Manchester recycling firm fined £10k for safety failings
Recycling firm Roydon Polythene (Export) Ltd was fined £10,000 at Trafford Magistrates’ Court on Friday (September 26) after a worker sustained a serious leg injury at the firm’s plant in Swinton, Manchester.
The firm was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after an incident in October 2013 which occurred when the 41-year-old worker, who did not wish to be named, was attempting to unblock a jam in glass sorting machinery.
According to the HSE, the man was lifted in a mobile elevating work platform, similar in appearance to a cherry picker, before climbing out of the basket and onto a conveyor belt, more than four metres above the ground. As he tried to clear the blockage, his right leg was drawn into the machinery.
His leg remained trapped for more than two hours while emergency services tried to cut him free. He sustained significant crush injuries, requiring multiple operations to try and save his leg.
Following an investigation into practises at the Junction Eco Park site, the HSE claimed that workers were ‘routinely’ put at risk when they tried to remove blockages. The HSE also claimed that there were also no guard rails around the edge of the conveyor to prevent employees from falling to the ground below.
Roydon Polythene (Exports) Ltd, of Rake Lane in Swinton, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1,221 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to single breaches of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Jackie Worrall said: “A worker has suffered severe injuries that will affect him for the rest of his life because his employer failed in its duty to ensure he stayed safe at work.
“This wasn’t a one-off incident. Instead, workers were routinely expected to climb onto the conveyor belt to clear blockages from an unguarded part of the machine, putting their lives at risk. “
Fire Service puts out Transwaste fire
A large fire which broke out yesterday (September 28) at a waste and recycling site in Yorkshire operated by Transwaste has been put out, Humberside Fire & Rescue confirmed today.
The blaze broke out at 7am in one building at the company’s plant in Melton. The building contained general waste and was closed at the time.
Speaking just after noon today, a spokesperson for the Fire Service said: “At the peak we had ten fire engines and 70 fire service staff at the site. The fire was quickly brought under control and we are about to leave the site. The fire is out but we will go back to check if there are any hotspots.”
In a statement issued yesterday, Transwaste said: “Humberside Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident and the fire was brought under control. There have been no injuries and there was no risk to the public.
“We would like to thank Humberside Fire and Rescue Service for their professional and timely response.”
On its website, Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Ltd says that 350,000 tonnes of waste is handled through its Melton facility each year, with only approximately 5% being landfilled.
The company sorts and recycles many waste streams including bricks, concrete, green waste, wood, plasterboard, plastic, cardborad and metal. Any residue is turned into either a solid recovered fuel (SRF) for heating cement kilns or a refuse derived fuel (RDF) for waste incinerators.
Council approves ban for green waste in residual bin
North Kesteven council in Lincolnshire has backed plans to ban the disposal of garden waste in residual waste bins from April 2015.
The decision on Thursday (September 25) means that residual bins found to contain garden waste could be rejected and ultimately fixed penalty notices could be issued.
The decision was recommended by councillors and officers earlier this month (see letsrecycle.com story) in a bid to address concerns over an increase in the quantity of green waste being sent to energy-from-waste.
The ban would be introduced under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which gives councils powers to direct what types of waste could be placed in each bin.
Speaking today (September 29), a spokesman for the council said: “The ban was approved by the council”, adding that “The levels of the fines have not yet been set.”
Countrystyle secures Kent schools waste contract
Kent-based firm Countrystyle Recycling has been appointed as the waste and recycling collection, treatment and disposal service provider for schools across Ashford and Shepway districts in Kent.
A two-year contract to collect, treat and dispose of waste and recycling from more than 70 schools in Kent has been awarded to Countrystyle Recycling, the firm announced last week (September 25).
The contract commenced last month and is part of a framework agreement with Kent county council, with the current uptake up of schools for Countrystyle’s services at 76 establishments.
Under the contract, general waste and mixed recyclables are being collected by Countrystyle’s fleet and taken to their Kent recycling facility in Ridham. Here, the material is sorted, baled and transported for onwards reprocessing.
Janet Stein, client services manager at Kent county council, said: “Kent county council is pleased to have awarded their Ashford and Shepway waste collection framework for educational establishments to Countrystyle Recycling. We encourage our schools to eliminate waste to landfill and increase recycling, so are looking forward to developing this partnership with Countrystyle Recycling to encourage greater recycling through education and positive marketing.”
Countrystyle’s operations director, Jamie Houston, said: “We are delighted to have been selected to provide services for local schools in Kent. This win demonstrates Countrystyle’s continued ability to provide professional, reliable and cost effective solutions across the spectrum of collection and treatment services. We are excited about the prospect of working with Kent schools for many years to come.”
Blaenau Gwent approves three-weekly switch
Blaenau Gwent county borough council has approved plans to collect residual waste every three weeks and move to a kerbside sort recycling system.
At a meeting last Wednesday (September 24), the council’s executive committee approved measures previously recommended by the council’s scrutiny committee in a bid to boost recycling rates, avoid potential fines for missing recycling and landfill diversion targets and comply with European legislation requiring ‘separate collections’ (see letsrecycle.com story).
Councillor David White, executive member for waste management and recycling, said: “Whilst three weeks may seem like a lengthy collection of residential waste, there are improvements to be made in the way that we recycle. Currently only 54% of waste is recycled.
“Throughout this change in service, residents will be encouraged to think about their recycling and look beyond just their kitchen to recycle materials. There are improvements to be made in how we recycle in general. The authority will provide support in how residents can increase their recycling on a weekly basis, which will result in less household refuse in the 240 litre bins.
“The council will now procure the equipment it requires for the new service (boxes, vehicles etc) using the Capital grant from Welsh Government. The community engagement process will also begin, there will be teams of staff talking to the public about the service change and dealing with any problems that residents may want to discuss.”
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