The waste management and recycling company, which has a long-standing contract with Wiltshire county council, released a statement explaining that it had worked with Worldwide Biorecyclables to trial the collection of mixed plastics from household recycling centres in the county.
Rigid plastics
The statement released by Hills said: “In July 2008 Hills Waste Solutions Limited in partnership with Wiltshire council trialed the collection of rigid plastics for recycling and reprocessing at some of the county's 10 household recycling centres (HRCs).
“The trial was undertaken with Worldwide Biorecyclables Limited, a waste broker registered with the Environment Agency. The trial was suspended in March 2009 when Worldwide Biorecyclables ceased to trade. During the trial approximately 700 tonnes of rigid plastics, deposited by the public at HRCs, was sent to Worldwide Biorecyclables' facility in South Marston, Swindon.
“In addition Hills Waste also sent a small amount of commercial rigid plastic to Worldwide Biorecyclables.
“Throughout the trial period with Wiltshire council, rigid plastics were collected at the HRCs where trained staff on site assisted members of the public to deposit waste rigid plastic into the correct containers. The rigid plastics collected from the HRCs were transported to Worldwide Biorecyclables' for sorting, compacting and bulk baling.
“Hills Waste Solutions have only supplied Worldwide Biorecyclables with rigid plastics for recycling and reprocessing. Hills Waste Solutions provided Worldwide Biorecyclables with bins for the disposal and return of any waste rigid plastic which was not suitable. Once compacted and baled, Worldwide Biorecyclables shipped the rigid plastic to Sao Paolo in Brazil for reprocessing,” it concluded.
At the end of trial in April 2009, Hills said that “it would encourage Wiltshire residents to consider recycling usable plastic items in good condition for example, toys, plant pots and trays, and garden furniture through services such as the Freecycle network.” It is not known at the present time, whether the trial attracted materials such as yogurt pots.
Felixstowe
Forty-one containers of the waste – which is claimed by the Brazilian authorities to contain a range of materials including clinical waste, paper and batteries – are set to be exported from Brazil today (July 27) and returned to Felixstowe in Suffolk, which is the waste's alleged port of origin (see letsrecycle.com story).
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