GMWDA “unanimously reelects” chair and vice-chair
The reelection of Cllr Swannick and Cllr Young, which was announced at the Authority's annual general meeting on Friday (June 19) was said to “show a strong partnership and a consensus of support from all parties”. Cllr Michael Young has been a member of the GMWDA for four years, and was first appointed vice chair to the Authority in 2007, while Cllr Swannick was elected chair eight years ago and has been a councillor since 1998. The pair were heavily involved in work to sign the Authority's 25-year PFI waste and recycling contract with Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Limited in April this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Cllr Swannick said “I am thrilled to be re-appointed as Chair, we have now signed the waste and recycling PFI contract and we are working towards implementing a world class waste management system for Greater Manchester.”
AWS completes second phase of investment programme
Newcastle-based plastics reprocessor AWS Eco Plastics has completed the second phase of its £14 million capital investment programme at its bottle recycling facility in Lincolnshire.
Completion of the new processing line at the Hemswell facility is set to allow AWS to process hot wash PET flake and pellets, where it has previously only been able to produce dry wash flakes, and it has also helped raise the capacity of the plant to 80,000 tonnes annually. AWS is already contracted to supply 13,000 tonnes-a-year of r-PET pellet to packaging company ARTENIUS Pet Packaging Europe (APPE) for recycled pellets to be used in the production of bottles for carbonated beverages (see letsrecycle.com story) and the company said it is currently discussing supply contracts with “a number of interested parties” over the surplus hot wash PET flake, for sale in to the thermoforming market.
Jonathan Short, chief executive of AWS, said: “Our goal has always been to process a material capable of being used in the food industry and this is an important mile stone for us. Quality is the key and whilst the bottle recycling industries' customer base has been disappointed with the quality available so far, we are confident the quality control processes we have in place will ensure we meet our customers' expectations.”
Horsham awards £4m vehicle contract to Dennis Eagle
The West Sussex council has signed the deal as part of “radical improvements” being made to its recycling and residual waste collection service, which are set to involve an increase in the range of materials it collects. The council said that returning to the depot to empty the existing vehicles is prove inefficient but the demountable sides on the Dennis Eagle vehicles mean that filled bodies can be replaced with empty ones, enabling collections to continue while the full bodies are transported in batches to the transfer or disposal site. Dennis Eagle is now set to deliver 20 Speedline side-loader vehicles, 42 demountable bodies, two hooklift vehicles and two drawbar trailers to the council by July 2010.
Ian Jopling, head of operational services at Horsham district council, said: “Our district covers more than 200 square miles, so the use of demountable side loaders will have a huge impact on the efficiency of our recycling and refuse collections and our logistics costs.”
Wood waste firm seeks to cut warehouse footprints
Birmingham-based Wood Waste Recycling Ltd is looking to work with warehouse managers in the Midlands to help them to reduce their carbon impact by reusing and recycling resources.
The free-of-charge service will involve Wood Waste offering to collect unwanted pallets and wood waste from warehouses in the region so that it can be recycled or reused. The company claims that the service will not only help warehouses to reduce their impact on the environment but also remove a health and safety hazard from the shopfloor, as well as helping to inform any environmental strategies that warehouse managers may be looking to put in place.
Commenting on the service, Paul Tropman, managing director at Wood Waste, said: “I have had a passion for recycling for over 30 years and by making everyone aware of the services we offer can hopefully help with saving the environment.”
Sapphire turns attention to health and safety
The company, which is owned by cement giant Lafarge, is taking part in practical exercises and management tours which focus attention on high standards in health and safety. In particular, Sapphire, which was merged with Lafarge's other recovery business Glacier earlier this month (see letsrecycle.com story), will be adopting a consistent approach through the use and application of the Lafarge Group's worldwide safety standards. The series of health and safety days, which will take place across Sapphire's UK sites, are set to see visits from Lafarge Cement UK Board Directors as well as simulation exercises, where the evacuation and first aid skills of staff on site are tested in realistic situations.
Andy Jones, who coordinates health and safety for Sapphire Energy Recovery, said: “Safe working at all our operations requires constant vigilance and re-evaluation. Our series of health and safety days during annual safety month provide all of us with an opportunity to develop further our safe working practices and refresh our knowledge and skills.”
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