News & Information
Latest news and information from MT Waste Management.
Waste and Recycling Sector to Create 84,000 jobs in the UK by 2020
April 24, 2012“The UK currently has a unique opportunity to revitalise its economy by changing the way it manages waste. Investing in new waste treatment facilities will not only create employment and economic growth but consolidate a more secure energy supply. The more effective use of recyclables will help reinvigorate UK manufacturing where waste provides the base materials for new products previously destined for landfill. The sector’s performance and on-going innovation makes a strong case for businesses to unlock vital funding and play a central role in bridging “the green gap” so the UK can meet its carbon budget targets to 2020 but also realise the potential of a circular economy.”
Those were the words of SITA UK CEO David Palmer Jones about his company’s newest report on the UK’s waste management and recycling sector.
According to SITA’s report entitled “Driving green growth” published yesterday (April 23), the UK’s waste sector could create 84,000 jobs in the next 10 years and produce 15% of the Britain’s renewable electricity requirements.
It also found that waste to energy has the potential to meet half the country’s residential gas demand.
The report also estimates that the waste to resource and energy-from-waste sectors could:
• Provide opportunities for up to £25 billion of investment in new infrastructure, including new waste treatment facilities;
• Create up to 84,000 new jobs by 2020, directly and indirectly with a higher level of skills required than ever before;
• Triple waste derived renewable electricity (from thermal combustion alone) to 3.6 terawatt hours (TWh) powering one million homes;
• Energy-from-waste has the potential to meet 15% of the UK’s electricity from renewable sources commitment and a third of the country’s residential gas demand (up to 12% of total UK demand) could be met by the waste management sector;
• Bring tens of millions of tonnes of valuable secondary commodities, reducing virgin material imports, helping UK manufacturing and supporting the circular economy. [E.g. 4.2 million tonnes of card were exported in 2010 and 7.7 million tonnes of paper were imported].
With regards to energy generation SITA claims that a further 80 energy-from-waste facilities would need to be built by 2020, on top of the 30 already operating in the UK.
SITA also suggests that the government should ensure that the Renewable Heat Incentive offers support for the capture of heat from landfill gas, which it says, could generate more than six terawatt hours of renewable heat.
Another segment to watch is the food waste sector, anaerobic digestion facilities will be key to reduce waste sent to landfills. The report predicts that the capacity for food waste to be treated using AD will have grown tenfold from its level in 2010 by 2020.
The report also warned that the UK is missing out on potential opportunities through the export of both materials and energy - such as RDF - recovered from the waste stream.
Public perception was also highlighted as an area in which the government could do more. According to the report encouraging the use of funds and incentives, such as utility discounts could encourage community buy-in for waste projects.
Global Waste-to-Energy to grow $29.2 billion over the next Decade
April 17, 2012Despite all the controversy surrounding Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants a new research predicts that the global market for WTE systems will reach at least $6.2 billion in 2012 and grow to $29.2 billion by 2022.
WTE systems encompass thermal and biological conversion technologies that unlock the usable energy stored in solid waste. In other words, transforms solid waste into energy. In the UK it is popularly knows as Energy-from-Waste (EfW).
Such systems are considered to be a viable and effective waste management solution for the ever growing global population. Since it diverts huge amounts of solid wastes from landfills and generates electricity at the same time.
So why many are still against it?
To cut a long story short, the strongest argument against WTE systems is that it reduces recycling levels. With incineration the population don’t have to care as much about recycling which in turn go against the concept of sustainability even though the waste is not landfilled.
Controversies aside, the new research from Pike Research estimates that by 2022 Waste-to-Energy systems will convert more than 261 million tonnes of waste each year into an estimated 283 terawatt-hours of electricity generating a net profit of $29.2 billion worldwide.
Even though Energy-from-Waste incineration plants dominate the market nowadays the research also predicts that AD and advanced thermal treatment (ATT) technology deployments such as pyrolysis will gain ground as decreasing landfill capacity improves the economy.
