News in Brief

Palm and Sefton team up with MetalMatters

The campaign, which will run over the coming months, is an industry funded recycling programme designed to help local authorities their waste management partners increase recycling rates through a combination of marketing communication tools. The key message focuses on the transformation that metal undergoes when it is recycled. Palm has said it has seen a marked uplift in the amount of metal collected at the kerbside.

Commenting on Palms involvement Mandy Kelly, business development director at Palm Recycling, said: Industry-led initiatives such as MetalMatters, play a pivotal role in raising awareness of the importance of recycling at a local level. Clear and concise communications focussing on the real reasons why we all have a role to play in recycling, are the essential building blocks to increasing recycling rates and meeting new Government recycling targets.

Zero Waste Scotland launches nappy recycling trial

A six week nappy recycling trial has been launched to 36,000 homes in Scotland in a bid to establish whether there is demand for a more widespread service in the future.

Funded by Zero Waste Scotland, the scheme is offered to households in four Scottish councils Fife, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, and North Lanarkshire. Once collected the material will be bulked up and sent to nappy recycling specialist Knowastes facility in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, which opened in September last year (see letsrecycle.com story).

The scheme has been backed by Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead. Commenting on the pilot he said: Disposable nappies, although convenient, do have a huge impact on the environment with a staggering 450,000 ending up in landfill each day in Scotland. This innovative new scheme is a fantastic step forward for recycling and makes it easier for parents to do their bit for the environment. Its great that new technologies allow us to recycle even more materials. In this way, we can reuse our waste and treat it as a valuable resource with the potential to boost our economy.

Roy Brown, chief executive of Knowaste, added: Our plant is a specialist recycling facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK. We use new technology to allow us to turn absorbent hygiene products, previously unsuitable for recycling, into valuable plastics and fibres, which can then be used to make new products. We are delighted to support the trial collection services in Scotland, which we hope will lead to a wider adoption of the recycling service across the country.

Straight appointed to fourth YPO framework

Container manufacturer Straight has been appointed as one of six suppliers on a four-year framework agreement with YPO, to supply its range of Compost-A-Bag compostable liners.

The contract is estimated to be worth between 8 million and 12 million across the six suppliers. YPO is a procurement service for public authorities, schools, colleges, universities and government departments. This is the fourth YPO framework on which Straight is a supplier.

Jonathan Straight, chief executive at Straight, said: We believe that we are the only supplier in the market to be on four YPO framework agreements and we are delighted to be in this position. There are many companies in the compostable liner market. Being one of only a handful to make it onto this key framework is testimony to our dual commitments of quality and value.

Welsh government backs DS Smith service centre

Recycling packaging firm cardboard – DS Smith plc is to set up a service centre in Caerphilly, Wales which will see it centralise IT, human resources and finance operations creating up to 100 jobs.

DS Smiths move to Caerphilly Business Park is being supported by the Welsh Government which is investing 436,000 in the scheme. The companys head office is already based in the county.

Commenting on the investment Welsh business minister Edwina Hart said: Support from the Welsh Government helped secure the new shared service centre for Wales and ensured the investment went ahead at Caerphilly. I am delighted that work is now underway on fitting out the new centre which will bring direct and indirect benefits to the local economy while creating a significant number of new jobs and career opportunities.

Peter McGuiness, managing director at DS Smith Recycling, added: Our new shared service centre will mean we can work more efficiently, to ultimately deliver better value and service for our clients, while further embracing our commitment to a sustainable working environment.

90,000 tonnes of engineered soils for golf-course

Keltbray Golf Environmental is set to provide 95,000 tonnes of engineered soil to redevelop several holes on the Chipping Norton Golf Club course in a contract worth more than 600,000.

Keltbray, part of the demolition and civil engineering firm Keltbray Group, secured planning permission for project from West Oxfordshire district council. The firm said it took around nine months to secure the planning permission.

Keltbray said the material used on the course will include overburden and excavated materials from a number of brownfield and construction sites within a 10-15 mile radius. A proportion is being sourced from sites where Keltbray is undertaking work, but materials are also being received from other sites. The work is hoped to be completed by summer 2013.

David Jenner, managing director of Keltbray Golf Environmental, said: Were delighted planning has now been granted, so that we can help make this course even better. The new facilities will help encourage youth development and the project has been specifically designed so not to disrupt golfers from playing on the existing 18-hole course.