Materials Recycling Week
15 July 2005
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Aggregates recycling just got easier
An in-depth website offering everything from how to set up an aggregates recycling facility to listing local suppliers of recycled aggregates was launched this week by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). The market development agency has revamped its AggRegain website (www.aggregain.org.uk) after consulting with over 20 leading industry organisations. WRAP aggregates project manager Phi -
Comment: Are you ready for the backlash?
I was talking to somebody recently from a local authority about the difficulties they were having in finding appropriate recycling facilities for tourists that could be placed next to an historic cathedral. The problem was that the bins or containers did not look right and did not fit into the ambience of the surroundings. Although underground facilities had been considered, these were too difficult to install in the area and were deemed a bit too complicated for visitors who just wan -
Composters left in limbo by Government
Communities composting their green waste face an uncertain future following last week’s Government decision to postpone changes to current laws on the treatment of green waste, according to the Community Compost Network (CCN). The CCN was set up in 1996 to work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency to improve the exemptions to waste management licensing for community groups. Nine years' work now lies in tatters after the Governmen -
EU advised by commission to change ELV rules
The European Commission has proposed changing the European Union's End-of-Life Vehicle directive, mostly allowing additional leeway for car manufacturers to use lead. Regarding aluminium alloys, the proposal would extend manufacturers' rights to use lead content to 1.5% by weight until July 2008. The Commission also wants to permanently allow lead content below 0.5% by weight for bonding agents connecting elastomer ducts or parts. And it wants manufacturers to have anoth -
Feature: Fuel economy
There are some pretty big plans afoot for the UK's commingled waste plastics. Unphased by long-winded planning processes and a somewhat struggling collection infrastructure, one company is determined to source feedstocks for a market with a strong appetite. Set up last November, Cynar's aim is to commercialise ThermoFuel technology, a system whereby scrap and waste plastics are converted into a low emission diesel fuel. To date there are nine plants using the technology in Japan, the olde -
Feature: Grasping the nettle on recyling
In April, the International Solid Waste Association's (ISWA) Recycling and Waste Minimisation Group met in Denmark to examine the developments that have taken place in the country's waste management system. At a joint meeting with the Danish Recycling Group, ISWA members visited the RGS90 recycling facilities at Stignes. Providing waste collection and treatment services for greater Copenhagen, R98 has tried to develop new opportunities for recycling. RGS90 was formed in 1991, mainly t -
Fridge recycler up in flames
A raging inferno that took 75 fire fighters four and a half hours to bring under control ripped through a fridge recycling plant in South Wales last week. The blaze tore through Evans Logistics' Capital Valley site at Rhymney, Caerphilly in the early hours of Saturday July 9. According to a South Wales Fire and Rescue spokesman, a security guard discovered the fire and raised the alarm at 3.01am. Fire crews finally brought the blaze under control at 7.37am, but not before it had s -
Get ringing the bell! Rugby study shows the benefits of door to door publicity
Ringing the doorbell is one of the best weapons in the armoury of local authorities seeking to get more people to recycle, a 15-month investigation by Rugby Borough Council has found. The Council studied the effectiveness of various ways of getting households to give recycling a go. Methods included putting promotional stickers on wheelie bins, sending out newsletters and issuing letters to households identified as not participating in recycling. However, Rugby found that the particip -
Government plays down WEEE court action
The UK could end up in the European Court of Justice for delaying implementation of the Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, after it received its first formal warning from the European Commission (EC) this week. But the Government has insisted that it was right to shift its WEEE deadline from the EC's date of August 13 to January 2006 and has played down the possibility of court action. A Department of Trade and Industry spokesman said: "We have published our timel -
Graffiti promotes recycling
A new way of getting young people to recycle has been encouraged by Viridor Waste Management. The company, in partnership with Somerset County Youth Service, held workshops with local young people from the Taunton area, to demonstrate their art skills while learning about recycling. Young people were given a brief after learning about recycling and waste management and then painted their designs on five skips along with aerosol artist Sam Gaden. Viridor extern -
Ireland's only tyre recycler returns to business following blaze
The only scrap tyre processor in the Irish Republic Crumb Rubber Ireland has restarted operations less than two months after a fire and explosion that left four people critically injured at its facility near Dundalk. Crumb Rubber managing director Leo Kerley said the plant restarted on July 11 following a programme of repairs mainly to equipment wiring. Machinery at the plant was essentially undamaged in the incident and the company has continued its tyre collection activities -
It's true! There's only rubbish on TV these days