Nowadays there are 800 thermal waste-from-energy plants currently operate in nearly 40 countries around the world, which in 2011 treated just 11% of MSW generated, compared to the 70% that was landfilled.
As municipal solid waste gradually (MSW) increases year-on-year and according to predictions it will dramatically increase over the coming decade. Waste-to-energy processes will become an inevitable waste management solution for many countries.
Waste Treatments in Europe
When it comes to waste management and recycling in the EU each country has its own methods despite the EU Waste Directive. Below you will find an overview of the preferred waste treatments by EU nations:
Incineration is favoured by Denmark (54% of waste treated), Sweden (49%), the Netherlands (39%), Germany (38%), Belgium (37%), Luxembourg (35%) and France (34%), whereas 10 other Member States incinerate 1% or less of waste.
Recycling was popular in Germany (45% of waste treated), Belgium (40%), Slovenia (39%), Sweden (36%), Ireland (35%) and the Netherlands (33%).
Composting forms a significant percentage of waste treatment in Austria (40%), the Netherlands (28%), Belgium (22%), Luxembourg (20%), Denmark (19%) and Spain (18%).
Recycling and composting together accounted for 50% of waste treated or more in Austria (70%), Belgium and Germany (both 62%), the Netherlands (61%) and Sweden (50%).
A recent study commissioned by the European Commission revealed that full implementation of the EU Waste Directive could save €72 billion a year.
As nations strive towards a Zero waste economy WTE systems will have to be included in their plans be it through combustion technologies or more advanced thermal treatment (ATT) technologies like pyrolysis or even biological technologies like mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and anaerobic digestion (AD).
Article Resources
http://www.pikeresearch.com/newsroom/global-waste-to-energy-market-to-reach-29-2-billion-by-2022
http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/waste-to-energy-technology-markets
Underground Waste Collection Systems: What are we waiting for?
March 23, 2012The first underground waste collection system was implemented in Sweden in 1961. Since then underground waste vacuum systems have proved to be a credible, cost effective and sustainable alternative to conventional waste collection. So why isn’t this technology in full development here in the UK?
Underground waste collection systems are a proved and tested formula. In Spain many cities already harness the benefits of this great waste management solution with highlights to Barcelona’s Olympic Village and Pamplona where the system collected more than 2.400 tons of waste during its first year.
But we don’t need to cross the channel to find to see the effectiveness of this waste collection system. Since 2007 there is a fully operational underground waste collection system in Wembley City which currently manages 10 tonnes of waste every day in collection cycles each lasting 10 minutes.
On Wembley City’s completion the system will handle 160 waste tonnes each week and service 7,000 mixed use residential units, a designer outlet shopping centre, a new Hilton Hotel and retail, leisure and entertainment venues.
Joakim Karlsson, Envac’s Regional President for the North European Countries, said: “We’re delighted that one of our flagship systems is having such a positive impact on the London borough and remain committed to help shape London’s sustainability legacy. We now have 36 offices in 20 countries worldwide and are seeing more interest in underground vacuum technology as sustainability targets increase, landfill taxes rise and people become more aware of their carbon footprint. We look forward to building on our UK presence over the coming years.” - Envac UK is the company responsible for deploying the system in Wembley City.
As we strive to become more sustainable we need to recycle more, send less waste to landfill and reduce our overall carbon footprint. Automated underground waste collection systems tick all these boxes. So, what are we waiting for?
As afore mentioned we don’t need to go overseas to see that this new technologies can revolutionise the UK waste management industry for good by providing a cost effective solution for us to recycle more and reduce our carbon footprint at the same time.
In the London Borough of Brent’s recycling levels were increased by 50% and waste collection vehicle movements were dropped 90% since the underground vacuum system became operational four years ago.
So, I ask you one more time: What are we waiting for to invest in this innovative waste management solution?
