News in Brief

Every Can Counts installs 20 can crushers in Weymouth

The programme, which is funded by drink can manufacturers and the can recycling industry, has installed 20 branded can crushers across the borough in high footfall locations. The crushers are designed to make recycling easy, accessible and convenient. They also complement recycling twin bins for plastic bottles, cans and paper that have also recently been installed in the area. The can crushers will be supported by a promotions campaign to raise awareness among the local community and visitors.

Councillor Ian Roebuck, brief holder for environment and sustainability at Weymouth and Portland borough council, said: The Every Can Counts initiative is a great way to help more people recycle drinks cans. The fantastic can crushers located across Weymouth mean residents and visitors can recycle their cans whilst they are out and about easily and conveniently. I am sure that these can crushers will mean we will get more people involved in recycling.

EA and WRAP consult on end of waste for biomethane

A draft quality protocol for biomethane which will clarify the point at which it is no longer classed as waste has been launched for consultation.

The quality protocol was developed by the European Pathway to Zero Waste (EPOW) project delivered by the Environment Agency and Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). It covers biomethane produced from landfill or anaerobic digestion for use in the national grid or as a fuel. In the consultation the Agency is seeking views from producers of biogas, processors of biomethane, regulators and those who may use it as a fuel. The consultation began on June 20 and will run until August 15 2012.

The draft document states: The Quality Protocol sets out end of waste criteria for the production and use of biomethane arising from the degradation of organic wastes in a landfill or anaerobic digestion plant, for injection to the gas grid or consumption in a road vehicle. If these criteria are met, the biomethane will normally be regarded as having been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste.

Bywaters awards celebrate recycling achievements

Waste management firm Bywaters held an inaugural award ceremony on May 24 which saw several of its customers presented with an award for recycling achievements from guest speaker John Sergeant.

The Recycling Awards ceremony was held at Plaisterers’ Hall in London with almost 200 guests in attendance. Bywaters said the awards were a celebration of its customers recycling achievements and a reward of their good environmental practices. The winners included; property advisers CBRE, which was awarded best newcomer; and law firm Linklaters, the most improved business.

John S Glover, managing director of Bywaters, said: It is with great pride that we are celebrating the past 60 years and innovating for the next 60 years and beyond by rewarding our loyal customer base. We’ve had an overwhelming response to the programme and the judges had a very difficult task of determining the winners. Our congratulations go to all winners, highly commended and entrants for showcasing their achievements.

Southampton MP visits pyrolysis manufacturer

Cutting red tape is essential to keep British innovation growing, according to Andrew Hamilton, chief executive of pyrolysis waste technology firm PyroPure.

Mr Hamilton voiced his opinion to Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead, as he visited the companys research and development centre in Bordon, Hampshire. At the site Mr Whitehead viewed PyroPures self-emptying bin which treats organic waste by destroying the difficult to treat waste, leaving metal and glass for recycling. The process uses an automatic computer controlled batch process which warms up the waste, treats it through pyrolysis and gasification and then cools it down.

In response to Mr Hamilton, Alan Whitehead said: I was fascinated to view such cutting edge technology, particularly as I am very concerned about how we use energy and deal with our waste as a society. I chair two parliamentary groups on renewable energy and sustainable waste and I will be asking questions about how we can support emerging technologies like the one developed by PyroPure. In particular, by cutting red tape and supporting approval of new technologies, we will be able to make major savings across many sectors, while supporting public and private sector sustainability goals.

Clarity Environmental to open new battery recycling hub

Compliance and recycling firm Clarity Environmental has joined forces with the Cleansing Service Group (CSG) to open a new battery export hub in Middlesbrough.

The new hub adds to Claritys network in the Midlands and the South East. Clarity operates export routes for lead acid batteries to smelters in Europe. Prior to export the batteries pass through the packing hubs where they are sorted following quality control procedures.

David Adams, managing director of Clarity Environmental, said: Were delighted to be working with CSG on this new hub. This is a strategic move that makes both financial and ecological sense. Bringing the packing closer to the source, we can offer a faster and more efficient service to our customers in the north of the country and reduce our carbon footprint by cutting travel time. This hub is part of our long-term plans as it ensures we can increase our current battery export capacity. But it will also enable us to move into other business areas, as we will use the hub to source, collect and bale other recyclable material, something we are looking to extend across the country.