News in Brief

Fife fleet transport Manager Tom Robertson (left) hands over the keys for the new fleet of Dennis Eagle RCVs to cleansing officer Paul McPherson

Fife council has taken delivery of six new Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles, which have been specially designed for better manoeverability around rural towns and villages.

Serving as a replacement RCV fleet, the new 6 X 2 rear steer P2 15Ns are being used for the combined collection of general domestic and trade waste. They have been fitted with Terberg Omni-Del and Zoeller Rotary bin lifts to handle 120-1280 litre capacity wheeled bins, and will cover 11 weekly collection rounds.

Fife fleet transport manager Tom Robertson said: “Within the east area of Fife we experience numerous problems relating to access, both within the towns and villages that we serve, plus outlying rural areas.”

A small textile company in York has been praised by the Environment Agency for cutting the amount of waste it produces by sorting it and selling it for recycling.

Standard Wool of Dewsbury – one of three remaining wool scouring companies in the UK – had spent 6,000 a year on its waste management. But after improving its recycling system so that it can sell on “waste” materials, the company now makes 3,000 profit.

Mark Andrews, environmental manager at Standard Wool, said: “Our aim is to continue to explore and search out new outlets to recycle more and more of the wastes we produce to reduce the amount that we send to landfill.”

Firbank Chiltern has purchased two new waste-handling vehicles from Liebherr

Commercial and industrial waste management company Firbank Chiltern has invested in two new Liebherr vehicles to handle wastes at its Houghton Regis site, near Dunstable.

The company has added a wheeled A 314 Litronic excavator/materials handler and one of Liebherr's articulated, hydrostatic drive L 534Z wheeled loading shovels.

The new investment followed last year's purchase of an A316 with waste clamp and hydraulic raised cab, providing improved and efficient handling of the company’s increasing levels of materials recycling.

The Environment Agency Wales and Gwynedd council have started a three-month operation to cut waste offences and fly-tipping in the county.

The operation involves two initiatives – Environmental Crimewatch and Pride in Our Communities – respectively enforcing and educating residents and local businesses on how to dispose of their waste legally.

Lyndsey Meek, senior project officer for the Agency said: “The Assembly Government has provided us with funding to tackle flytipping in Wales. Using successful projects like Environmental Crimewatch and Pride In Our Communities, we, along with partners in the local authorities are looking to make a real impact on fly-tipping while educating local businesses about their environmental responsibilities.”

The “Green Grinder” can process eight skip-loads of construction waste per day according to the Clean Merseyside Centre

A new mobile grinding machines is being introduced to the UK to help construction companies re-use or recycle wastes including hazardous materials.

The Clean Merseyside Centre and Liverpool-based import company 2G Environmental has gained the product licence for the American-built “Green Grinder”. The machine can process eight skip loads of construction waste in a day, the Centre believes, including everything from blocks, bricks and gypsum to pallets, wood and shingle.

David Taylor of the Clean Merseyside Centre said: “Businesses throughout Merseyside and beyond cannot avoid the huge environmental and financial affects of construction and demolition waste. We are always glad to promote inventive recycling solutions like this. We think the Green Grinder is the first of its kind because it is so versatile.”