New Recycling Targets to Spark UK’s Recycling Revolution
March 12, 2012“Packaging waste: Where do we go from here?” that was the title of the seminar chaired by Barry Sheerman MP held at the Palace of Westminster this past Wednesday (March 7). Organised by the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group the seminar examined the current situation of packaging and packaging waste regulations with special emphasis on the Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) and Packaging Export Recovery Note (PERNs), as well as the targets and technologies that will drive the UK’s packaging recycling industry forward.
The event gathered leading authorities from the waste management and recycling industry who debated on the effectiveness of the PRNs and PERNs system, the new plastics packaging recycling target set by DEFRA in December last year and kerbside recycling collections done by local authorities.
Marcus Gover, director of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and Duncan Simpson, director of sales and marketing at Valpak agreed that despite far from perfect the PRNs/PERNs system has worked tolerably well.
Chris Dow from Closed Loop Recycling also gave good reviews to the system but believes it is in need of reform so UK reprocessors stop “loosing out” to exporters. He said:
“The PRN/PERN is wonderful system but it is in need of reform as UK reprocessors are losing out. I’m not anti export but let us all trade on the same basis. I can only claim a percentage because I’ve got to take out things which aren’t recyclable. I’ve got to clean the bales up.”
Mainly what Mr Dow wants is a different value for PRNs and PERNs to make recycling more attractive than exports and for strict policing to avoid unscrupulous operators adding non-recyclable material to waste bales for export. As he said: “This is a serious issue – we are talking about shipping landfill overseas.”
Rick Hindley, of aluminium recycling organisation Alupro, agreed with Mr Dow to certain extent, as he said: “it’s more of an issue of policing rather than having different PRN values for export.”
Mr Dow also spoke in favour of the new government proposals launched in December 2011 to raise the plastics packaging recycling target for businesses to 57% by 2017. He believes that the targets are achievable and will be a great stimulant for investment in the sector providing a huge boost for the plastic recycling industry.
“We in the recycling sector, or we at Closed Loop Recycling in particular, are very excited about this, because what we’re seeing is the potential for an absolute revolution in our industry. And when I say revolution, I’m talking about an accelerated change beyond anything we’ve ever seen,” he said.
Higher targets will allow the UK recycling to grow even further and become a major economic driver of the future, creating green jobs and providing a new generation of manufacturing capacity.
Reference Links
Every Can Counts Recycled 51 Million Cans in 2011
March 08, 2012What started as a trial programme to incite recycling outside the home has proven to be successful and effective. Every Can Counts, “the away from home drinks can recycling programme”, revealed that in 2011 the scheme recycled a total of 51 million aluminium cans from workplaces and ‘on the go’ locations across the UK.
From a waste management and recycling stand point 51 million cans equates to 774 tonnes of aluminium and steel collected and around 5,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved (1). Staggering numbers for such a simple idea but none the less effective and with great potentials to do even more.
According to ECC (Every Can Counts) records there are nearly 700 organisations around the UK registered with the programme, over 1,900 individual sites and almost 5,000 Every Can Counts branded collection points.
Last year workplace recycling performance grew 25% with employees at registered workplaces recycling on average five aluminium cans per month. One could say five cans a month is not much but as you can see it is really making a difference.
With its newly developed model to collect and recycle cans at outdoor events. Every Can Counts collected almost 1 million cans across 10 music festivals last year.
Cited as an example of best practice in last year’s Waste Review, ECC also has solutions to help businesses achieve sustainability objectives, such as zero waste to landfill.
Rick Hindley, director of Every Can Counts commented, “The 2011 results confirm that we have established a successful model for encouraging recycling outside the home. However this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we are constantly on the look-out for new ways to help businesses that want recycle more, as it’s important to keep testing, refining and innovating. We have some exciting plans in preparation for 2012, which we hope will keep us at the forefront of developments in this challenging area.”
About the programme been successfully replicated in France, Austria, Romania and Hungary, with more European markets looking to follow suit, Mr Hindley said:
“The development of new Every Can Counts-branded programmes in Europe is very exciting, as it offers us a unique opportunity to promote can recycling under a single ‘brand’ identity across a wide market. And it offers our programme partners a great platform for demonstrating extended producer responsibility and making an impact on recycling rates across the EU.”
