UK waste tech firm joins US business envoy
UK waste-to-energy tech company, SEaB Energy, will join the Mayor of London’s International Business Programme on a visit to the United States, to help the company grow in the North American market.
The entrepreneurial trip, hosted by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and his deputy for business, Rajesh Agrawal, will lead a trade mission that includes 25 of London’s tech firms.
From 14-21 September, the companies will join the Mayor for meetings with major businesses and the respective Mayors of Chicago and New York, Rahm Emanuel and Bill de Blasio.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is one of the most vibrant and diverse places in the world to start and grow a technology business.
“These high growth companies have the potential to become the next global tech giants and I am delighted that they will join me in showing the world that London is open to talent, business and collaborations.”
The company’s ‘Power in a box’ small-scale power plant turns food and bio-waste into energy, water, and fertilizer directly on the site the where the waste is produced, eliminating the cost of transport and providing the waste producer with a continuous revenue stream that could achieve payback in under two years.
SEaB has recently implemented its technology at a site of Portugal’s supermarket chain, Continente, and is in the final stages of commissioning another system at a major teaching hospital in the UK.
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Welsh Assembly Member highlights waste growth ‘barriers’
Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly Member Russell George has pledged to tackle issues ‘undermining the growth’ of waste management businesses, following a visit to a waste site in his constituency.
Mr George learned of the growth constraints for the sector when he visited the headquarters of the Welshpool-based Potter Group in Henfaes Lane last month to discuss waste management issues across the country.
The Potter Group is among the biggest privately owned waste management organisations in Wales.
Commenting on the visit, Mr George, who is chairman of the National Assembly for Wales Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, said: “The Potter Group is a local success story – a family run business, which has grown to become one of Welshpool’s largest employers.
“It was certainly an eye opener for me to understand the full scale of the expertise the business has built up. The Potter Group is now the largest privately owned waste management company in Wales, providing services for a number of councils across the country as well as providing waste management solutions for businesses.
“The meeting with the Potter family and senior staff was also useful to understanding a number of issues that are undermining further growth which I’ll be taking up with the Welsh Government.”
James Potter, managing director of the Potter Group, said it had been a very positive meeting with Mr George and he had been pleased to be able to explain the size and structure of the company to the politician.
Mr Potter said: “Mr George was receptive and interested to hear of the future growth problems being encountered by the company. We look forward to meeting Mr George in the future and welcome any support he is able to provide.”
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REPIC hits milestone in WEEE recycling
WEEE producer compliance scheme, Repic has announced it has financed the collection and recycling of more than two million tonnes of WEEE since collections began in July 2007.
REPIC is one of 37 WEEE producer compliance schemes in the UK, but it claims to be the only scheme to have reached this milestone, which makes up around half of all the WEEE collected since 2007.
Dr Philip Morton, chief executive of REPIC, commented: “The proper recycling and recovery of end of life electricals has made an enormous contribution to the environment, the economy and employment. The more WEEE that we can capture in the system the better.
“We have been able to achieve this milestone because of the fantastic commitment from our producer members, our local authority, waste company, retailer and treatment partners and of course our dedicated REPIC team.
“The media too has played a strong role, positively promoting the WEEE system and encouraging active participation by consumers. I look forward to seeing REPIC reach even higher goals in the future.”
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Stockport council praises residents at recycling open day
Stockport council has praised residents for attending its second Recycling Centre Open Day, held at Longley Lane MRF this week (30 August).
The open day is part of a joint recycling campaign by Stockport council and Recycle for Greater Manchester.
The event showed residents where the recyclable materials from their brown and blue bin is sorted, separated and sent on for recycling.
Cllr Sheila Bailey, Stockport council’s executive member for Communities and Housing said: “It was fascinating to learn more about how our waste is sorted to be recycled. I’ve always been a keen recycler and by visiting this facility along with many Stockport families, this has only reinforced why it’s so important to recycle.
“It was also great to hear how well we are doing compared to other areas, not just in Greater Manchester, but in the UK too. As a borough, we really do lead by example when it comes to recycling. Unfortunately, there are still a few items that are not recycled as much as they could be, such as cartons (blue bin) foil and aerosols (both brown bin).
“If all of these items were recycled more it really would make a huge difference to the amount of waste we put in the black bin, so please remember to put the right thing in the right bin.”
The open days come as the council looks to build on the borough’s recycling performance in 2014/15, where the council’s recorded 60.7% recycling rate.
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