News in Brief

AWC service transforms recycling in Tanbridge

The service, which is set to save the authority around 1 million annually was rolled out by the councils waste contractor Biffa from October 1 (see letsrecycle.com story).It sees commingled dry recyclables collected in 240 litre wheeled bins one week and residual waste the following week.

Biffa has also rolled out a weekly food waste collection service. Prior to the service change, residual waste was collected weekly as were dry recyclables which were sorted at the kerbside.

Within the first week of the new service, Biffa said the amount of residual waste sent to landfill halved and the councils recycling rate increased from 32% to 47%.

Councillor Tony Elias, chairman of the Community Services Committee at Tandridge district council, said the new service represented the biggest shake-up of the districts recycling and refuse service for nearly 20 years. He added: We faced the pressures of a significant cut on our central government grant, while maintaining or enhancing local services. The new service should help us transform our local recycling rate, which will bring important cost savings.

Energos selected as Milton Keynes technology partner

Renewable energy firm Energos has been selected to provide gasification technology for the treatment of residual waste at a proposed recovery park in Milton Keynes.

The thermal treatment facility, once complete, will have a capacity of over 90,000 tonnes and generate a gross output of 7MW of green electricity, sufficient to power approximately 11,000 homes. It is being proposed under a 15-year contract between Milton Keynes council and AmeyCespa, which was announced as the preferred bidder last week (see letsrecycle.com story). A planning application for the facility is expected to be made in 2013.

The site will also be host to a mechanical biological treatment plant from Stadler and an anaerobic digestion plant from Celtic Bieonergy.

Nick Dawber, managing director of Energos, said: “Energos is pleased to be selected as a partner in the Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park. We offer an environmentally responsible, community sized energy from waste solution that will ensure the diversion of biodegradable material from landfill. Our facilities generate renewable energy and displace the use of fossil fuels.

Waitrose achieves zero food waste to landfill

Supermarket Waitrose has achieved its aim of sending zero food waste to landfill three months earlier than planned.

The news comes as the retailer announced in October 2012 that its 280 UK branches now send all their food waste for composting and anaerobic digestion. Once collected, the food waste is sent for treatment by Luton-based waste management firm Cawleys.

In addition, Waitrose announced plans in July to allow all of its branches to donate surplus food to their local community by the end of the year.

Waitrose recycling and waste manager, Mike Walters, said: Of course its not in our interest to produce any food waste at all, which is why we work hard to minimise it in the first instance. Inevitably we generate some surplus food, and where it is not fit to be donated to the local community, AD has proven to be a sustainable way of eliminating the need to send it to landfill, reducing our impact on the environment and creating renewable energy along the way.

“It is an exciting time for the company as we extend our work with Cawleys to our remaining UK shops, helping us achieve our target of zero food to landfill.

Forest of Dean launches weekly food waste collections

Biffa has rolled out a weekly food waste collection service in Forest of Dean as part of a household collection contract with the district council.

The council has a long-standing relationship with Biffa which began in 1989. This latest development will see Biffa collect food waste from residents on a weekly basis, as well as alternate weekly collections of residual waste and dry recyclables. The firm will also collect garden waste.

Biffa has introduced a fleet of 18 new vehicles to help support its work with the council. The fleet include: five refuse collection vehicles, plastic-bodied utility vehicles for food waste collections, kerbsiders for recycling collections, and green waste collection vehicles. In addition, Biffa has also constructed a transfer and bulking station for the recyclables at its Cinderford depot.

Roger Edwards, Biffa municipal division director, said: We have always worked closely with Forest of Dean to address its waste diversion needs, and this latest batch of new services should help capture more recyclable materials, both organic and dry. That in turn should improve the councils recycling rate and reduce its waste management costs.

SITA awards uniform contract to Eurox

SITA UK has awarded Birmingham-based work wear and PPE manufacturer Eurox a contract for the supply of its uniforms and work wear.

The three year contract commences in January 2013 and is worth up to 1 million. Eurox said the contract will cover all of SITA UKs national requirements and will see them provide a dedicated account management team to ensure a smooth and efficient supply chain.

Max Palak, Eurox managing director, said: Winning the SITA UK contract is a very important and satisfying result for Eurox, reflecting the hard work and dedication of the team and our on-going commitment to excellence in product development, customer service and fulfilment. The Eurox aggressive strategy for growth and the pursuit of excellence in everything we do, has been rewarded with a number of recent successes for the company, with the SITA UK contract coming in top of the list.