News in brief

Work set to begin on Hertfordshire AD plant

The planned facility at Bygrave Lodge Farm just off the A1 near Baldock will have the capacity to process up to 45,000 tonnes of food waste a year and generate enough renewable energy from food waste to power around 4,000 homes, according to Biogen.

The food waste will be collected from manufacturers, supermarkets and restaurants and the plant will also produce a biofertiliser for local farmland.

Biogen is now in the pre-construction and tendering phase for the plant, which is expected to be operating by mid-2014 after building work commences by the end of March 2013.

Biogen chief executive, Richard Barker, said: The plant is in an excellent location which will enable us to extend our service to new customers in Hertfordshire and North London. Once completed and when counted alongside Biogens other AD projects being built around the UK, this will make a significant difference to our current food waste processing capacity, doubling it by early 2014.

Free WEEE recycling bags on offer in Merseyside

Free recycling bags are being given away in exchange for unwanted or broken electrical items in Merseyside in order to reduce the amount of precious metals going to landfill.

From this weekend (January 18), residents bringing waste electrical goods such as hairdryers, childrens toys, radios, kettles and mobile phones to any of the 14 Merseyside Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will be given the heavy bags in which to collect unwanted electrical items for recycling.

The scheme has been organised by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) and is being delivered by its contractor Veolia Environmental Services, as many unwanted or broken electrical items contain valuable, recyclable materials such as gold, silver, copper and indium.

Councillor Joe DeAsha, chairperson of MRWA, said: If youve got an electrical item that is broken or no longer used, drop it off at a local Recycling Centre. Instead of gathering dust and cluttering up your house, itll be stripped down and the parts recycled.

Alex Paterson, director of Veolia Environmental Services Merseyside and Halton, said: At present small electrical items are commonly seen in the residual waste and in the kerbside dry recyclable containers. This means they do not get recycled and may end up in landfill. The blue bag will provide an easy way to collect and recycle these items and therefore improve recycling rates on Merseyside.

Nottingham residents urged to recycle Christmas trees

Nottinghamshire county council is urging residents to recycle their real Christmas trees this January in order to help raise money for hospitals in the local area.

As part of the councils Treecycling campaign, the councils waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services will donate 100 to Nottingham Hospitals Charity for every 50 tonnes of Christmas trees received at its 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres until the end of January 2013.

A spokeswoman for the council said: Whenever you decide to take down your real Christmas tree, please recycle it at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre in Nottinghamshire and help to raise funds for charity.

Kevin Parker, regional communications Manager for Veolia, commented: We are pleased to welcome the return of this campaign. Through the residents support we are hoping able to donate a substantial amount to a worthwhile charity.

ERP awarded South Wales WEEE contract extension

European Recycling Platform (ERP) UK Ltd has been awarded a one year contract extension as the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) producer compliance scheme (PCS) provider to six local authorities by the South Wales Waste Management Group (SWWMG).

The contract has been extended up to and including December 31st 2013 to provide the scheme for the Welsh local authorities.

Caerphilly county borough council signed off the extension on November 29th 2012 on behalf of the other five local authorities in the agreement: Blaenau Gwent county borough council, Cardiff council, Newport city council, Powys council and Rhondda Cynon Taff county borough council.

ERP UKs managing director Scott Butler, said: ERP is delighted to be continuing our partnership with the six local authorities in the South Wales Waste Management Group. We work closely with our local authority partners in South East Wales to deliver innovative solutions for collecting more e-waste and look forward to doing so in the future.

Property firm helps reduce Bristols landfill waste

A trial scheme involving Wilshire waste management firm Saica Natur and the New Earth Solutions Mechanical and Biological Treatment (MBT) plant at Avonmouth has helped to reduce landfill waste from commercial property in Bristol.

Saica Natur worked with property firm Colliers International to organise the waste management scheme, which was trialled at Willow Brook Shopping Centre in Bradley Stoke and was found to save more than 50 tonnes of rubbish from being sent directly to landfill each year. It will now be rolled out at offices, industrial units, retail and commercial premises managed by the company across the UK.

Waste from the shopping centre was sent to the MBT plant at Avonmouth, which processes non-hazardous mixed residual waste.

Colliers Internationals Mike Bull, said: By August next year we will have reduced the amount of waste generated by commercial premises in our South West portfolio that goes direct to landfill to zero. The Bristol office has created a template which will now be rolled out by colleagues across the country.

In the space of just six months we boosted the rate of waste recycled from 60 to 90 per cent, with the remaining residual waste being sent to New Earths Avonmouth facility for second chance recycling, to be reused or converted into clean renewable energy and diverting waste away from landfill where possible.

Recycling firm awarded health and safety certificate

Recycling firm ECO Plastics has been awarded the health and safety management standard OHSAS 18001 by UKAS-accredited Lloyds Register Quality Assurance.

The certificate was presented to the firm following a seven-day assessment of its health and safety management systems at its Hemswell facility in Lincolnshire.

It follows the firms accreditation certificate for environmentally-friendly processes, ISO 14001, which it gained in 2011.

ECO Plastics health, safety, environmental and fire manager, David Jarvis, said: As a forward-thinking and responsible company, securing the OHSAS 18001 was a crucial step in demonstrating ECO Plastics dedication to its staff. This systematic approach to safety forms part of the positive management culture we are working towards.