Solutions. letsrecycle.com News · 10 Feb 2017 Industry news Wales sees MRF target material boost but England static Data on the quality of material received at material recovery facilities (MRFs) has been published for the third quarter of 2016 – suggesting that the volume of ‘target’ material received at facilities stood at close to 87%. Published on WRAP’s Materials Facility Reporting Portal yesterday (9 February), the data charts the volume of ‘target’ and … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 10 Feb 2017 Industry news Obituary: Chris Coggins Tributes have been paid to Professor Chris Coggins, PGCE PhD FCIWM FRGS FRSA, who died earlier this week aged 69. Prof Coggins was a well-known and respected authority on waste management and a popular figure throughout the industry. He served as senior lecturer in Geography, then Reader in Waste Management at Luton College of Higher … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 10 Feb 2017 Industry news Hayman appointed shadow Defra minister Labour MP Sue Hayman has been appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following the resignation of Rachael Maskell last week. Ms Hayman – whose opposition brief will include waste and recycling – was chosen by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn last night as one of four new appointments to the frontbench. … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 10 Feb 2017 Industry news Shell and Eni hit with corruption charges over Nigerian oil deal Italian prosecutors have charged oil giants Shell and Eni with international corruption offences, as the companies struggle with the fallout from their controversial 2011 purchase of an oil licence in Nigeria. Several senior executives from the two companies – including Eni’s current CEO Claudio Descalzi – have also been asked to stand trial individually over […] Unearthed (Greenpeace UK) · 10 Feb 2017 Industry news Is the Smart Cara the answer to food waste? One of the most frequent topics I’m asked about is composting food waste; in particular cooked food. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t waste any food. But the truth is, many of us do. I’m fortunate that we have food waste collections and I have room to compost, but neither are without their problems. To… Zero Waste Week · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Suez fined over landfill pollution incident A pollution incident involving ‘sewage fungus’ at Suez’s Connon Bridge landfill site in Cornwall has cost the waste business over half a million pounds in fines and fees. Suez has said that the incident occurred due to ‘exceptionally wet weather conditions’ which led to a permit breach at the site near Liskeard four years ago … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Paper exporter ACN makes new UK appointments Recovered paper exporter ACN Europe (UK) has restructured its UK operation with the appointment of Tania Don and Steven Keir to two new roles in the business. The appointments come as the Manchester-based company announced the departure of Steven Farncombe who was previously vice president of the UK operations. The company is a major exporter … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Respect shown across sector after Shotton fatality Monday’s fatality at UPM Shotton has prompted widespread sympathy across the paper manufacturing and recycling sector, according to UPM. Consequently, a number of paper recycling and mill sites in the UK today (9 February) joined UPM Shotton in a minute’s silence, in respect for contract worker Austin Thomas who died at the Shotton mill on … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Hanbury plastics fire ‘deliberate’ Fire Service claims A fire at a plastic waste site near Stoke-on-Trent was started deliberately, investigators from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have announced. Fire crews were called to the site at Redhills Lane early on Sunday (5 February) morning. The site was operated by Hanbury Plastics Recycling (Stoke) Ltd, according to the Environment Agency. Crews have remained … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news News in Brief (09/02/2017) With news on: REA slams AD subsidy setback; Solar Park to power Swindon HWRC; Waitrose launches CNG-fuelled fleet; ‘Recyclability by Design’ guidelines revised, and; Ward Recycling director cuts ribbon on community project REA slams subsidy setback for AD The Renewable Energy Association has criticised the government’s response to a consultation on feed-in tariff subsidies … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Viridor selects Babcock to complete Glasgow EfW delivery Viridor has partnered with Doosan Babcock in order to complete work on the Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre, parent firm Pennon Group has confirmed in a trading update today (9 February). The Glasgow-based engineering, procurement and construction contractor replaces Interserve on the project, which exited the energy from waste market in August last year. … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Malvern Hills finds ‘no savings’ in private collections Malvern Hills district council looks set to pull out of a joint waste and recycling collection contract procurement with neighbouring Wychavon council, after a report claimed there is ‘no financial benefit’ to outsourcing the service. Instead, the Worcestershire local