Another interesting fact is that results from registered organisations show that although the programme targets drinks cans, volumes of other recyclables also increase.
References
(1) Figures have been calculated using data provided by a representative sample of Every Can Counts programme users and calculated using methodology approved by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Can the EU achieve “Zero Waste” by 2020?
February 24, 2012Despite the economic downturn the EU is determined to divert 100% of the waste produced within its member countries from landfills by 2020. Increasing resource efficiency and treating waste as a resource will be major players in this quest.
To achieve a zero waste economy the EU Commission has published a series of documents that highlight the importance of resource efficiency and the sustainable use of natural resources throughout the EU.
Nowadays all EU countries produce and dispose 2.7bn tonnes of waste annually of which 98m tonnes is hazardous and only 40% of the EU’s solid waste is re-used or recycled.
Many will say that for the EU to achieve a zero waste economy by 2020 will be virtually impossible but a series of new regulations that will be implemented within the next few years should ensure that.
According to the “A Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe” (series of publications aimed to provide guidance for EU countries, businesses and public towards the Zero Waste economy), three conditions need to be fulfilled:
First, coordinated action in a wide range of policy areas and this action needs political visibility and support.
Second, act urgently due to long investment lead-times. While some actions will have a positive impact on growth and jobs in the short-term, others require an upfront investment and have long pay-back times, but will bring real economic benefits for the EU economy for decades to come.
Third, empower consumers to move to resource-efficient consumption, to drive continuous innovation and ensure that efficiency gains are not lost.
How the EU Commission plans to achieve its plans:
“The Commission aims to stimulate the secondary materials market and demand for recycled materials through economic incentives and developing end-of-waste criteria; review existing targets, with residual waste close to zero (in 2014); assess the introduction of minimum recycled material rates, durability and reusability criteria and extensions of producer responsibility for key products (in 2012); assess where legislation could be aligned to improve coherence (in 2013/2014); facilitate the exchange of best practice on collection and treatment of waste among member states and develop measures to combat more effectively breaches of EU waste rules (in 2013/2014).”
Above all waste must be managed as a resource as stated by the EU Commission documentation:
“By 2020, waste is managed as a resource. Waste generated per capita is in absolute decline. Recycling and re-use of waste are economically attractive options for public and private sectors due to widespread separate collection and the development of functional markets for secondary raw materials. More materials, including materials having a significant impact on the environment and critical raw materials, are recycled. Waste legislation is fully implemented… Energy recovery is limited to non-recyclable materials, land filling is virtually eliminated and high quality recycling is ensured.”
So I end this article the way it started:
Can the EU achieve “Zero Waste” by 2020? Join the discussion on our Facebook Page or Google+ Page. Do not forget to follow us first.
Defra Announces Ambitious Packaging Recycling Targets
February 14, 2012Defra announced new packaging recycling targets for steel, aluminium and plastics and a split target for glass. The announcement has already caused a stir on the packaging sector as manufacturers are concerned about the amount they will have to pay to meet higher packaging recycling targets proposed for 2013-17.
On the other hand, local authorities have welcomed the news as they believe these proposals will attract more investment to council services. Right now councils only receive an indirect support through the PRN (Packaging Recycling Notes) system to help with packaging recycling.
Councils expect that higher targets will incite producers and reprocessors to work directly with waste authorities to provide the infrastructure required to meet the targets.
However, the Packaging Federation do not agree with the proposed new targets and stated that the UK is far from having the collection and sorting infrastructure in place to meet these challenging targets.
Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle said “Our industry has a real concern about the potential cost impact upon it. We operate in a highly competitive and adversarial supply chain in which we, regrettably, are the weakest link.
“If PRN prices are driven high by targets for which the infrastructure is not in place, there is a real danger that a disproportionate share of the costs (and far higher than the ‘official’ 9%) will fall on our industry.”
Meanwhile, British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced that supports ambitious packaging recycling targets proposed by Defra.
