Valpak honours recycling achievement

The event was hosted by producer compliance scheme Valpak to showcase best practice in the field of packaging and electronics recycling and education and to champion innovation.

Achievement was recognised at the evening event across a broad spectrum from throughout the public, private and third sector.

Guests enjoyed a champagne reception and meal under the museum's beautiful glass ceiling, which was followed by a welcome from Valpak chairman, the Rt Hon John Gummer MP, and a special address from Professor Alan Cummings, Pro Rector of the Royal College of Art.

Winners were announced in 11 categories by BBC presenter Jeremy Vine. Categories included best educational project, best partnership, most innovative local authority, best local authority employee, best resource management and the Valpak Recognition of Excellence Award.

This year, Valpak also extended the number of categories by opening the awards to young innovators and design students from the Royal College of Art.

Two categories also recognised work within the waste electronics recycling sector following the implementation of the WEEE regulations in the UK.

The event was sponsored by Wincanton, Barclays Commercial Bank, Ernst & Young LLP, British Polythene Industries, Coca-Cola Enterprises, RWM 2008, Hammonds LLP and recycle-more.co.uk, who presented the awards.

Steve Gough, Valpak chief executive, said: “I am delighted with the standard of all awards entries this year. There has been a fantastic range of entries which go to show how many businesses, organisations and young innovators are considering the environment, and are trying to make a difference.

“This is impressive enough but when you consider the economic pressures that many are under it is a true achievement to reconcile these sometimes conflicting forces,” he added.

Conference

The 2008 awards ceremony followed a Valpak member conference which included high-profile speakers including shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth and representatives from the Environment Agency and Green Alliance.

Both events were based on the theme of ‘Looking Forward'. Speakers discussed how business can balance the pressure to remain commercial in a tough economic environment and simultaneously meet their environmental obligations.

The EA detailed the successes of the WEEE regulations and pointed out how many companies have committed to the regulations, which . However, it was emphasised that everyone has a responsibility to use the facilities and services which are now available to ensure the impact of old electrical and electronic goods is reduced.

Award Winners

• Best Educational Project: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, which has transformed a landfill site into a fully fledged recycling project and resource for schools and the probation service.
Hyndburn Borough Council, for its extensive promotions with primary schools to encourage them to recycle.

• Best Partnership: West Sussex County Council, for its partnership work with other councils, businesses and the West Sussex Sustainable Business Partership in driving business recycling in the county.

• Most Innovative Local Authority: Islington Council, for making recycling as easy as possible for residents through a variety of innovative schemes.

• Best Local Authority Employee: Imogen Brettell, waste management officer at South Ribble borough council, for her passion for reusing, recycling and reducing waste and her work to initiate recycling in schools.

• Best B2B WEEE Service: Wincanton, which runs a state-of-the-art recycling facility which is the first of its kind in the UK.

• Best WEEE Partnership: Tier 1, which provides ethical collection and disposal of end-of-life IT equipment – reusing 73 per cent.

• Young Person's Environmental Innovation Award: Charlie Artingstoll for his work producing Timbertags or wooden labels from wood off-cuts, and Adam Scott whose Beautiful Glass Products are made from recycled glass bottles.

• Best Resource Management: Twyford Bathrooms, which has introduced alternatives to plastic shrink wrapping for packaging new products to reduce breakage and wastage.

• Valpak Recognition of Excellence Award: Jane Bickerstaffe, director of the industry council for packaging and the environment, INCPEN, which aims to analyse and minimise the environmental and social impacts of packaging.

Royal College of Art Awards

• Spread the Word – changing consumer behaviour in the field of communication
Winners: Sheraz Arif, Guillaume Drapier and Hermann Trebsche, for their design which places a seed within the label of a teabag, representing environmental consideration.

• Shrinking Footprints – addressing the impact of insatiable demand through eco-design
Winners: Jorge Roberto Lopes dos Santos and Emilia Serra, for their water fountain refilling small plastic water bottles.