News in brief

Plastics recycling service rolled out in Torfaen

The move will allow Torfaen residents to recycle the additional materials in their black recycling box, as the council increases its collections in the borough. The council currently has a 52% recycling rate.

The campaign will run throughout February and March to make residents aware of the change of service.

Dan Finch of Waste Awareness Wales said: In conjunction with Torfaen, weve developed a comprehensive marketing strategy using the Wales wide waste and recycling segmentation to ensure we deliver communications that local residents are most likely to engage with.

Torfaen councillor John Cunningham, said: The council has now responded to residents requests to collect a wider range of mixed plastics within the black recycling box and it gives me great pleasure to announce the expansion of our recycling service.

This improved service will help us in our ambitious goal of recycling 70 per cent of the county boroughs waste by 2025.

Scottish hospitals urged to act on food waste

Scottish hospitals could benefit from increased cooperation in how they manage their food waste, according to a report produced by Resource Efficient Scotland.

The organisation claims collaborative investment in new collection services could help health boards meet the requirements of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations.

The Regulations, which came into effect earlier this year, require the separation of hospital food waste for recycling from January 2016.

The report based on a survey of 33 hospitals across six NHS Board areas – has been circulated among Board members along with a calculator tool to identify the financial implications of changing food waste practices.

Marissa Lippiatt, head of Resource Efficient Scotland, said: The report and calculator together provide comprehensive guidance for health boards in Scotland to help them take practical action to improve their food waste management. I welcome the ongoing relationship between RES and NHS Scotland Boards, helping Boards to work towards the new waste regulations.

UKSSA launches new website

The United Kingdom Security Shredding Association (UKSSA) has launched a website aimed at attracting new members and providing services for its existing members.

The website is aimed at those who have been audited by the National Security Inspectorate and comply with the UKSSA code of practice EN15713.

UKSSA president and director of Euroshed Reuben Bolton said the association was very much open for membership to all compliant companies.

He said: By launching our new website we will be promoting good operating standards to the end user as well as influencing local authorities, central government departments and commercial entities to ensure that UKSSA membership and its standards are written into their tenders to win their business. At present there is no other Association based in the UK that can offer this reassurance of quality.

UKSSA is hosting an open general meeting on February 25 in order to launch the website and promote the association.

Printwaste wins Birmingham shredding contract

Printwaste Recycling & Shredding has been awarded a four-year contract to manage confidential shredding on behalf of Birmingham city council.

The contract, which will see Printwaste provide confidential waste destruction and service up to 65 sites, follows a six-month tender in which the Cheltenham-based company was audited for its security credentials.

As well as providing an off-site shredding and recycling service, Printwaste will use its fleet of mobile shredding vehicles for on-site destruction at council offices.

Councillor James McKay, cabinet member for a Green, Safe and Smart City at the council, said: Any waste we landfill is an added cost to the taxpayer, so the solution offered by this contract means we avoid this and provide excellent value for money.

Don Robins, Director of Printwaste, added: This important contract highlights our strengths in secure shredding and data destruction and further demonstrates our growing market share in the Birmingham and West Midlands areas.

Turf supplier trials liquid digestate from AD as fertiliser

Romsey-based Solent Turf Supplies has successfully trialled the use of a liquid digestate, a bi-product of anaerobic digestion, as a viable alternative to traditional fertilisers.

The five month trial of the digestate, piloted in conjunction with micro power plant manufacturer SEaB Energy and conducted at its Southampton Science Park facility, have indicated that the nutrient value of the PAS 110 compliant bi-product has an equal value to the applied chemical fertiliser on a half-acre area of turf.

Sandra Sassow, chief executive officer of SEaB Energy, said the trial indicated a clear economic and sustainable opportunity for turf growers and organic waste recyclers.

She said: As well as generating a reliable source of energy, these trials demonstrate that our micro-power plants also produce a completely organic digestate rich in nutrients. The lab tests and field trials have proven that it performs as well as traditional fertilisers, but without the chemicals and, over time, at a reduced cost.

Robert Hack, owner and managing director of Solent Turf Supplies, added: The results so far indicate that the area, sprayed with the AD digestate, has grown as well as that treated with our usual chemical fertiliser. Given its performance, and the fact that the digestate is 100% organic, we believe that that a wide range of growers will place increasing value on this natural feedstock.