News in Brief

Straight to supply food waste caddies to Sefton

The weekly collection scheme, which was launched by Sefton metropolitan borough council in June last year, now collects 150 tonnes of food waste a month. The council has purchased 5,000 new five litre Kitchen Caddies, and 23 litre Kerbside Caddies to replace existing containers and develop the service further. The council said that the food waste project, which 25,000 households participate in, had helped its recycling rate to rise from 24% to 39.5%.

Clare Melser, recycling contract monitoring officer for Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council said: “The Kerbside Caddy is a robust product and has good manual handling features for the collection crews. Our crews find the container to be strong and easy to handle and empty, making collections much easier. The fact that the product is manufactured in the UK is also a bonus as it reduces both the environmental impact of the product and freight costs associated with delivery.”

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Education centre welcomes 5,000th visitor

The SITA Rotten Resource Centre in Lount, Leicestershire, which explains composting to young people, has had its 5,000th child visitor. Children from schools in the area visit the working facility to see how compost is produced, learn about the microbial processes that help turn organic waste into compost and find out how composting helps the environment

Pupils from The Latimer Primary School, in Anstey, helped the centre reach the landmark and representatives from SITA, Leicestershire county council and Groundwork, who provide education at the site, planted a tree at the school to celebrate the milestone.

Gareth Swain from SITA UK said: “We are delighted with the success of the centre. Being able to show children what happens to their green waste and how this material can be used to make quality compost on a large scale and in a safe environment is something that we are really proud of at SITA UK.

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Catalyst Lend Lease makes waste appointment

Public private partnerships investor, Catalyst Lend Lease, has appointed waste resource recovery expert Patrick Wheeler as its new waste technology manager.

Mr Wheeler has been appointed to aid Catalyst Lend Lease's expansion into the UK waste disposal sector. The company is now working with SITA UK to develop joint bids for municipal and merchant waste projects and is also working on two new municipal waste handling plants for Lancashire county council.

Mr Wheeler, has 25-years experience in the sector and previously worked at consultancy firm, AEA Technology and has worked on waste and energy projects for the Environment Agency, local authorities and Defra. Mr Wheeler said: “We need to regard waste as a resource with lifecycle rather than simply rubbish. It is potentially a valuable source of materials, energy and income. Local authorities are quickly waking up to this new reality and we are well placed to help them make the most of these opportunities by devising waste-to-resource solutions that exactly suit their needs and budgets.”

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Recycling firm wins business award

First Mile Recycling, which provides waste and recycling services in city centres, has won a Green Award at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Growing Business Awards.

First Mile's aim is to help businesses in city centres to recycle waste in a “low-cost” and convenient way. The four-year-old business, which recycles paper, batteries and WEEE, was praised by CBI judges for rolling out its scheme nationally. It collects commingled recyclables daily, during office hours, and runs a “paperless” business over the phone and via the internet.

Bruce Bratley, First Mile's chief executive, said: “I am delighted to have won this prestigious award and the recognition it affords the First Mile team and our customers who are dedicated to saving money and recycling more.”

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