Waste volumes down 6% in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has published its annual waste and recycling statistics for 2022/23, showing that while recycling rate has remained at 49.7%, waste volumes have fallen by 6%.
The report also showed a drop in landfill rates too, with 23.1% of waste sent to landfill for 2022/23, down from 24.9%.
A further 25.4% was exported for energy recovery.
The statistics also show that Belfast generated the smallest amount of household waste per capita at 388 kg whilst Antrim & Newtownabbey recorded the largest at 519 kg per capita.
K Engineering installs shredder at its headquarters
Distribution company K Engineering has installed an Untha PS1300 pallet shredder at its West Midlands headquarters.
The company says the shredder is currently processing around 300kg of pallet waste per day but it can comfortably handle 30 pallets per hour, helping to reduce its disposal costs.
K Engineering’s managing director Ian Wilkinson, said: “We are new to shredding, but having read about the PS1300 we were intrigued about what this machine could do. Impressed with how our enquiry was handled and the quality of the manufacturing – something that we know a lot about as an organisation – we moved quickly.
“The shredder has been excellent – our operators were trained by UNTHA so they have confidence in the safe operation of the machine, and we’ve had no complaints. We’ve removed all the pallet waste that had accumulated on our site and now have an asset that will support our waste handling, long into the future.
“Importantly, we’re preserving the resource value of the wood, and I’ve even used some of the chip in my own garden!”
Cory partners with Viking CCS for carbon capture project
Cory has partnered with Viking CCS, the carbon transportation and storage network led by Harbour Energy together with BP, and port operator Associated British Ports (ABP), to explore the transportation and storage prospects for captured CO2.
This collaboration will see potential CO2 captured from its plant under any scheme shipped to the Port of Immingham, facilitated by ABP, before being transported via a new CO2 import terminal to the Viking CO2 transportation and storage project.
The final destination for permanent storage is the Viking depleted gas fields in the southern North Sea.
Notably, Cory’s adoption of a shipping solution mirrors its extensive maritime background, as the company predominantly transports its processed waste via a fleet of tugs and barges along the River Thames, favouring waterways over road transport. This aligns with the UK Government’s commitment to non-pipeline transportation solutions for CCUS clusters in Track 2.
Viking CCS project director Graeme Davies said: “We’re pleased to welcome the Cory Group to the Viking CCS cluster and look forward to working together to develop and connect the carbon capture, transportation and storage industry in the Humber and Thames regions.
“This announcement marks a significant milestone in developing the CO2 shipping sector in the UK, demonstrating real progress on how the captured CO2 emissions from dispersed sites around the UK can gain access to high quality storage, further emphasising the economic opportunities CCS creates in enabling new inward investment and creating high-quality jobs.”
Cars to be allowed access to HWRC’s without booking in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire council has announced that from 8 January 2024 it will allow cars to visit the majority of its household recycling centres without booking.
This includes all its recycling centres apart from Inverurie and Westhill, where high traffic ques can often become a police matter.
Councillor Alan Turner, chair of the council’s infrastructure services committee said: “Considering the feedback throughout the trial, this will be a popular result for the avid recyclers among us. Over the last year, I received several comments from Kincardine & Mearns residents, and I would like to say that I am particularly delighted about the new arrangements being introduced in the K&M area.
“Regardless of whether residents of Aberdeenshire need to book or not, I’d encourage everyone who wishes to visit a household recycling centre to continue to check the website for opening times. There are occasions where we must close a site at short notice and a quick visit to our web pages will save people a wasted trip in the few instances where we must make an unexpected closure.”
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