Nearly 2,000 sign up to Oxford recycling competition
Almost 2,000 residents have signed up to Oxford city council’s ‘Blue Bin Recycling League’ competition aimed at boosting recycling in the city.
The league sees areas of the city compete against each other to see which can improve its recycling the most.
Residents from the winning area, which will be announced monthly, will have the opportunity to vote for a local group or charity to win £400.
Additionally, two registered households from the winning area will also be picked at random to receive a one-off prize which can include gift cards for local business, cinema tickets or admission to local attractions.
Councillor John Tanner, board member for Cleaner, Greener Oxford, told residents: “The more you recycle the more chance you have of winning a £30 prize or getting £400 for a local good cause. Every single extra bottle, extra can or caddy of food waste counts but you have to register to win.”
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Biffa secures PAS 110 for Poplars fertiliser
Waste management firm Biffa has been awarded PAS 110 accreditation for the liquid bio-fertiliser, produced at its Poplars AD plant in Cannock.
The bio-fertiliser is offered to farmers as an organic alternative to chemical fertiliser. The Poplars plant, thought to be one of the largest anaerobic digestion plants in Europe, processes 300 tonnes of source segregated food waste per day from commercial food producers and local authorities.
Securing the PAS 100 quality mark signifies a high quality digestate available to farmers, which can be applied to agricultural land, Biffa says.
The PAS 110 certification, first published in February 2010, sets the parameters on input materials and the management system for the AD process. The aim of the specification is to remove barriers to the development of AD by assuring end users of digestate that the product is of a consistent quality, according to the standards agency BSI.
Biffa’s general manager at the plant, Chris Savage, commented: “Through investment into anaerobic digestion technology at our Poplars plant, we have been able to demonstrate the value that can be recovered from food waste, rather than for it to be lost to landfill. Returning the food back to the land via our accredited bio-fertiliser underpins the importance of contributing to the circular economy.”
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Frome council lead bid to slash food waste
Frome town council in Somerset has submitted a bid to supermarket giant Sainsbury’s ‘Waste less save more’ fund, which will see one town awarded funding to run pilot schemes for tackling food waste.
The ‘Waste less save more’ initiative, which was launched in September 2015, will see the supermarket giant commit £10 million over five years to tackle household food waste.
In conjunction with the investment, Sainsbury’s will spend £1 million transforming one UK town as a test bed for innovation in 2016.
The chosen town, city or borough must have a population of between 15,000 and 300,000 and have a Sainsbury’s store within a five mile radius. The retailer will help set up pilot schemes within the town to cut food waste.
Anna Francis, resilience officer at Frome town council, said: “Reducing the amount of good food that is thrown away isn’t only better for the environment with regards to saving carbon and landfill space, but can also save the average household £470 a year, rising to £700 for a family with children.”
The winning town will be announced by Sainsbury’s on 1 December 2015.
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Amey partners with MWH for Isle of Wight contract
Global water and natural resources firm MWH has been appointed by UK waste management company Amey as part of its £225 million Isle of Wight waste contract.
As part of the contract MWH will support in the development of a new mechanical treatment plant to handle the Island’s waste and refurbishment of an existing advanced thermal treatment plant at a cost of around £50 million.
The 25-year contract between Amey and Isle of Wight council will involve the delivery of waste and environmental services and aims to increase recycling on the Island as well as minimising the amount of household waste sent for landfill.
John Ord, MWH business director for thermal power & energy networks, said: “This is another exciting venture for MWH and builds on our growing portfolio of energy from waste contracts following on from the current appointment with Amey for Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park, and the work for Viridor on their Dunbar Energy Recovery Facility.”
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Tidy Planet install two Dragon systems
Cheshire-based food waste specialist, Tidy Planet, has announced the successful installation of two of its ‘Dragon’ food waste to energy plants in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
The systems have been set up within remote oil and gas exploration sites and will process up to 1200kg of daily food waste generated from on-site workers.
The Dragon food waste system, which has taken seven years to develop, comprises one of Tidy Planet’s Gobi Dryers and a specially designed biomass energy plant.
Feedstock is prepared, dried and screened and the final biomass is used as a fuel to generate heat through the form of hot water or steam.
In addition to the recent installations, a further four more sister machines are close to completion with another due to be finished in early 2016.
Huw Crampton, sales manager at Tidy Planet, said: “Though 2014/15 has seen significant growth for Tidy Planet, 2016 is eagerly awaited with exports of large scale projects being planned and one or two more unusual projects being kept under wraps.”
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