M+W welcomes progress on Biffa contract
The development at Biffa's Brookhurst Wood landfill site near Horsham, received planning consent in April 2010 and will include the development of an anaerobic digestion facility. German-owned firm M+W will undertake, engineering, procurement and construction of the plant and has been working closely with Biffa in recent months to finalise detail for the project, which will be a key fixture of Biffa's long-term waste deal with West Sussex county council. Biffa was named as preferred bidder for the proposed waste management facility at Brookhurst Wood by the local authority in September 2008 and achieved financial close on the project last month (see letsrecycle.com story). Construction of the plant is expected to start in the third quarter of 2010 and it is expected to be operational in 2013, when it will produce up to 3.5 MW of renewable energy.
Commenting on its working arrangement, Peter Greenlargh, managing director of M+W UK, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Biffa and to partner them on this new and exciting project. The financial close of the project is credit to the team's hard work and we are looking forward to developing our relationship with Biffa and working together on future projects.”
AD specialist Monsal secures £14m expansion funds
The funding was secured from Waste Resources Fund (WRF), which is managed by equity investment firm FourWinds Capital Management and will initially invest £4 million in the company. WRF will take an equity stake in Mansfield-based Monsal alongside Monsal's management team and private equity investor Matrix Private Equity Partners, while it has committed a further £10 million for projects to be developed under the partnership. This additional £10 million of funding will be used to establish and finance a new business, subject to certain conditions being met.
Aidan Cumiskey, managing director of Monsal said: “WRF is one of the few funds that can support the strategic development of Monsal's core business. This investment is a very significant step forward and gives us a unique business model for the AD market in the UK.”
South Derbyshire and East Staffs discuss facility-share
South Derbyshire district council and East Staffordshire borough council are engaged in talks over potentially developing a joint waste transfer station as a cost-cutting measure.
The neighbouring local authorities are carrying out a feasibility study to discuss the potential to combine efforts and reduce vehicle movements, although no location for the depot has yet been confirmed. The two councils said that staff and the unions will all be kept fully up-to-date with any developments as and when they arise. Development of joint-working between local authorities has become increasingly prominent since the onset of the recession, with councils looking to share or combine services, such as Tamworth and Lichfield borough councils uniting their collection services (see letsrecycle.com story).
A spokesman for South Derbyshire district council, speaking on behalf of both authorities, said: “Reducing costs and improving services are priorities for the councils. We might be in different counties, and even regions, but what we want is the best for the people of South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire.”
Defra publishes fresh ABPR consultation
Defra has launched a consultation on revisions to the rules governing the way animal by-product waste must be treated to ensure it is dealt with safely, the Animal By-Product Regulation (ABPR).
The department is seeking views on whether it should use various exemptions – known as derogations – and other areas of discretion from the ABPR within regulations that it plans to bring into effect from March 4 2011 to implement the revised European ABPR. The revised legislation was agreed by the European Union in November 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story). While the organics sector has stressed in the past that the revision has not involved any major changes to the way ABPR affects them, the proposed derogations and areas of discretion include a slight expansion in category 2 products that can be composted or anaerobically digested, while also covering spreading some materials to land.
Stakeholders have until September 10 2010 to respond to the consultation on the new Animal By Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011, which can be found here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/animal-byproducts/index.htm
Community group Action 21 celebrates achievements
The celebrations, which took place last week (July 23), marked the work of volunteers and staff at the Recycle Warehouse in Leamington, who have together diverted around 540 tonnes of material from landfill since 2006. The body was originally formed under the banner Agenda 21 1996 and morphed into Action 21 in order to provide a sustainable route for Warwickshire residents' waste through its Recycle Warehouse. In a recent survey conducted by Action 21 at the Recycle Warehouse, around 50% of customers said they visited because buying second-hand goods helps the environment through diverting goods from landfill.
Kristie Naimo, business development manager at Action 21, said: “Action 21 would like to thank the local people for helping us to achieve this outstanding figure. The support of the community, as both customers and volunteers, has made the Recycle Warehouse a successful and integral part of the local community.”
Corby shopping centre adds on-the-go can recycling
Shoppers and retailers at the Willow Place shopping centre are being given the opportunity to recycle drinks cans ‘on-the-go' after adopting the ‘Every Can Counts' recycling programme.
Every Can Counts – which is run by aluminium packaging recycling body Alupro – is working with commercial property company Land Securities to provide recycling boxes at the 28-acre mixed use site, which houses 174 retail units, in order to collect cans which are then processed by local community recycling enterprise Cobwebs. The introduction of the service is believed to be the first of its kind for a shopping centre in the UK and will also cover Corby town centre, enabling a wide range of retailers, consumers and workers to make use of the facility. Adoption of the Every Can Count programme ties in with Land Securities' duties to provide environmental management for the retailers at the Willow Place and Corby town centre.
Nyasha Pitt, marketing manager for Willow Place and Corby town centre, said: “We're really excited to be launching the first ever Every Can Counts programme in a shopping centre here in Corby. We truly believe in environmental sustainability here, so the ability to engage our shoppers and allow them to recycle their own cans, in one easy push, is just fabulous.”
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