News in Brief

Steel manufacturer Corus has been nationally recognised for its commitment to recycling and the environment.

The company's pre-coated steel division, Corus Colors, was presented with a Business Commitment to the Environment award by the trade minister Stephen Timms.

The award, organised by environmental charity Groundwork, recognised Corus for a number of initiatives including its work to develop chrome-free steel for domestic electrical appliances to help manufacturers meet recycling obligations under the WEEE and RoHS Directives. Corus Colors also developed a tin-coated steel, Neotec, to help motor manufacturers make it easier to recycle vehicles.

Jack MacLachlan said: “Our approach is to develop products which contain no hazardous substances and which can be easily re-cycled at the end of life. A million tonnes of pre-coated steel products are produced by Corus Colors each year and the environmental benefits resulting from our development work in recent years is therefore significant.”

Evesham-based social enterprise group Worcestershire Community Recycling has launched a 300,000 kerbside recycling service for Ross on Wye.

The “Rebox” scheme sees 4,500 households given a box and a basket to collect their cans, textiles, glass containers and paper. Collections are carried out by EnviroAbility, a group of volunteers with learning difficulties, working with a specially designed collection vehicle supplied by WCR.

Dennis Humble, general manager of EnviroAbility said: “It is fantastic to see the growth the 'Rebox' scheme will bring to our established recycling activities, local employment and recognition of the contribution people with learning difficulties can make to society. The project has to be a winner.”

Budweiser, the official beer provider of the Glastonbury music festival, is aiming to build on last year's recycling campaign with this year's event in June.

Budweiser has supported recycling at the festival which has been carried out for several years by Network Recycling. Network collected a total of 62 tonnes of waste for recycling last year, including 24 tonnes of plastic, 10 tonnes of recycled scrap metal, 17 tonnes of cardboard and 11 tonnes of glass.

At this year's festival, from June 23 until June 27, Budweiser plans to provide over a thousand recycling containers at eight drop-off points, both recycling and waste bags for campers, funding for recycling and litter picking staff and a recycling centre to sort materials.

Randall Blackford, Budweiser's UK marketing director, said: “As with last year, we are not only committed to ensuring people enjoy themselves, but also we will be launching another recycling campaign to make for a greener Glastonbury – we hope that everyone plays their part and respects the environment as they enjoy themselves at this fantastic event.”

Onyx Environmental, one the largest employers in the UK for local authority waste and environmental services, has formalised its relationship with the union GMB.

This agreement, reached after four years of discussions and consultations with Onyx’s operations workforce, covers areas including union recognition, health and safety and disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Commenting on the agreement, Onyx chief executive, Cyrille du Peloux, said: “We are extremely pleased that we can work closely with our colleagues in the trade unions and I look forward to this new relationship yielding extremely positive results for both parties.”

Brian Strutton, GMB national secretary for public services said: “The GMB is pleased to reinforce our partnership approach with Onyx. We hope that this agreement will put our members at the heart of service delivery by appreciating their experience and professionalism.”