Speaking to Packaging News, BRC head of environment Bob Gordon said: “We want to see greater recycling as a sector and we have done a lot of work to lightweight packaging and a lot of work has been done to increase the recycling of packaging.
“Higher targets will drive greater consistency and bring about greater quality.”
INCPEN, a non-profit research organisation which represents many companies throughout the supply chain, shares the Packaging Federation concern over “obligated tonnage” and said that needs to be more investment in collection, sorting and cleaning infrastructure.
It also believes that the proposed the new plastic packaging recycling target of 42% is way to high and is in favour of a 2% year-on-year increase in the steel target in order to bring more value to PRNs and encourage companies to register to issue steel PRNS.
This debate is far from over and we would like to hear your thoughts these new “Packaging Recycling Targets” proposed by Defra. Join the discussion on our Facebook Page or Google+ Page. Do not forget to follow us first.
Article Resources
INCPEN
UK Packaging Federation
Packaging News
Packaging Regulation Compliance
Increasing Landfill Tax Costing Councils Millions of Pounds
February 07, 2012The landfill tax was created to incite councils to improve their waste management and recycling services and divert as much waste from landfills as possible. The principle behind it is plausible and logical but yearly raises and challenging targets to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill are costing councils millions of pounds each year.
Since 1998 when the landfill tax was implemented the government has been raising it year on year. In 1998 the fine was £7 per tonne and now 14 years later it climbed to £64.
Sending waste to landfill, specially biodegradable waste, pollutes the soil and produces green house gases which contribute to global warming. Implementing measures to divert as much waste from landfills as possible, like the landfill tax, is only logical. But to what extent this is cost effective.
For the government sure is because their pocketing the money councils have to pay for the waste they send to landfills. Councils are already struggling with the squeeze on their budgets imposed by the same government.
Councils are spending more on landfill taxes than on essential services for the population. Worcestershire for instance paid £6 million in fines last year, the same amount they have to spend on libraries and four times what they have to spend on subsidies for local bus services.
If that wasn’t enough councils are also struggling to meet demanding targets set by the UK Government based on the EU’s Landfill Directive. Every UK council will have to reduce the amount they send to landfill to 50% of their 1995 levels by 2013, and to 35% by 2020.
I’m not advocating that we should just send all the municipal waste to landfills and worry about it later. Instead of just keep increase the value of such taxes the government should create more schemes to incite the population and local authorities to produces less waste and increase the recycling levels of the waste produced.
But it is not only the government’s fault, councils need to be more proactive in finding ways to divert as much waste as possible from landfills. Not a single council have yet applied for a share of the £10 million fund the government created to help councils build Anaerobic Digestion Plants to process food waste..
If we are to achieve the dream of a zero waste society I believe this must be done between us all.
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London 2012 Olympic Games Recycling Plans Revealed
January 23, 2012During the London 2012 Olympic Games the capital will be flooded with millions of visitors and all these people will produce huge amounts of waste. Earlier this month the LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) revealed its plans to manage and recycle at least 70% of all the waste produced at Olympic venues.
LOCOG’s corporate sustainability manager Phil Cumming spoke to lesrecycle.com and revealed the ambitious plans to make the London 2012 a zero waste Olympic Games. One of the main features at the games would be the use of compostable packaging on a scale never before seen in the UK.
All packaging used by Olympic venue caterers will have to be compostable and comply with the European standard EN13432, meaning that it will break down and is expected to cost a bit more than regular packaging.
So far everything has been carefully planned and all add up on paper but Mr Cumming said that he does not know for sure that the approach will work because of the scale of the event, and points out that there is little or no guidance for waste producers on the subject.
According to WRAP’s predictions 40% of the catering waste expected to arise at the games will be food and will require composting anyway so using compostable packaging will surely make things a lot easier from a waste management and recycling standpoint.
