Greenstar retains plumbing firm waste contract
Wolseley has a nationwide branch network, supported by one national and three regional distribution centres and has headquarters in Leamington Spa. The firm first awarded Irish-owned Greenstar a waste management contract in 2006 and was offered a range of waste management initiatives, including a move to widen the range of materials branch and distribution centre employees can recycle. Each month, Greenstar makes over 4,000 lifts of 1100 litre wheeled containers, and has helped Wolseley to increase its recycling rate from around 3% before the deal to the current estimated 50%, and the company is targeting increased recycling rates by the end of this year, together with further cost savings.
Connor Dalton, Wolseley's environmental manager, said: “Greenstar's professionalism has been a significant factor in minimising waste and boosting recycling. The team came up with more good ideas about how we can capture greater amounts of recyclables as well as controlling cost increases, so there was little hesitation in renewing the contract.”
Chinese delegation visits Donarbon's Waterbeach MBT plant
The aim of the visit was for the party to see the latest waste management technology available in the UK and it was arranged after the Shanghai delegation contacted local company Cambridge Visits to arrange a site tour of a modern British waste treatment facility. The tour of the MBT plant, which is part of Donarbon's long-term waste PFI contract with Cambridgeshire county council, included an opportunity to view machinery which sorts recyclable materials from residents' residual waste and the hall where the remainder is composted to produce a material that could be used to grow non-food crops and for quarry restoration.
Mark Shelton, waste promotions manager for Donarbon, said, “The Chinese visitors were very interested in the new MBT plant. We took them round the internal workings of the plant and explained what all the machinery will do to extract materials from Cambridgeshire resident's general waste for recycling, and how the remainder will be turned into a compost like material.”
Outdoor clothing retailer ordered to pay £17,000 over packaging offences
Chesterfield Magistrates' Court has ordered a camping and outdoor clothing retailer to pay £17,000 in fines and compensation for packaging waste offences committed over a 10-year period.
Chesterfield-based W Yeomans last month (August 19) pleaded guilty to nine offences, and asked for a further 21 offences to be taken into consideration, for a period spanning 1 January 1998 to 31 January 2008. The company failed to register with the Environment Agency as it handles packaging waste including paper, cardboard, plastic, steel and wood. In addition to a fine of £9,000, the Deputy District Judge ordered the company to pay compensation to the Environment Agency of £8,000 to cover the unpaid registration fees, as well as full prosecution costs of £1,398.38. Yeomans was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. By failing to register, the Environment Agency said Yeomans had avoided fees and other costs of at least £11,000.
The magistrate gave credit to Yeomans for an early guilty plea and accepted its mitigation that the company had no previous convictions for environmental offences, that these offences had not been committed intentionally for financial gain and that they were at a time when the company had different owners.
Harrow resident gets gate at HWRC named after him
Mr McAlsee, 67, was commended by council staff after they discovered he had chopped up an armchair and travelled two miles from his home by bus and by foot to dispose of it at the Forward Drive recycling centre. Council staff decided to reward Mr McAlsee's efforts by unofficially branding the pedestrian access gate ‘McAlsee Way' in his honour, as the site is set on a large industrial estate and mainly used by residents in vehicles.
Councillor Susan Hall, portfolio holder for environment services, said: “Mr McAleese is an excellent example to us all. A gate named after you at a rubbish tip may not be like putting your hands in cement in Hollywood, but we think it's a great tribute to a really determined recycler.”
Shoppers seek more information on packaging, survey claims
Shoppers would like to know more about the environmental impact of food and grocery products and almost half are “actively interested” in packaging in particular, research by food and grocery sector research body IGD has claimed.
The consumer research showed that 55% of shoppers were interested in gaining more information about impacts, while 37% claimed that the use of re-sealable packaging would help reduce the amount of food thrown away. IGD is running a Packaging and Product Resource Efficiency conference on October 22 2009, where Dan Norris, Defra minister responsible for waste policy will be taking the stage, along with the Waste & Resources Action Programme, which is launching a new report on retailers' packaging and resource strategies.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD, said: “Shoppers are concerned about the environmental impact of food packaging. Awareness of sustainability, recycling and renewable energy has gained momentum and shoppers want to see the food and grocery industry responding to their concerns.”
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