News in Brief

CRT Recycling welcomes end-of-waste status

The company, which was formed in 2004 and has headquarters near Mold in Flintshire, said the decision by the Environment Agency to endorse the output glass as an end product followed years of discussions between the two parties. The endorsement means that the output glass meets three specific criteria, which are: that it is a distinct and marketable product; that it can be used in the same way as a non-waste equivalent; and, that there are no worse environmental effects than its non-waste equivalent.

Commenting on the endorsement, CRT Recyclings managing director Carl Krger, said: We welcome the Environment Agencys endorsement of our output glass we have always believed our end product not only meets a range of high quality parameters but also has significant environmental benefits over using virgin raw materials

Axion signs marketing agreement for separation equipment

Axion Engineering a subsidiary of Axion Recycling has signed a sales and marketing agreement with Nestro Lufftechnik to promote and sell air separation equipment in the UK and Ireland.

The company visited Nestro at several of its locations across Europe and said it was impressed by the German firms systems to separate light fractions from bulky waste streams, such as the removal of plastic films from rigid packaging items. The Nestro equipment is designed to retro-fit into existing materials recycling facilities or for new plant installations. This provides a solution for lights separation and opens up opportunities to turn this type of waste into a recyclable resource.

Commenting on the arrangement, Axion director, Keith Freegard, said: Nestros innovative and novel air separation products will extend and complement the current range of machinery available through Axions partnership with other plastics equipment suppliers.

OF&G latest to permit waste-derived compost use

Certification body the Organic Farmers & Growers has issued a cautious welcome to plans to allow household waste-derived compost to be used on organic farmland.

The comments by the organisation, which is accredited by Defra to inspect and certificate organic production and processing in the UK, come in the wake of Defra clarifying that, under EU organic regulation, composted or fermented household waste can be used for this purpose as long as it been certified to the relevant Publically Available Standard (PAS). Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G) said the ability for farmers to use these materials could have a tremendous value for organic producers, however, it added that it was not a blanket go-ahead to use source-separated household waste. OF&G will require its licensees to obtain approval before taking compost or digestate from source-separated waste.

The move follows the Soil Association announcing in March 2011 that it was permitting the use of composts and digestates derived from household food and green waste on farms which it has certified as organic (see letsrecycle.com story).

Tyre Recovery Association claims Quality Protocol first

The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) claims to have become the first trade body to offer Quality Protocol audits for Tyre Derived Rubber Materials (TDRM) to all of its members.

The standard, which comes into effect in the autumn and is based on the BSIs PAS 107, means that qualifying TRA members will be able to acquire new product status for a range of size reduced materials derived from old tyres. Until now all such materials have been deemed waste and therefore subjected to permit and transportation constraints. The additional Quality Protocol accreditation will be offered as an extra to the routine annual compliance audit which TRA members undergo to achieve accreditation to the UK tyre industrys Responsible Recycler Scheme.

Mike Wilson, president of the TRA, said: TRA members who opt for QP status can do so simply and economically as part of the routine audit to which all are already subject. Not only does co-operation of this sort deliver cost savings and economies of scale but QP status itself will deliver real advantage in a number of other ways.

Borough of Poole set to open temporary HWRC

The Borough of Poole council has opened a temporary household waste and recycling centre at Hatchpond Road, to the north of the Dorset town, while it redevelops an existing site.

The household waste and recycling centre is being relocated from Nuffield Road to the council’s transportation depot at Hatchpond Road for approximately 18 months. This temporary closure will enable the site at Nuffield Road to be developed, with Poole aiming to make the site safer to use, reduce queuing times, traffic congestion and environmental nuisance caused by dust and litter. When the development is completed, the site will contain an enclosed, modern waste transfer station and a split level household waste recycling centre, replacing the current open air facility.

Cllr Xena Dion, cabinet portfolio holder for environment at Borough of Poole council, said: The works being carried out at the Nuffield Centre will greatly improve this popular facility for everyone as the site is in need of modernisation and repair. By providing an alternative centre for residents to use very nearby, we hope to minimise disruption while this vital work is carried out.