On an interview to letsrecycle.com Mr Cumming said:
“We have come up with an approach which has not been attempted at this scale. It might not work but we are setting out what we want to do and people will learn from that in the future. Pursuing compostables is potentially controversial but there is a growing concession that it has to be in place. Given that it comes higher than energy recovery in the waste hierarchy it has to play a role.”
Olympic Waste Management
There will be three main waste streams to be collected during the Olympic Games: compostables, dry recycling and residual waste.
Compostables will be dealt with by SITA UK, the official Olympic Games waste contractor. Compostables are likely to account for 35% to 40% of all the waste produced at the Olympic venues. Dry recyclables which will be mainly PET bottles will be recycled by Coca-Cola. More on the Coca-Cola recycling plans for the Olympic Games here: Coke’s Zero Waste Plan for London 2012 Olympic Games.
SITA will also be in charge of residual waste while waste collection will be handled by LOCOG’s cleaning contractors Cleanevent, Servest and LSS. They will collect and transport the waste to waste compound situated at every venue. SITA will then take it away for processing.
SITA’s director Marek Gordon is very optimistic about the outcome of this huge waste management and recycling programme and despite the fact that many subcontractor have not been appointed yet, he expects that the 70% recycling mark will be surpassed.
“Smart” Rubbish Bins to allow Advance Monitoring
January 16, 2012A joint venture between Swiss industrial wireless network specialist Paradox Engineering and Rete di Imprese STEP - a group which comprises Italian firms Tecnotel, Sortron and PZ - have developed a system to monitor the input of waste into rubbish bins. Such control will allow an optimisation of collection routes and solve other urban waste collection issues.
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This high tech waste management system has been labelled SWINGS - Solid Waste Integrated Network Gathering System - backed by the entrepreneurial association CNA Industria Forlì-Cesena. The concept of this monitoring system is fairly simple and consists of the implementation of an electric-mechanical system on traditional rubbish bins in order to monitor the input of waste and therefore optimise its collections.
The pilot project is ready to be launched and it will start in April in the province of Forlì-Cesena in the centre of Italy. Nine hundred rubbish bins will be fitted with the monitoring device which will serve a total of 11,000 users.
According to the companies involved SWINGS could generate an array of benefits, including economical and environmental ones, and they are:
• Increase the efficiency of urban solid waste collection through an accurate evaluation of the input of waste and service costs.
• Creation of a statistical base concerning environmental services usage.
• Make the separate collection of waste easier
• Environmental impact reduction
How it works
Paradox said that SWINGS improves the collection and management of urban solid waste by implementing an ad hoc designed electric-mechanical system on dump bins. It consists of an intelligent unit for user authentication and access, and a wireless transmitter for data collection and dump bins remote management.
Users are equipped with customised electronic keys to open the bin and put the rubbish in. Every bin can selectively manage users’ access and record the different inputs.
Collected data is wireless delivered to rubbish trucks and then sent to a central station for consolidation and analysis. Energy is supplied to the bins through a rechargeable battery and a photovoltaic solar panel.
Paradox said that the system incorporates its PE.AMI technology, which allows the collection of access data and the monitoring of parameters such as the status of the bin and the filling level, etc.
Through this the service provider obtains up-to-date information that, once elaborated, can aid decisions concerning access authorisations, such as only people from a specific area access to a specific bin, as well as the introduction of personalised fees and the optimisation of refuse collection routes.
This new and innovative waste management and collection technology could provide the solution Councils across the UK have been seeking for years to optimise it collections services as well was help users avoid “rubbish bin fines”.
UK’s Waste Legislation is Outdated says EEF
January 10, 2012Six months after the Waste Review 2011 was published the manufacturers’ organisation, EEF, reviewed it and concluded that the government should have been more ambitious with regards to the management of waste claiming that the UK’s waste legislation is outdated with regards to sustainable waste management and resource efficiency.
Sustainable waste management and resource efficiency should be high on the Government’s green agenda. Together they could bring economic and environmental benefits to the British society.
According to EEF’ review waste policies should increase the opportunity for sustainable resource management. Business, and the UK economy as a whole, can benefit from competitive advantages through resource efficiency, as a result of reduced costs and access to new markets.
