NI recycling exceeds landfill rate

The amount of household waste and local authority collected recycled or composted in Northern Ireland has exceeded the volume sent to landfill for the first time, the latest figures indicate.

Released yesterday (October 23), provisional recycling data for the first quarter of 2014/15 show that 45.2% of household waste and 44.5% of LAC waste was recycled or composted.

In comparison, the amount of household waste landfilled dropped 8.1% to 40.2% period – the lowest quarterly figure on record. The amount of LAC waste landfilled stood at 40.9% during the same period.

Commenting on the figures, Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said Northern Ireland had finally ‘turned a corner’ on the amount of waste sent to landfill.

He said: “It is good to see that we have finally turned the corner when it comes to making use of our resources. Rather than burying them in the ground, we are finding new ways to recover some of their value.

“Less landfill means lower rates being spent on landfill tax and less impact on the environment from lower emissions of greenhouse gases. I would encourage everyone to keep up the good work to reduce, reuse and recycle.”

Budget Pack relaunches as ecosurety

Bristol-based compliance scheme Budget Pack has rebranded as ecosurety in what has been labelled as a ‘major change’ for the business.

The relaunch, which includes a new-look website and homepage animation, comes 11 years after Budget Pack was first established.

It follows a busy year the firm, which has forged partnerships with Strateco and A1 Compliance – two other businesses active in waste compliance and sustainability strategy.

Explaining the thinking behind the rebrand, chairman Steve Clark said: “This is just the right time for us to renew our story and become ecosurety.

“More and more companies are working to become sustainable in the widest sense – environmentally, socially, economically. We are driving that change and that agenda already. It’s essential to our business values and is also powerful because we have excellent products and services that help to deliver the kind of change I’m describing.”

Taylor helps pave way for automated waste collection

Bin manufacturer Taylor has helped ‘pave the way’ for automated waste collections after North Bristol NHS Trust combined its containers with Swisslog’s Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

The automated 800-litre containers, part of the redevelopment of Southmead Hospital, will transport waste, linen, food, consumables, pharmaceuticals and instruments without the need for a porter.

The Taylor containers sit atop the Swisslong transcar technology, and allows enough space to enable segregation of three waste streams at any one time with 49 disposal holds in the hospital building.

The hospital now has 12 AGVs responsible for transporting 158 Taylor containers throughout the hospital. Collections are made when the AGV positions itself under the Taylor bin before lifting the bin into place and automatically transporting them to disposal holds at pre-programmed destinations.

Once the containers have been emptied a colour-coordinated magnetic poster is placed onto the front of the bin, alerting staff throughout the building to the waste type currently being collected.

Jamie Roberts, technical engineering manager at Taylor, said: “Automated waste collection within the healthcare sector represents a simple and tangible way in which hospitals can increase efficiency, save money, minimise health and safety risks and add value to their healthcare programme.”

Remondis sets example with visit from Agency

An Environment Agency group has visited a Prescot-based hazardous waste transfer and recycling facility owned by Remondis UK to demonstrate ‘best practice’ within the industry.

A total of 18 compliance officers visited the site, which is able to process up to 69,000 tonnes of material each year.

The Environment Agency praised the visit as both ‘interesting and enlightening’ and hoped it would help the organisation to set consistent standards across the waste industry.

Marcus Bauer, managing director of Remondis UK, added: “We are always happy to open our doors to our colleagues at the Environment Agency and the event was no exception. We are extremely proud of our facility here in Prescot and it’s always a pleasure to demonstrate our capabilities.”

Local Green Points app launched

Local Green Points has launched an app this week (October 20) that will make it easier for members to find businesses that have signed up to the recycling incentive scheme.

The free app, available for iPhone on the iTunes store, will locate businesses that are currently offering discounts to members who recycle their waste materials under the scheme.

At present over 200 discounts are available in the London boroughs of Bexley and Havering.

Graham Simmonds, managing director of Local Green Points, said: “This app is a great development for our already successful Local Green Points schemes and will help members take advantage of the full range of discounts available to them.

“This is great news for residents as they get exclusive discounts and great news for businesses as they get extra promotion.”