The Health and Safety Executive is to carry out a series of inspections to make sure the recycling and waste management industry is taking steps to reduce the high number of injuries.
Speaking to a conference for health and safety professionals in Telford at the end of March, the HSE's chief executive, Geoffrey Podger, said the campaign of inspections would take place in 2007/08 to “tackle directly practice on the ground.”
Commenting on recycling and waste management, Mr Podger told the audience at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health conference: “The number of injuries in these industries keeps going up and the recycling industry’s accident rate is 4-5 times higher than the average and the number of fatal injuries is 10 times higher. I would urge those working in this industry to join with us in making a step change.”
Gateshead high rise recycling deemed a success
 Gateshead resident Gillian Osborn using the new high rise recycling scheme |
Gateshead council has said its new recycling service for people living in flats is proving “a great success”, with the claim that 84% of high rise residents are now using the facilities.
On the scheme, six black recycling bins were placed at the entrance of all Gateshead Housing Company properties, with the 3,300 flats each given blue bags to store recyclable paper, glass and cans before they are taken down to the bins. The scheme has been collecting about three tonnes of waste each week since its launch in February.
The council said the scheme's popularity stems from the convenience for residents of having recyclables collected from each high rise block. Fiona Brown, director of local environmental services at Gateshead, said: “The high rise scheme has really taken off and we are hoping it will help the council divert an extra 300 tonnes of waste a year from landfill.”
Lamp industry invited to workshops on WEEE Regulations
Recolight, the WEEE producer compliance scheme for the lamp industry, is hosting six workshop events to examine the impact of the new WEEE Regulations.
Stakeholders in the lamps market are being invited to half-day workshops in Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Belfast, Cardiff and London from April 17 until June 7. The workshops will will explain the implications of the new Regulations for the lamps industry and describe Recolight’s proposed process/system for meeting the regulatory requirements when the regulations come fully into effect on July 1.
Recolight chief executive Eddie Taylor said: “The WEEE Regulations represent a significant change for the industry and we aim through events such as these workshops, as well as establishing practical processes for meeting the legal requirements imposed by the Regulations, to help the industry to handle that change as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
Organisations interested in attending can email info@recolight.co.uk.
Kent WEEE firm commissions CRT facility
 SWEEEP's television recycling facility being lifted into place last week, prior to commissioning this week |
Specialist WEEE Processing (SWEEEP), the new-start electronics recycling company in Sittingbourne, Kent, has taken delivery of its new television recycling facility.
Full commissioning is being carried out this week on the facility supplied by CRT Heaven of Somerset, with the first cathode ray tube due to be cut today. The installation of the CRT facility comes just weeks before the site will receive a new MeWa mixed-WEEE processing machine (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting on the CRT facility, SWEEEP commercial director Justin Greenaway said: “We are confident that our bespoke processing approach will enable this 3rd generation CRT Heaven diamond blade screen splitter to recycle CRTs at the fastest rate yet achieved by this technology at over 100 screens per hour.”
Relocation relocation for metal sorting specialists
 S+S Inspection's new premises in Fareham |
The UK subsidiary of metal sorting machinery specialists S+S Inspection has made its second move to bigger premises since its formation in 2001.
The company said increased demand for its machinery had prompted the move to the Kingdom Business Park of Fareham, allowing for more space to house increased stock levels for both machines and spare parts.
A larger showroom/demonstration area at the new premises can now accommodate new products, such as the Raycon series of X-ray inspection machines, introduced since 2005.
Although the new facility is double the size of the previous premises, managing director, Richard Lines, said he was confident that a further move to an even larger facility would be needed within the next two or three years.
Register for free to comment