TRA hails outcome of roundtable on bogus collections
Mr Hurd stepped in earlier this month to meet with key stakeholders from the police, trading standards, local authority, business and charity sectors in a bid to address concerns over the growth and continued issue of bogus door-to-door charity collectors (see letsrecycle.com story). Stakeholders at the meeting, heard about the work that has been done so far by detective chief superintendant Steve Head, DCI Dave Clark and their team at the Economic Crimes Directorate for the City of London police. The initiative, which was instigated by the Textile Recycling Association (TRA), has already started the process of gathering intelligence.
Alan Wheeler, national liaison manager for the TRA, said: “Following an initial meeting back in October, the TRA arranged the first intelligence gathering meeting with the City of London police just before Christmas.”
Northern Ireland hits 41.2% recycling rate for quarter two
The figure represents a slight increase from the previous quarter – April to June 2010 – in which the country achieved a 39.7% household waste recycling and composting rate (see letsrecycle.com story). And, the figures also signify the first real jump in performance for the country which has seen recycling rates stagnate over the past 12 months (see letsrecycle.com story). The Department of Environment pointed out that the latest figures are a rise of three percentage points compared to the same period in 2009/10 and also included a marked increase in landfill diversion, which was four percentage points lower in quarter two 2010/11 than in quarter two 2009/10.
Commenting on the figures, environment minister Edwin Poots said: “I am heartened that the latest recycling rates show some significant improvements. Our Love Food Hate Waste initiative underlines that prevention is better than cure whilst local councils, through my Department's Rethink Waste fund, are preparing to implement better ways to help us reduce, reuse and recycle.”
Viridor to move HQ as part of Taunton regeneration
Waste management firm Viridor is set to move its headquarters to another part of Taunton as one of the first major firms to commit itself to Taunton Deane borough council's ambitious regeneration plans.
Viridor, which is currently based near Taunton Railway station, will up sticks and move to become part of the £270 million Firepool scheme. The company will move over 100 members of staff into a bespoke headquarters on the 17-acre, mixed use site, which is intended to become the new commercial heart of the town. Property development and regeneration firm St. Modwen, which is spearheading the regeneration project, expects to start construction during the second quarter of 2011 to complete the works ready for occupancy by Viridor in summer 2012. The building will achieve BREEAM Excellent Standards, an established way of measuring the environmental impact of new buildings, reflecting Firepool's strong sustainability credentials.
Gareth Griffith, estate manager for Viridor, said: “The company continues to expand its essential recycling and waste services and is ambitious for further growth. Moving to new head office accommodation is an important step in meeting the future needs of the business within a top-quality development. It is part of our programme to upgrade support facilities throughout the UK, and follows recent moves into new regional offices in Kent and Taunton.”
Smurfit Kappa Recycling appoints security shredding manager
Ms Russell brings years of experience from working with Blue Chip companies and within the public sector and held roles in the sales and finance departments of Mondi Packaging Diss – which was purchased by Smurfit Kappa Group in May 2010. Accredited to the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and the United Kingdom Security Shredding Association (UKSSA), Smurfit Kappa Security Shredding offers a compliant and confidential service to destroy unwanted files and documents and recycle them securely. All shredded paper is recycled in the UK and used to manufacture tissue.
Commenting on her appointment, Ms Russell said: “Any company which has not taken responsible steps to destroy such material securely is putting itself at risk of fraud and could face a heavy fine. The consequences could cause significant embarrassment and damage to a company's reputation.”
Scrap metal firm fined £23,000 over waste offences
The owner of Kent-based Scrapco Metal Recycling has been fined a total of £23,000 and order to pay £3,600 in costs for illegally accepting and processing electrical and metal waste.
Ricky Hunn pleaded guilty to two offences at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court in November following an investigation by the Environment Agency. The Court heard that Mr Hunn bought the site at Longfield Farm in Paddock Wood from another waste business during the summer of 2009. Mr Hunn applied for licenses to deal with general metals and an EA inspection found “large quantities” of electrical waste intermingled with general scrap. A further inspection took place in January this year and this also found that scrap metal and a considerable amount of electrical waste were spread over the site and still being imported into the business. Further visits in February and March revealed that the illegal operations at Scrapco had continued and only limited improvements to the waste management activities on site had been made by the business.
Commenting on the case, Jamie Hamilton from the Environment Agency said: “Prosecution is usually a last resort for us, but it was clear that the situation at the Scrapco site could no longer be tolerated. Mr Hunn and his staff were repeatedly warned about the illegal waste activities taking place on the site but they chose to ignore our advice.”
Final call on WAG statutory recycling consultation
The Assembly Government is consulting on the definitions of recycling, preparation for re-use and composting; the monitoring arrangements and the financial penalties for not meeting statutory targets. The WAG agreed plans to introduce legally-binding targets of 52% by 2014/15 and 70% by 2024/25 in November 2010, which were granted Royal Assent in December (see letsrecycle.com story). Under the proposed laws, Welsh councils could face fines of up to £200 per tonnes for failing to comply with the legally-binding goals. The consultation closes next week (January 26) and more information can be found here.
Environment minister Jane Davidson said: “Our local authorities have already done a fantastic job in contributing to Wales' recycling rate increasing by more than anywhere else in the UK in the past decade, and as I announced last week Wales now recycles 45 per cent of its waste. I want Welsh councils to keep up the good work and urge them to take part in this consultation.”
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