News in brief

Heathrow renews waste contract with Powerday

The contract, worth over 2 million a year, was awarded by Wilson James which provides logistics services to all construction projects at the airport. It covers COSHH (Control of substances hazardous to health) waste and material from welfare facilities. Current projects underway at the airport include the construction of the new Terminal 2 and baggage handling facilities.

Simon Little, sales and marketing director at Powerday, said: We are delighted to have this contract renewed. We work in partnership with Wilson James and pride ourselves on the level of service delivered across all aspects of this contract, particularly given the challenging circumstances of working in a secure and operationally restricted areas of Europes busiest airport.

Hartlepool waste firm to expand following refinancing

Hartlepool-based waste and recycling firm J & B Recycling is set to expand into new markets following a 1.9 million refinancing deal with Santander Corporate and Commercial.

The business offers a waste management and consultancy service which it operates from two sites in Hartlepool, on Baltic Street and Thomlinson Road. The Baltic Street site has additional licences, such as the handling of liquids and hazardous waste. J& B hopes to move some of the other processes to the Thomlinson Road site, allowing it to expand these markets. It also plans to use some of the funding to expand the Thomlinson Road site after purchasing adjacent land from the council in 2011.

Vikki Jackson-Smith, managing director of J & B Recycling, said: Im really looking forward to the forthcoming developments. Firstly, it will be great to prepare the land next to Thomlinson Road. Our main aim is to divert as much waste as possible away from landfill sites, and to increase levels of recycling, and this will significantly remove the to-ing and fro-ing we currently do between sites and enable us to increase productivity. Im also looking forward to exploring the opportunities with the licences held at the Baltic Street site. We plan to push our specialist hazardous and liquid waste expertise further now we have a much larger capacity, so theres a real opportunity for us there.

Sutton project recycles 1,000 bulky waste items

A sofa has become the one thousandth item to be recycled by the Vine Project, a Sutton-based initiative which specialises in reusing and recycling unwanted furniture collected from households in the borough.

The Vine Project partnered with Sutton council late in 2012 to offer a bulky waste collection services which sees furniture taken back to its depot where it is reconditioned and passed on or broken up into parts for recycling. Since opening, the Vine Project has collected 78 tonnes of bulky waste.

Councillor Colin Hall, deputy leader of Sutton council, said: Im really pleased to see The Vine Project doing so well. Their efforts have helped create a value-for-money service which is increasingly useful in this tough economic climate. They are providing employment opportunities for local people and through their work, helping to reduce landfill making Sutton a cleaner, greener borough.

Oxfordshire sustainability centre opens

A social enterprise has been set up in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in a bid to encourage reuse in the town by accepting goods for repair by volunteers and eventual sale.

The Bicester Green Centre for Skills, Sustainability and Secondhand Stuff, which opened on June 1, will initially focus on renovating bicycles, wooden furniture and electrical appliances. It is hoped to become a hub for sustainability as it will also host the Cycle for Bicester bicycle loan programme as well as a series of talks and demonstrations. The centres premises share a retail warehouse with Sobell House Hospice Charity where items repaired at the centre will be available to be purchased.

Councillor Lawrie Stratford, chairman of Cherwell district council, said: Staff and volunteers have been working hard over the last year to set up the project and its really exciting that the doors are nearly ready to open to the public. We hope that this will be a valuable resource for Oxfordshire, diverting waste from landfill and bringing together the local community.

Residents praised as Edinburgh hits 38% recycling rate

Recycling in Edinburgh is at an all-time high with 38% of waste being sent for recycling, according to the latest figures from the city council.

The figures were published in a report which shows that the proportion of waste recycled increased 5% on last years figure and it is hoped it will continue to increase to meet the its ambitious target of a 50% recycling rate in 2014. In addition, the report says that residents are using waste disposal services more effectively with a drastic reduction in the number of overfilled bins and side waste. It also noted that 4,390 tonnes of food waste was recycled in the last year representing an increase of 283% from last year.

Vice convener of environment councillor Jim Orr praised residents for their work. He said: I would like to thank Edinburghs residents for embracing recycling and for helping us to divert more waste from landfill, which is not only bad for the environment but also costs the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds every year. I am certain that the rate of recycling will continue to grow and we will continue to offer advice and support for residents who would like to further reduce and recycle their household waste.