News in Brief

The new Backhus side turner will increase Agrivert's composting capacity in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire-based composting company Agrivert has purchased a new Backhus side turner to increase capacity at its three sites by up to 70%.

The three Agrivert sites in Oxfordshire have been running at full capacity producing about 35,000 tonnes of compost each year from green waste collected from households. The new machine – purchased using WRAP funding – will help expand that capacity inside the same composting area.

Agrivert managing director Alexander Maddan said: “This will significantly increase the capacity of the three sites to enable us to reach our licensed capacity and, once an extension of the licence is approved, exceed it.”

Companies in the food and grocery sector that have made a positive impact in recycling or waste minimisation are being encouraged to enter this year's Food Industry Awards.

Run by charity IGD, the awards include an environmental category won last year by Marks & Spencer and Closed Loop London for their food packaging recycling programme.

Sarah Harper, manager of events at IGD said: “It doesn’t matter how large or small the company is, as long as they have something to do with food or grocery they can enter our awards and receive due recognition for making a difference to the environment.”

New balers from Compact & Bale Ltd have helped the Lakeside Regional Shopping Centre reach a 52% recycling rate

The Lakeside Regional Shopping Centre in Thurrock, Essex, has gone from a zero recycling rate to a 52% recycling in just two years, it has revealed.

GBM Services, waste contractors for the centre's owners Capital Shopping Centres, installed new Durapac baling presses from Compact & Bale to segregate materials for recycling. Two vertical mill size Durapac CB-52 balers deal with plastic films, while a continuous feed Durapac CB-65 processes cardboard collected from around the centre.

Nick Jewitt of GBM Services said: “I have had a good working relationship with Steve Burnett of Compact & Bale for 10 years now and I know how passionate he and his team are about recycling so I instantly knew they were the ones to help advise me on our recycling goals.”

Businesses in the East of England are being asked to get in touch with a new market development organisation set up for the region.

Remade East of England, an initiative of ReMade Essex and the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development, is aiming to create new markets for recycled materials in the area. But, the organisation is seeking help from local businesses in determining what is already available in the region.

The organisation said initial projects were likely to focus on major waste streams including construction and demolition wastes as well as agricultural and electrical wastes.

Simon Chiva, UK CEED’s head of resource efficiency programmes said: “I very much hope the waste and recycling industry will recognise the value that such an initiative can bring both to their business and the development of a strong competitive waste and recycling sector in the region.”

The WRAP project compared recycled glass grit against copper slag in the shot blasting process

Trials using recycled glass in shot-blasting instead of other techniques to clean steel in shipyards suggests it can improve productivity by 240% over traditional methods.

Managed by the Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association, the 12-month WRAP-funded project used recycled glass blast medium instead of copper slag at Dunstons Ship Repairs in Hull. The system uses high-pressure air to force recycled glass grit onto steel surfaces to clear rust, oil, grease and dirt.

Graham Billany, managing director at Dunstons, said: “We've been pleasantly surprised by the results of these trials, which have clearly demonstrated the time, productivity and cosmetic benefits of switching, and we are now looking into the wider implications of using recycled glass grit.”