Flood victims in York to get furniture reuse boost
Companies are working together to transport unwanted beds and mattresses to York to help locals who have been affected by flooding caused by Storm Desmond.
The donations of beds and mattresses were provided by Airsprung Beds via Furniture Re-use Network, who collect and sell unwanted household items. Delivery company Palletways London then collected the donations and transported them to York.
Craig Anderson, Furniture Re-use Network chief executive said: “We are delighted to have helped arrange this collaboration between FRN member the Community Furniture Store, Palletways and Airsprung Beds in providing much needed help to those affected by the floods in York. Furniture donations from retailers, manufacturers and the general public to reuse charities and FRN members are a huge relief to people who have lost essential household items in the Christmas floods.”
Furniture Reuse Network is the national body which supports, assists and develops charitable re-use organisations across the UK.
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Veolia and MRWA fund bike recycling scheme
Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia have funded a community reuse organisation to provide customers in Liverpool with cheap transport for work.
The Onya Bike scheme in Kensington, one of the city’s most deprived wards, is now celebrating selling more than 200 bikes since it was set up more nearly 18 months ago.
Backed by a £5,000 from MRWA and Veolia, the scheme relies on unwanted bikes donated by the public and online auction sites, which are then refurbished and made road-worthy by volunteer mechanics.
Councillor Graham Morgan, chairperson of MRWA, said: “The Community Fund is about encouraging people to reuse and recycle resources. Onya Bike is doing just that and playing a big part in helping people in a very deprived area access employment opportunities and get healthy at the same time.”
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Landfill rate drops in Northern Ireland
Statistics published last week (28 January) have shown that municipal waste sent to landfill in Northern Ireland dropped 2% since the same time last year.
Collected between July and September 2015, the statistics reveal that overall proportion of council-collected waste has dropped to 38%, reaching a record low of 98,000 tonnes for the quarter.
According to the Department of Environment, the drop was driven by an increase in waste sent for energy recovery. During the quarter, 48,000 tonnes of LAC municipal waste was sent for energy recovery, meaning that the rate jumped 2% higher than last year at 16%.
In addition, there were 115,000 tonnes sent for preparing for reuse, dry recycling and composting, giving a rate of 45%.
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SGS obtains accreditation to certify updated ISO 14001
SGS UK is one of the first certification bodies to achieve a UKAS accreditation to certify companies to ISO 14001:2015, the Environmental Management Systems (EMA) Standard.
ISO: 14001 provides a framework to help companies to optimise, control and monitor their environmental performance.
The newly revised standard, which was published in September 2015, has been updated to help organisations better integrate environmental thinking into company strategy.
Colin Ward, UK product manager for ISO 14001:2015, said: “At SGS we encourage companies to make a prompt transition so that they may benefit from reduced resource costs, enhanced credibility and competitive advantage. The more a company can reduce its environmental impact, the more efficient they will become.
“ISO 14001:2015 helps companies identify environmental aspects and compliance requirements, considering a life cycle perspective, so that they can set objectives to enhance their environmental performance, reduce their impact and save money.”
Companies already certified to ISO 14001:2004 will have three years to transfer to the ISO 14001:2015.
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Environmental Waste Control wins Warrington contract
Waste management company Environmental Waste Control has won a contract to service household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) on behalf of Warrington borough council.
Starting on 1 February, the contract runs for two years with an option to extend for a further year.
Environmental Waste Control currently provides the service for Warrington’s three community recycling centres. The council’s recycling rate for the sites has now nearly reached 70%, excluding rubble.
The contract represents the first such agreement with a local authority since EWC emerged from a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) with its creditors last year.
Bill Edwards, executive chairman of Environmental Waste Controls said: “Environmental Waste Controls has a strong value for money track record with council contracts. Last year, the voluntary arrangement with our creditors deterred some councils from dealing with us, but now there’s every reason for them to work with us to help save taxpayers money, as Warrington demonstrates.”
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