WRAP bags Walmart Foundation grant
American retail corporation, the Walmart Foundation, has awarded nearly $750,000 (£539,000) to WRAP to develop projects to slash household food waste in the UK and Canada.
The funding will support a partnership between Wrap and the National Zero Waste Council in Canada, which will focus on tackling behaviours that result in food waste.
Research is underway in both countries, with research prototypes to be piloted between March 2022 and 2023.
Sarah Clayton, head of citizen Behaviour Change at WRAP, said that the NGO is “delighted” to have the backing of the Walmart Foundation on what she describes as “ground-breaking research”.
She continued: “Food waste is so often overlooked in relation to climate change, but more greenhouse gas is produced by food waste than by all international flights, so we ignore it at our peril. Having organisations like the Walmart Foundation onboard is crucial to deliver new work and generate new insights for the benefit of partners all around the world.”
Eunomia acquires CEP consultancy
Eunomia has announced its acquisition of Collingwood Environmental Planning (CEP), an environmental and sustainability consultancy.
The acquisition process was completed on 28 July, with the company now wholly owned by Eunomia, as part of the Eunomia group.
Eunomia said that the acquisition “strengthens and widens” its expertise and capacity in a number of “key fields”, including water and flood risk management, natural capital and green infrastructure, climate change adaptation, and environmental foresight.
Joe Papineschi, chairperson of Eunomia, said: “We’re hugely excited that, through our first acquisition, we’re bringing CEP into the Eunomia group. Our two companies are natural partners, driven by common values. We both take an evidence-based approach to maximise the positive environmental and social impacts of our work, and focus on providing high-quality advice with the aim of delivering practical solutions for clients”
Reuse Networks launches scheme to drive reuse forward
The Reuse Network has launched a scheme for businesses and individuals to drive forward support for its network of reuse charities.
The Friends of Reuse Network scheme is a way for “anyone, anywhere in the UK”, to support the charity and its members.
The charity is calling for businesses and individuals to contribute by raising awareness on the positive impact of reuse, donating unwanted goods, and moving away from “fast fashion”.
Craig Anderson, chief executive of the Reuse Network explained: “There is a sense that we are reaching a turning point in our collective approach as consumers, and people want to show their commitment to this. As our awareness of our environmental impact is getting stronger, society is demanding more sustainability from distributors, manufacturers and governments.”
FCC releases footage of maintenance at Allington
FCC Environment has released footage of recent maintenance at its Allington Energy from Waste (EfW) plant in Kent plant.
The video shows how “essential work” undertaken at the plant each year ensures the plant operates for the rest of the year.
FCC Environment maintenance manager Paul Heathcote said: “The outage film shows some of the work done during the annual shutdowns, which are completed every 18 months”.
“This particular year included the replacement of our boiler Superheater 3 tube bundles with a new design which cost £3.5M across the 3 lines – it should triple the life span of the tubes but needed a very big crane to lift them! The footage also shows the automatic Inconel welding to the boiler tubes which welds a protective coating of Inconel on the tubes, so they don’t have to be replaced. To access the tubes there is a huge scaffold up the inside of the boiler which is installed in 36 hours.”
The Allington EfW plant recovers energy from non-recyclable, non-hazardous waste streams and the plant began operating in late December 2008.
The video can be seen here.
REPIC celebrates 3 million milestone
REPIC has celebrated a milestone of recycling over 3 million tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in the UK.
To mark the occasion, Louise Grantham, REPIC’s chief executive, visited Gap Group (NE) Limited’s facilities in Gateshead, the UK’s most recent fridge processing and recycling plant to undertake WEEELABEX certification, to see WEEE being treated on REPIC’s behalf.
REPIC said that the occasion presented an opportunity to “express thanks” to the scheme’s producer members, service providers, waste management companies, local authorities and other partners who have worked with and supported REPIC in achieving this milestone.
Ms Grantham, said: “We are proud of our 3 million tonnes achievement. We also recognise that significant milestones are not achieved alone but in collaboration with all of our partners.
“Today is about celebrating success collectively and saying a huge thank you. At a time when the recycling of e-waste has never been of greater importance, it is important to recognise what can be achieved when we work collectively to improve standards.”
Subscribe for free