Norfolk in £2.5m HWRC overspend
Norfolk county council has confirmed that provisional estimates have shown an overspend on the construction of two new recycling centres – Norwich North and Norwich South – by £2.56 million.
The council told letsrecycle.com that it is still working through its final accounts so there may be changes to this figure. It said the £2.65 million is split £1.829 million on Norwich North and £736,000 on Norwich South.
The recycling centres were originally supposed to cost £4.65 million.
The local authority said: “The overspend is partially offset by underspends of £0.440m on other waste management projects.”
As a result, at a meeting last week (28 March), the local authority agreed to extra funding of £2.12m to cover the additional costs.
The council explained that the schemes were disrupted due to Covid-19 with increased material costs and availability impacting on the delivery of the schemes.
“Delivering the access road for Norwich North, which was completed during some very challenging weather conditions, also added to the costs,” it added.
Both recycling centres are managed by Norse Environmental Waste Services (NEWS), a subsidiary of the local authority-owned company Norse Group, following the end of a contract with FCC last year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Shropshire begins Craemer bin rollout
Shropshire council has said that households across the area will receive new recycling bins from next month, manufactured by Shropshire-based Craemer UK Limited.
The bins for recycling cans, plastic and glass at the kerbside are available on request and have been ordered by more than 75,000 households since January.
The council informed that all bins ordered before the beginning of April are to be delivered in May, while the ones ordered later will be produced and delivered later in the year.
While the value of the contract wasn’t disclosed, the council set aside £2.9 million required to deliver this scheme, which includes the rollout and manufacture.
Cllr Ian Nellins, Shropshire council’s cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, said: “The fact that a Shropshire-based firm will be manufacturing the bins means we will be supporting the county’s economy and brings environmental benefits as the bins won’t have far to travel.
“Now that we have appointed a manufacturer, the bins requested so far can go into production, and will soon be with the people that have ordered one.”
Geminor and Quantafuel strike plastics deal
Quantafuel has struck an agreement with Geminor for the supply of up to 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually.
The plastic is to be recycled at Quantafuel’s plant in Kristiansund, Norway, under the deal, which came into effect last month.
The products made from the plastic waste are to be shipped to the Norwegian and international markets to be manufactured into new plastic products.
Kjetil Hausken, Geminor’s country manager in Norway, said: “By turning the plastic waste into feedstock for recycling, and at the same time reducing plastic contents in Refused Derived Fuel and other secondary fuels, we create sustainable products from waste in accordance with the EU’s circular economy requirements”.
Three men fined over Cumbria ‘illegal’ sites
The government has announced that three men from Cumbria are to pay fines and costs of almost £10,000 for operating four illegal waste sites in Alston.
Father and son Keith and Paul Liverick pleaded guilty when they appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court on 30 March, the Environment Agency said.
Keith, 74, of Station Road, Alston, pleaded guilty to operating illegal waste sites. Paul, 51, of the same address, pleaded guilty to the same offence, and to illegally depositing waste.
Their associate Frank Shepherd, 77, of Leadgate, Alston, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to operating an illegal waste site, and burning waste on land.
The court heard that each of the four sites; Clarghyll Colliery, land at the rear of Moredun Garage, Old Foundry Yard, and Rotherthorpe Old Mine, had varying environmental permits and exemptions in place for restricted waste deposits and activities.
The sites didn’t have permit for the importing, depositing, treatment or sorting of mixed waste, the EA said.
Andrew Turner, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in the North East, said: “All three showed a blatant disregard for the environment over a great length of time and seemed to think the rules did not apply to them.”
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