Viridor heralds safety record at Ardley EfW
The waste contractor welcomed the achievement with construction partners Clugston-CNIM Oxfordshire on the site, where 500 employees are working to ensure the facility is delivered on schedule and safely.
In addition, the companies have donated 1,000 to local schools and charities for every 100,000 hours of safe work completed with the total currently standing at 15,000.
Viridor chairman Colin Drummond OBE, Viridor said: We are so proud of the care and due diligence all employees on site are demonstrating throughout the construction of our Ardley facility. Achieving 1.5 million safe hours of work is by no means easy as the amount of people and variety of trades has increased as construction has progressed.
I would like to congratulate everyone working on site for their ongoing commitment and excellent work to ensure a safe and timely delivery of this project.
The 300,000 tonne-a-year capacity EfW is due to be fully operational by the end of 2014.
MRWA submits Liverpool HWRC plan
Plans for a new household waste recycling centre (HWRC) have been submitted by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority.
The proposed facility, which would be located off Cheadle Avenue in Old Swan, would recycle a wide range of household materials, as well as scrap metal, car batteries and garden waste.
If approved, it would become the second centre of its kind in the city after Otterspool HWRC.
Councillor Steve Munby, cabinet member for living environment and localism Liverpool City Council, said: This application will be subject to the planning procedure and we will be consulting with the local community.
However, the city certainly needs another centre to make it easier for residents to recycle and make a big improvement to our recycling rate. We are still sending far too much of our waste to be buried in the ground so I am pleased that progress is being made in creating another centre in the city.
Dan Rogerson to deliver Resource speech
Waste and resources minister Dan Rogerson is to deliver the opening keynote speech at Resource, an event set up to promote the circular economy.
The event, which is due to take place on March 4 at ExCel London, will see the minister discuss the responsibility of UK businesses to progress the transition to a more resource efficient environment.
His address follows a letter from Defra in November announcing the departments intention to step back from activities within the sector (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mr Rogerson is also expected to cover how subsidies will help launch repair and reuse as well as the aims of the Technology Strategy Boards circular economy project.
Commenting on the announcement David Palmer-Jones, chief executive officer of SITA UK and ESA chairman said: “The government still has an important role in helping the waste industry to deliver the steps necessary for the circular economy to become a reality so we welcome the involvement of the Minister in this groundbreaking event.”
The conference programme will also see professional and practical advice from companies including Coca Cola Enterprises and the British Retail Consortium.
Skip hire tenant fined 6,000 for illegal waste sites
The tenant of three consecutive illegal waste sites in Essex has been fined a total of 6,000 and ordered to pay a contribution of 2,000 towards Environment Agency costs.
Michael Garry Bowers, trading as ABS Skips and a registered waste carrier, was fined at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on January 28 after failing to prevent his staff from running an illegal waste site from three separate facilities at Temple Farm Industrial Estate, West Hanningfield.
The activities were discovered when Environment Agency officers received reports of burning at a yard full of waste skips in Ship Road in September 2012.
A month after the site was cleared, officers saw more than 20 vehicles, two crates of tiles, metals, tyres and lead battery acid at Unit 2 of the same industrial estate.
And, they were called once more in March 2013 after reports of burning at another yard, Temple Firs, where waste was being stored in skips.
A spokesman for Mr Bowers, told letsrecycle.com that he had been ill at the time of the illegal activities and had been compelled to plead guilty to the charges despite his absence.
He said: Michael has been in and out of hospital and only used the skip hire company to help a few friends and assist his construction work. Because of the mis-management of his workers he has now had to put the business up for sale.
Environment Agency officer Tim Poulding said: Illegal waste sites avoid investing in site infrastructure designed to protect the environment from potentially harmful emissions.
MBA Polymers receives major investment
International plastics recycler MBA Polymers has announced a significant financial boost from its investors.
The investment will see allow MBA to expand its operations in Worksop to improve production efficiency.
It comes as the company will be receiving an increased level of shredded plastic waste from operations at EMRs new plant in Oldbury, Birmingham which will provide MBA with enhanced levels of the raw material for its end product (see letsrecycle.com story).
MBA Polymers chief executive Nigel Hunton said: This is a sign of real confidence in our business going forward and this new funding will enable us to complete improvements which will enhance operational performance and expand capacity at our UK plant at Worksop, Notts.
He added: Taking these moves together, we expect that during the year we will be able to expand production, increase efficiency and expand capacity. 2014 is looking very positive for MBA Polymers with some great opportunities in front of us.
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