Imagine having your waste emptied over your garden as part of a TV show looking at reducing and recycling waste. Following on from hit shows such as How Clean is Your House? and You are What You Eat, No Waste Like Home will humiliate people by emptying their waste bins over their gardens to show how much rubbish they are throwing away. It will then encourage them to look at ways they can firstly reduce and then recycle their waste. Presenter Penney Poyzer said to MRW -
Minister backs aggregates scheme
Welsh Minister for the Environment, Planning and Countryside Carwyn Jones has launched a new recycled aggregates programme aimed at increasing their use across construction projects in Wales. Developed by The Wales Environment Trust, the Aggregates Programme provides a free consultancy service to local authorities, civil engineers and waste recycling companies. It will also develop new markets and gain user acceptance for recycled aggregates as the preferred alternative to virgin mate -
Minister says people power must cut Northern Ireland's waste
Northern Ireland Environment Minister Jeff Rooker said that meeting landfill targets was down to the public as he revealed the latest landfill allowances for local authorities this week. The allowances reduce the amount of waste each local authority in Northern Ireland can send to landfill year on year from now until 2020. Rooker said: "I must stress that we cannot do it on our own. We need householders to do their bit by participating in recycling and reducing the mountain of waste w -
News analysis: Recycling has been forced further up the local government agenda
At the beginning of June, when powers from the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act were introduced, another piece of legislation was published that will have just as much, if not more impact on local authorities' approach to recycling and waste management. The Audit Commission has run the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) since 2002 as an attempt to show what local authorities are doing and how well they are doing it. Apart from letting taxpayers know what they are getti -
Recycling key to London Olympics
London 2012 will be the greenest Olympics ever, according to recyclers that were part of the successful bid team. London Remade Closed Loop project manager Debbie Morris said: "The 2000 games in Sydney were the greenest ever and every bid since has had to be comparable or better, and that is what we prided ourselves on in London." As part of the bid, Closed Loop London put forward a recycling system originally trialled at the Australian Olympics, testing it at three London events last -
Sims begins Gloucester abandoned vehicle contract
Sims Group has begun a contract in Gloucester to collect abandoned vehicles in the area. The Abandoned Vehicle contract started this month between Sims and the individual districts of Gloucester. Although Gloucester city will not join the scheme until April 2006. It is expected that eventually over 3,000 vehicles a year will be collected through the contract. Sims ELV manager Derek Campbell said: "We are very proud of the success we are having with our Abandon -
St Andrews' greens set to be protected by green glass bunkers
St Andrews golf course, the venue for this week's Open Championship, is also going to be the focus of an innovative glass recycling project led by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Under a three-month trial, St Andrews will use processed sand made from recycled green glass in its practice bunkers. If successful, the projects will be extended to one of the club's courses to assess its use in 'real play' situations. The processed sand is also being trialled as a path mate -
Steel can recycling on the up
A national steel can recycling scheme has seen 350 million cans recovered so far this year, up from 220 million cans collected during the same period in 2004. At a rate of 33,000 tonnes per year, this accounts for roughly one quarter of all domestic steel packaging recycled in the UK. The Corus CanRoute system lets local authorities collect steel tins and cans at the kerbside and then sell them onto steel processing firms. The reprocessed metal is then sold on to steel firm Corus. -
WEEE conference in London to still go ahead
The WEEE Directive Conference scheduled for this week (14 July) will still be going ahead. Despite the terrorist attacks in London last week, MRW is maintaining the "business as usual" stance advocated by the Government. This means that Thursday's conference will continue as planned at the Ibis Hotel in London. More information on the conference is available at www.weeeconference.com -
WEEE pilot aims for blueprint status
Onyx has unveiled a pilot resource recovery facility in Portsmouth that aims to recycle 3,000 tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) each year. If successful, the Trust will launch similar recycling facilities throughout the Portsmouth region. Funded by a £579,091 grant from the Onyx Environmental Trust together with additional finance from Hampshire County Council, the project is being run by the Hampshire Natural Resources Trust. Employment for 20 socia -
WRAP offers glass processing aid
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has announced a new capital support competition that it hopes will stimulate the UK's production of recycled fine glass. The scheme, which offers up to 30% of total project value, is open to any company involved in the creation of new recycled fine glass production capacity and can be used to fund land, buildings, equipment or machinery. Growing markets for recycled fine glass include sports turf, clay products and filtration media manuf -
WRAP to investigate barriers to glass recycling
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has launched a series of investigations into cost and operational issues impacting glass recycling. It believes the work will enable it to work more closely with local authorities and other stakeholders in the sector. WRAP material sector manager for glass Andy Dawe said: "Many local authorities are focussing on increased collections of glass at the kerbside as a way of meeting their tonnage-based targets. One of the aims of these projec
