GWMDA treasurer joins national PFI review group
John Bland, who has been treasurer at the GMWDA since 2002, is to join the body, which oversees the approval process for local authority projects which receive Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding, including those dealing with waste. The PRG, which is chaired by the Treasury, consists of eight members and meets on a monthly basis. Mr Bland has recently been heavily involved in the procurement of the 25-year, Greater Manchester PFI waste and recycling contract which achieved financial close with its preferred bidder Viridor Laing in April this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Councillor Neil Swannick, chair of GMWDA, said: “This is an outstanding achievement for both John and the Waste Disposal Authority. John is a highly valued member of the team and his depth of experience and knowledge from the Greater Manchester PFI project will assist him in his role as part of the PRG.”
University saves 14 tonnes of waste from halls
In an initiative undertaken by London-based sustainability project ‘Offers/Ex-IT', kitchens, bathrooms and 85 bathrooms were stripped of over 900 items in preparation for the development of a new £30 million teaching development building on the site of the former Rennie Hall of Residence at Kingston Hill. More than 90% of the goods have since been accepted by London and Surrey charities, which plan to redistribute 71% of the items to the homeless and socially-disadvantaged and recycle 28.1%, with less than 1% (six mattresses) ending up in landfill.
Kingston University sustainability facilitator, Nicola Corrigan, said: “The project demonstrates the social benefits of minimising waste. It also gives a flying start to our aim of achieving a low eco-footprint for the new building.”
Resource efficiency service launched in East of England
A £2.1 million programme to help businesses in the East of England use resources more efficiently has been launched by not-for-profit organisation Renewables East.
The Resource Efficiency East service, which plans to run until 2011, has already helped over 100 companies to identify opportunities to become more efficient and provided them with a free two-day review to find out ways to cut costs through reducing the use of water, energy and materials. Resource Efficiency East aims to help businesses in the East of England save over £12 million through resource efficiency and provides professional advice to businesses including an extensive on-site visit from a resource efficiency consultant, a written report, a bespoke action plan on how to make savings, followed by help with how best to put the plan into action.
Simon Chiva, Resource Efficiency East manager, said: “The new fund has been set up to increase the productivity and competitiveness of regional small and medium sized businesses by assisting them to deliver measurable improvements to their resource efficiency, whilst also helping to reduce the impact of climate change on the region's economy.”
Axion appointed UK agent for French bin firm
The French company builds semi-buried containers for all types of recyclable material, such as glass, plastics, cans and paper, and, through Axion, will look to provide local authorities with recycling facilities at conservation sites, parks, shopping centres, stadiums and social housing developments. The system consists of high-capacity plastic containers (HDPE) that are partly hidden at up to a 1.5 underground with wooden slatted sides above the ground, which house a ‘carrying bag' capable of holding recyclables.
Axion's David Wiles, who heads up the scheme, said: “The container's unobtrusive appearance helps it to blend in with a low visual impact. So it's an ideal solution for increasing recycling facilities in areas such as national parks or heritage sites.”
Firms fined total of £20,000 for hazardous waste offences
Teesside Magistrates' Court has handed two businesses fines totaling £20,000 after hazardous waste residue was left in storage drums and sent to a scrap yard.
Middlesbrough-based waste disposal business UK Resource Management (UKRM) was fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay £4,750 prosecution costs after accepting it had acted with gross negligence after crushing 160 metal drums containing hazardous residues and the court heard how it was “sheer luck” that the drums had not ignited. The supplier of the drums, Essex-based William Blythe Limited, was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £4,750 prosecution costs after the Agency found that the paperwork to accompany the drums had not specified they had contained hazardous waste.
Speaking after the case, Environment Agency regulatory officer Andrew Dobson said: “In this case, the failure to adequately describe and treat such waste continued from the point of production, through the waste management process to the point of disposal, when there was a chemical reaction which caused some of the drums to ignite.”
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