News in Brief

Tamar AD plants enter commissioning phase

The plants, which are now entering the commissioning phase after building work began in June, include Tamars 30,000 tonnes-per-year-capacity AD facilities in Hampshire and Lincolnshire, and its maize-processing plant in Nottinghamshire. Meanwhile plants at Somerset, Bury, Hertfordshire, and Bromley have also entered the advanced stages of development.

Alan Lovell, Tamar Energy chairman and chief executive, said: Its fantastic to see our first facilities reach this milestone, as the culmination of two years of hard work by our team. Its a great achievement for everyone involved in the company to have got to this point so rapidly, and is a sign of our commitment to the future of AD here in the UK.

Established in February 2012, Tamar Energy has received around 97 million in financial backing from investors including The Duchy of Cornwall, The Rothschild family and Rothschild Investment Trust, Dubai-based investment company Fajr Capital and supermarket chain Sainsburys. The investment is being used to develop Tamars planned network for the UK, which will include more than 40 food and mixed waste AD plants by 2018.

Veolia awarded North Sea decommissioning project

Waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services has been awarded a contract with fuel company BP, to dismantle and recycle subsea equipment at derelict oilfields to the west of the Shetland Islands.

Veolia, in partnership with service firm Peterson, will manage over 11,500 tonnes of offshore subsea equipment, which will be recycled at Veolias decommissioning facility in Lerwick, Shetland, over a 14-month period. The project is part of a major redevelopment of the Schiehallion and Loyal oilfields in the North Sea, as part of the Quad204 project to replace the existing infrastructure.

The initial Veolia team will be comprised of 15 staff members who will load-in and dismantle the equipment, which includes flexible pipelines, structures and mooring systems that are located on the seabed. Some 98% of material will be recycled.

David Lusher, executive director for Veolia Environmental Services said: The UK North Sea decommissioning market offers considerable opportunities and we estimate that is worth around 1 billion a year. We are delighted to be extending our decommissioning capabilities for BP to help them recycle this valuable resource.

Letsrecycle.com to host 2014 end of waste conference

A one-day conference examining the impact of end of waste regulations on the waste and recycling industry will be held in London in January 2014.

Organised by letsrecycle.com, the End of Waste and Quality Protocols Conference, to be held at 76 Portland Place, London on January 30 2014, will provide a detailed analysis of the end of waste criteria on biowaste, glass, paper, plastics and metals.

Speakers at the event include Peter Davis of the British Plastics Federation; Roger Hoare of the Environment Agency; Stuart Pohler from the Confederation of Paper Industries; and, Ian Hetherington from the British Metals Recycling Association.

Steve Eminton, editor of letsrecycle.com, who will open the conference, said: Our event gives attendees the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues related to the regulations, and provides clarification and further knowledge on what is still a complex and relatively unknown subject. Challenges include how and when waste can qualify as a product and quality of the material. This is the second edition of what has proved be a highly successful industry forum.

Merseyside authority funds waste prevention projects

More than a dozen community projects that are working to cut food waste, and recycle or reuse waste furniture and textiles have been selected to spearhead a 235,000 waste initiative across Merseyside and Halton.

A total of 16 groups have each been awarded up to 20,000 from Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia Environmental Services Community Fund 2013-2014, to deliver activities designed to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Projects include: plans to work with students to cut waste; reusing furniture to help vulnerable families; and, a scheme to promote textile recycling and teach basic skills in clothing repair.

Councillor Graham Morgan, MRWA chairman said: The Community Fund is about investing in great ideas from the community which have the potential to ultimately save us money by cutting our landfill bill but thats just part of it.

The work were funding will benefit whole communities by providing training opportunities, making environmental improvements, supporting isolated or vulnerable people and helping households struggling on low income.

Skip hire firm sentenced over worker death

A Blackburn skip hire firm and its owner have been ordered to pay 80,000 in fines and costs after a 21-year-old worker was crushed to death.

Amin Qabil, from Afghanistan, was using a vehicle called a skid steer loader to move waste when the incident happened at Blackburn Skip Hire Ltd on 21 August 2010.

The company and its owner, Zarif Mohammed, were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found the vehicle was unsafe to use and that Mr Qabil had not received any formal training.

Preston Crown Court heard yesterday (10 December 2013) that the firm had bought the second-hand skid steer loader at an auction in Doncaster, but had failed to ensure its safety features were working correctly when it used it at its warehouse on the Kensulate Park industrial estate.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Matt Greenly said: Amin Qabils life was brought to an end after he suffered horrific injuries caused by a vehicle that should never have been in use.

Blackburn Skip Hire should have made sure the skid steer loader it bought at auction was safe to use, and that workers were properly trained. Instead vital safety features had been disabled and lives were put at risk as a result.

Blackburn Skip Hire or Mr Mohammed could not be reached for comment.