Veolia signs agreement with UNISON
The agreement follows close working between Veolia and UNISON in the City of Westminster, where Veolia now offers staff language courses and workplace learning initiatives, and is set to cover 12,500 staff employed by the French-owned company across the UK, operating in over 100 local authority areas
Tom Spaul, chief operating officer for Veolia, said: “Not only is this a recognition and procedural agreement, we also believe it will enhance industrial relations by enabling us to work together more closely on a day-to-day basis.”
Raymond Brown secures Olympic contract
The contract involved the Hampshire-based firm delivering 10,000 tonnes of recycled incinerator bottom ash, collected from three energy recovery facilities in Hampshire, to Weymouth in Dorset, to be used as sub-base for the new car park at the Olympic development. The company has developed a facility at the Blue Haze landfill site in Ringwood which recycles the bottom ash generated from household residual waste into secondary aggregate.
Steve Clasby, director for Raymond Brown Minerals & Recycling, said: “We are delighted to have secured this contract and to be able to make a contribution to the 2012 Olympic Games. Our IBA facility is helping to achieve that goal as well as really closing the loop for the management of household waste.”
SEPA publishes reports on waste in 2004 and 2006
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published two reports – one comparing waste arisings in the business waste sector between 2004 and 2006, and other dealing with waste regulation statistics over the same period.
The comparative reports, which are based on a survey conducted by Napier University, Edinburgh, show that amounts of business waste from public sector organisations, as well as from commercial and industrial companies, fell between 2004 and 2006.And, the report on waste regulation statistics highlights the range and quantity of waste collected from the household, commercial and industrial and business sectors.
Bill Proctor, waste data unit manager at SEPA, said: “These reports, taken together with our publications on municipal waste, provide a comprehensive picture of waste management in Scotland. SEPA has published them as part of its programme to improve data availability for our customers.”
Composting firm achieves initial EU validation
The Aberdeenshire firm, which undertook a £3.2 million expansion of its facilities at the end of 2007 (see letsrecycle.com story), received validation following screening of the output from its New Deer site. Validation of the 25,000 tonnes capacity facility, which uses VCU Europa technology and is believed to be the biggest in Europe, means that compost can be sold for use on agricultural land and in gardens as fertiliser or soil conditioner.
Mel Keenan, a director of Keenan Recycling, said “The VCU system is producing an excellent product. Our compost is rich in NPK nutrients particularly potash which currently cost farmers £550 per tonne from chemical fertilizer suppliers so you can see why they are keen to secure supplies of our product at a fraction of this cost.”
Newcastle warns against bin arson
Newcastle city council is appealing to residents to keep their bins safe following a spate of arson attacks on wheeled bins in the Heaton area.
In a statement released by the council, city residents are being advised to bring their wheeled bins in as soon as possible after they are emptied following a series of arson incidents in the east-end of the city. The council is said to be “working closely” with the emergency services and other partners to combat the number of deliberate fires set in refuse containers throughout the city and has looked to involve residents in the process.
Rob Nichols, head of environmental services at the council, said: “There have been several recent wheelie bin fires in the Heaton area and we're asking residents to follow a few simple steps to keep themselves and their property safe.”
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