By George Don
With news on: Notting Hill clean up; Powerday sponsorship deal; Wiltshire clothes drive; UPM safety milestone, and West Oxfordshire food pledge.
Westminster and Veolia complete Notting Hill clean up
Westminster city council and its waste contractor Veolia have revealed that around 200 tonnes of waste have been cleared from streets in the wake of the 2016 Notting Hill Carnival.
The clean-up began minutes after the close of the street festival with a team of street cleaners, refuse staff and waste managers along with a huge fleet of vehicles led the operation in the early hours of Monday and Tuesday.
Waste collected from the streets is sent to the SELCHP energy from waste facility for recovery.
Councillor Melvyn Caplan, Cabinet Member for City Management, said: “We are proud to support the Notting Hill Carnival, and provide such an efficient clean-up service to get the streets tidy after one of Europe’s biggest street parties. Through the hard work and commitment of the council and Veolia’s clean-up staff you wouldn’t know that such a huge event had taken place. I know residents and visitors appreciate these efforts to get the neighbourhood back to normal.”
Vincent Masseri, Veolia’s senior contract manager, said: “The Notting Hill Carnival is such a fantastic event for the capital and I would like to thank everyone who was involved in ensuring the clean-up went smoothly. The recyclable materials collected by the Veolia Westminster team have been sent for processing and the remaining waste will be converted to green energy – generating approximately 97,200kWh of electricity.”
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Powerday to continue as main sponsor for London Irish
Powerday, the London based waste management and recycling firm, has announced that it will be the principal sponsor for the 2016/17 season of both the amateur and professional branches of the London Irish rugby team.
This will take the partnership into its fourth successive year after becoming the main sponsor in 2012. The sponsorship includes displaying the Powerday logo on the front of the shirts as well as being significant sponsors at both the Madejski stadium and at the team’s training base, Hazelwood.
For around a decade Powerday has had an active interest in the London Irish Academy by helping to raise significant funds through a number of activities including an annual golf day.
Chairman of Powerday, Mick Crossan, said: “We are proud to support the club’s ambitions to return immediately to the Premiership with their new on and off field teams and also the excellent work they do to promote participation in rugby within the local community.”
The new sponsorship deal coincides with Powerday’s launch of a new brand identity with a new logo and brand image readied in time for the forthcoming season.
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Parents urged to recycle school uniforms for charity
Hills Waste Solutions is urging Wiltshire residents to recycle their children’s old school uniforms to raise money for the Wiltshire air ambulance service.
In 2014 an agreement was made between Hills Waste Solutions and Devizes Textiles Ltd where Hills would make a £25 donation to the Air Ambulance service for every tonne of textiles recycled. This has led to over 830 tonnes being donated in the past year, which has equated to a donation of £20,710.
The company is asking householders in Wiltshire to leave any unwanted clothing, shoes or textiles at Wiltshire recycling centres, in black box kerbside collections or at any mini recycling sites operated by Hills and Devizes Textiles Ltd, which can be found dotted around the county.
As WAA gets no government funding this is a key initiative to help save lives around the Wilshire area, the organisation said.
Steve Burns, divisional director for Hills, said: “At Hills we are constantly looking at ways in which we can prevent unwanted items from going into landfill, and this allows us to reach that goal while also giving something back to a good cause.
“With the new school year around the corner, many parents will be looking to get a new uniform for their children. Recycling the old uniform instead of throwing it out is an easy way to clear space in the wardrobe, while helping to raise money for an incredible charity.”
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UPM reaches Shotton safety milestone
UPM’s Shotton paper mill in North Wales has achieved five years without a Lost Time Accident, the company has announced.
This milestone makes it the first UPM manufacturing unit globally, to achieve five years without a lost time accident.
In 2011 UPM’s parent company, UPM-Kymmene, launched the “safety first” campaign which was targeted at employees to raise awareness of their safety responsibilities. Staff make more than 4,000 safety observations per year while providing weekly safety talks to the whole workforce.
David Ingham, General Manager at UPM Shotton commented: “Sustaining this high level of safety performance is a world class achievement by UPM Shotton’s employees. We have continuously focused our time and energy to keeping everyone safe”
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West Oxon commits to Courtauld with food reduction pledge
West Oxfordshire district council has signed up to the Courtauld commitment 2025, and has pledged to help reduce food and drink waste from the borough by up to 20% by 2025.
The council becomes one of 119 organisations, 16 of which are councils, to join the pledge which is overseen by WRAP. Courtauld brings together a collective aim to reduce food waste from producers to consumers.
Food waste recycling was introduced in West Oxfordshire in 2010 with householders given a free kitchen caddy and an outdoor bin. The material is sent to Agrivert’s Cassington AD plant for treatment.
Recent initiatives undertaken by the council to improve food waste recycling rates include social media advertising and a doorstep campaign to promote recycling and composting. These campaigns relate directly to the objectives of the Courtauld Commitment.
Richard Swannell, Director of Sustainable Food Systems at WRAP, had this to say “We are faced with some big challenges ahead with rising populations, climate change and dwindling resources. But tackling food waste offers a practical option to address these challenges and in doing so, will create new opportunities.”
Cllr Richard Langridge, cabinet member for the environment said: “Food waste in West Oxfordshire is collected weekly and recycled locally. Although it is a popular service there is room for improvement as many food items are still being thrown into the general rubbish bin. Reducing waste is a priority for us, which is why we are more than happy to sign up to the Courtauld 2025 Commitment. It underlines and supports the excellent work the District Council is already doing.”
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