authority is due to consider reducing the frequency of refuse collections and retaining the in-house service … Read More The pos… letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Foils and plastic trays given ‘widely recycled’ on-pack label The On-Pack Recycling Label – OPRL – scheme has changed its guidance for plastic pots, tubs and trays and aluminium foil to suggest that the materials are now ‘widely recycled’ by councils at the kerbside. OPRL is used across a number of well-known food and drink brands to denote the recyclability of product packaging to … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 9 Feb 2017 Industry news Torridge considers switch back to kerbside sorting Torridge district council could reinstate kerbside sorting of recyclables, 18 months after its collection contractor South Molton Recycle entered administration. The Devon-based local authority will bring back the collection method as part of wider plans to reduce the frequency of residual waste rounds and increase the types of plastics it can collect from householders. Torridge … Read More The… letsrecycle.com News · 8 Feb 2017 Industry news News in Brief (08/02/2017) With news on: FCC blames Brexit impact on UK revenue slide; Cambridgeshire councils make changes; Biffa hazardous waste update; Andusia joins Recycling Association, and; Mid UK mock fire day FCC blames Brexit impact on UK revenue slide Spanish-based FCC Environment has reported a 16.3% drop in revenues from its UK environmental services division – blaming … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Feb 2017 Industry news Defra scraps APC residue rule-change Defra has put a halt to plans to phase out a rule allowing hazardous waste materials from energy from waste plants to be disposed of in landfill, due to ‘limited availability’ of alternative outlets for the material. Waste management companies have been allowed to send Air Pollution Control (APC) residues – material left over after … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Feb 2017 Industry news Textile recyclers in appeal over East Africa trade A delegation from the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has travelled to Nairobi to meet trade advisors from the World Bank, to discuss the future of the trade in used textiles to East Africa. The group included BIR President Ranjit Baxi and Textiles Division President Mehdi Zerroug whose visit to Kenya was focussed on proposals … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 8 Feb 2017 Industry news Environmental Laws to be Transposed Through Great Repeal Bill The post Environmental Laws to be Transposed Through Great Repeal Bill appeared first on Clarity . Clarity Environmental · 8 Feb 2017 Industry news How can infrastructure embrace the circular economy? Projects in the UK's National Infrastructure pipeline must embrace circular economy to maintain its position as a competitive and world-leading industry, argued David Symons, Director at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff. Aldersgate Group · 7 Feb 2017 Industry news Inquiry under way after UPM Shotton vehicle fatality The Health and Safety Executive is today carrying out investigations at the UPM Shotton paper mill in north Wales following a vehicle incident in which an employee died yesterday afternoon. North Wales Police said they called at 12.05pm on Monday 6 February, “to a report of a collision at the Paper Mill, Weighbridge Road on … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Feb 2017 Industry news EU recommends separate collection funding boost Revenue from landfill tax and other economic instruments should be used to support the separate collection of waste in the UK, a report from the European Commission has recommended. And, pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) schemes could also be introduced to incentivise recycling in the UK, the report adds. The recommendations are part of a review by the … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Feb 2017 Industry news Shanks reports ongoing ‘challenges’ in municipal division Shanks Group has expressed concern over the quality and price of the waste derived fuels it produces under its 25-year disposal contract with the East London Waste Authority. The East London output has contributed to what the Group describes as ‘a very difficult third quarter’ for its municipal division in a trading update posted today … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 7 Feb 2017 Industry news Merseyside strikes interim disposal deal EXCLUSIVE: Delays to the start of the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority’s £1.2 billion residual waste contract with Merseyside Energy Recovery Ltd (MERL) has led the authority to ‘swiftly’ seek out interim disposal arrangements. The situation has been ‘exacerbated’ by FCC Environment’s decision to close its Arpley landfill site in December, a progress report published … Read More The pos… letsrecycle.com News · 7 Feb 2017 Industry news Fire crews tackle Staffordshire plastic waste blaze Fire crews are tackling a major fire involving plastic waste at a warehouse near Stoke-on-Trent. Firefighters from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the site at Redhills Road, Milton, at 8.21am yesterday (5 February) after reports of a fire and have remained on site into today. The site is known to have been … Read More letsrecycle.com News · 6 Feb 2017