News round-up February 2019

Veolia gives Valentine’s advice

Veolia has told lovers for Valentine’s Day that 77% of people surveyed for it by YouGov would be less likely to pursue a love interest if they saw them drop litter during a first date, and 57% would be offended by purposely putting something non-recyclable into a recycling bin.

Richard Kirkman, chief technology and innovation officer, Veolia UK & Ireland said: “It’s clear there is an attraction to recycling for the public - as a majority of Brits find behaviour which shows respect for the environment desirable in a potential partner.”

Press release

Paper straw range launched

SIG is to offer a new paper straw product to customers from this quarter. Nestlé is the first customer to introduce this and has tested the market launch in the Dominican Republic.

Press release

School gets bottle greenhouse

Newark-based UKWSL has partnered with Lovers’ Lane Church of England Primary School on activities to improve its ‘green’ credentials via the Eco-Schools Programme.

The partners have now worked with the local Rotary Club to build an EcoBottle Greenhouse (pictured) as part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Campaign for School Gardening.

Press release

Suez staff fundraise against cancer

Suez employees have exceeded their long-term goal to raise £250,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.The target was set in 2013 and have reached £255,733 through a series of fundraising events.

UK chief executive David Palmer-Jones said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been able to champion the incredible work of the Macmillan cancer support team.”

 Press release

Selfridges turns bottles into bags

Selfridges has become the world’s first retailer of garment covers made from recycled plastic bottles. The covers are supplied by Jutexpo and are available in small, medium and large sizes using seven, eight and 12 plastic bottles respectively.

They are now available in all Selfridges stores and the company expects 222,000 bottles will be recycled in the first six months.

Press release

Companies settle breadbasket row

David Wood Foods has agreed to pay £18,310.50 to Bakers Basco to settle a claim that it misused its bread baskets, the latter has said.

Basco was set up to provide bakeries with reusable standard sized baskets to transport bread, which are recycled at the end of their useful life. The company said David Wood Foods has used the baskets without payment or permission. Wood has been contacted for comment.

Press release

Apprentices sought as Brexit hits recruitment

Bristol’s ETM Group is seeking more apprentices for its recycling and highways maintenance work.

It said that since the 2016 referendum the flow of foreign nationals working in the UK had declined leaving companies struggling to find qualified replacements.

Amy McCormack, director of ETM Recycling, said: “The challenges in recruitment nationally are well documented. We are looking to take on more apprentices, particularly with the new plant opening, and we are keen to future-proof the business and create a world-class apprenticeship programme.”

Press release

Scotland moves on cups

The Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group (PCRRG) is supporting a Scottish initiative to stop single-use cups going to landfill or ending up as litter.

Launched in Glasgow, the Cup Movement, has been developed by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful in response to growing public concern about the environmental impact of single-use items. It will be the largest, sustained single-use cup collection and behaviour change initiative of its kind in Scotland and, if successful, the model could be rolled out across many more cities in the UK.

With an estimated 95 million single-use cups being used in the Greater Glasgow area every year, the project will tackle this issue head on by transforming recycling infrastructure and encouraging people to adopt more sustainable behaviours.

Press release

Call to support Global Recycling Day

The Global Recycling Foundation has called on the industry to support Global Recycling Day on 18 March, the second such ‘day’ after its launch last year. It is intended to increase awareness of the Katowice Climate Package agreed by world leaders in 2018.

Foundation president Ranjit Baxi, who is also president of the Bureau of International Recycling, said: “It’s our responsibility and collective duty to protect our planet. Recycling and the circular economy are crucial to achieving this and beating climate change.”

Press release

Cups come a Cropper

James Cropper has received the first bales of used coffee cups from a pioneering pilot scheme in collaboration with Forge Recycling, environmental charity Hubbub and Leeds City Council.    

Through its CupCycling  technology - billed as the world’s first process dedicated to upcycling disposable coffee cups – James Cropper has the capacity to upcycle 500 million used coffee cups.

Forge Recycling has collected 159,000 single-use coffee cups - from workplaces, coffee shops, universities, shopping centres and on street cup bins - since launching on 18^thOctober 2018. Instead of the cups going to waste they have been delivered to James Cropper for upcycling. 

Press release

Suez open Aberdeen MRF to public

Suez Recycling and Recovery UK has launched a new education and visitor experience at Aberdeen’s MRF at Altens East. The new experience will allow local schools, groups and residents to learn what happens to the city’s recyclable and non-recyclable waste and explore the £27m facility.

Guests to the new education and visitor experience will be able to follow the journey of recyclable and non-recyclable waste and see first-hand the processes at work to see how the latest technology is being used to ensure that the city’s waste is being put to good use.

Tullos School’s Eco Group joined Suez and Aberdeen City Council’s councillor Philip Bell to launch the experience.

Press release

Norfolk SCRAP campaign

Norfolk has launched the SCRAP fly-tipping campaign which aims to fight the blight of fly-tipping in the county and cut the annual £1m clear up cost.

The campaign reminds people to check their waste is being taken away for disposal by a licensed carrier – either by asking to see a Waste Carriers Licence* or by looking up the company on the Environment Agency website.

Councillor John Fisher, chairman of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, said: “There are lots of ways that people can legally get rid of the things they no longer want, so in addition to asking people to avoid giving their waste to rogue traders, the SCRAP campaign will be highlighting how people can dispose of items and stay within the law.”

Press release