Waste sector thanks public
Representatives from across the waste industry have thanked the public for their support during the first two months of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement coordinated by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), a trade body representing the industry, the public were also urged to dispose of personal protective equipment and use household waste recycling centres responsibly.
Jacob Hayler, executive director of the ESA, said: “The essential work carried out by thousands of recycling and waste workers each day often goes unnoticed.
“Although it may have taken a crisis for them to receive the recognition they deserve, crews across the country have been overwhelmed by an outpouring of public support over the past two months.
“We would like to thank the public for helping to keep these services running by being responsible with their waste and urge everyone to continue in this way as suspended services begin to resume.
“This will help keep services, particularly household waste recycling centres, running safely.”
Among those countersigning the statement were WRAP, LARAC, the Industry Council for research on Packaging and the Environment, The Recycling Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, On Pack Recycling Label, the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport and The National Association of Waste Disposal Officers.
European wine industry backs glass recycling
A European-wide group representing the wine industry has formed to work towards recycling 90% of all glass packaging placed on the EU market by 2030.
Formed by European glass packaging federation FEVE, the Circular Economy Platform for Glass Collection & Recycling says it is to collaborate with the glass packaging value chain.
The 90% target rate was set by FEVE in November 2019 at the launch of its Close the Glass Loop programme (see letsrecycle.com story), of which the new group is a part.
Adeline Farrelly, secretary general of FEVE, said: “The wine sector is one of our leading market segments, with constant growth recorded in the last years.
“It is fundamental we can collaborate and support each other in our sustainability efforts. The Close the Glass Loop platform is one way to do this together.
“The more recycled glass we can put back into our production loop, the lower the environmental impact of our bottles.”
The wine companies represented by the Circular Economy Platform for Glass Collection & Recycling say they commit to improving the environmental and sustainability performance of the wine sector while preserving its competitiveness.
TOMRA hires motorhomes for service engineers
With hotels throughout the UK closed during lockdown, equipment manufacturer TOMRA Sorting Solutions has hired two motorhomes to allow its service engineers to travel to customers.
TOMRA says that, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, its service engineers would often travel to a site, undertake maintenance or installation work and, if required, make an overnight stay in a hotel before continuing the work on the following day or moving on to the next job.
The motorhomes allow the engineers to stay onsite overnight, quarantining themselves in a private space and adhering to social distancing guidelines, TOMRA says.
Brian Gist, head of TOMRA UK, said: “When the Covid-19 pandemic began and all hotels closed, we immediately had to reconsider our approach to delivering onsite maintenance, service and delivery of parts.
“The motorhomes are the ideal solution and our customers have been delighted that we can still get to them during this period.”
TOMRA says it is to continue hiring the motorhomes for as long as restrictions are in place.
SESA ready to work with Scottish DRS
The Scottish Environmental Services Association (SESA) has said that it is ready to work with the administrator of the new DRS in Scotland.
SESA says it aims to ensure that the scheme successfully delivers for the environment, after it was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 13 May.
It is anticipated that the DRS regulations, which were approved by MSPs in a 36-16 vote, will be implemented from July 2022 at the earliest, after being postponed from an original target start date in 2021.
SESA policy advisor, Stephen Freeland, said: “SESA has always supported the principle of a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland and we want to make sure that it successfully delivers its environmental goals, and that it works in practice.
“These new regulations will introduce fundamental changes to the way recyclable material is collected in Scotland, which will subsequently affect a wide range of businesses and all of us as consumers, so it is essential that all stakeholders in this scheme are given sufficient time and support to adapt.”
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