A recent survey conducted amongst manufacturing executives revealed that 80 percent consider shortage of raw material as a major risk to their businesses. Out these, two thirds consider it to be a top risk to their businesses.
The government needs to create a new resource management strategy to allow recycled materials to flow more easily within the economy through a more effective waste hierarchy.
According to EEF the government should reduce the regulatory burdens on the current waste legislation, not to mention that it claims the current legislation is at least twenty years out-of-date and the sheer volume and complexity of waste legislation makes it difficult for companies to know how to comply and make best use of waste and recycled materials.
EEF’ report established three priorities for a more ambitious waste legislation that will improve resource efficiency within the UK’s manufacturing segment, and they are:
1. A clear and long term resource management strategy setting out a vision for how the UK will make the most of available resources.
2. Waste legislation and guidance must be simplified to allow businesses to fully contribute to sustainable waste and resource management.
3. Facilitate speedy delivery of necessary infrastructure and advisory services.
About EEF
EEF is dedicated to the future of manufacturing Everything they do is designed to help manufacturing businesses evolve, innovate and compete in a fast-changing world. With an unique combination of business services, government representation and industry intelligence. It also has a membership of over 6,000 companies of all sizes, employing some 900,000 people from every sector of engineering, manufacturing, engineering construction and technology-based industries.
For more information please read
http://www.eef.org.uk/publications/reports/Defra-Waste-Policy-Review-six-months-on.htm
WEEE Recycling a Multi-Billion Pound Opportunity
December 20, 2011According to a new study from WRAP precious metals found on incorrectly disposed eWaste could top £7bn over next decade. The study analysed the potential reuse value of unwanted WEEE disposed of at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and via local authority bulky waste collections.
Every year thousands of tonnes of electrical and electronic equipments are thrown out in the UK by household and businesses. WRAP’s study revealed that a quarter of all that WEEE could be reused, generating more than £220m in the process.
“We found that 23 per cent of all the WEEE collected at recycling centres could have been either sold on straight away, or resold after repair and refurbishment,” explained WRAP’s Lucy Keal, project manager for products and materials.
Today in the UK the two most common forms of disposing unwanted or broken household EEEs are by taken it to Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) or by booking local authority bulky waste collections. Businesses tend to hire waste management companies to take care of their WEEE.
When asked about alternatives for discarding WEEE, 83% said they are not aware of any other disposal route either than HWRC. While of those arranging a bulky waste collection, 57% said they could take their item to an HWRC.
Repairing and refurbishing EEEs for reuse is surely a viable alternative that could generate millions of pounds not to mention the obvious environmental benefits aggregated to it. But unfortunately consumerism in today’s society is extremely high and instead of repairing people prefers to buy a new one. Not to mention the vast majority that change phone every year or simply can’t resist buying the latest high def TV.
That is why WEEE recycling must be taken seriously by authorities. According to Dr Liz Goodwin, chief executive of WRAP, every year in the UK are purchased 22.5 million mobile phones collectively contain 0.9 tonnes gold, 9.4 tonnes of silver and 332 tonnes of copper.
At current market rates that would be £5bn worth of gold, approximately £1bn worth of silver and £1,5 million worth of copper. If we add the 17 tonnes of indium and 63 tonnes of palladium each worth approximately £1bn we would have a total of £8bn.
“Strategic materials like these are currently only recovered sporadically,” said Goodwin. “However, the increasing market value of recovered materials such as indium and palladium makes their recovery more economically viable, albeit not without risk.”
Reuse, refurbishment and recovering of precious materials found on WEEEs are clearly the way forward to increase eWaste recycling levels and significantly reduce environmental impacts.
WRAP’s has now confirmed that has started research to optimise processes of extracting critical raw materials from WEEE while improving their reuse potential.
Waste Management & Recycling: A Solution to the Crisis
December 12, 2011Europe and that includes de UK, is on the verge of another serious economic recession. Amongst many issues, reducing environmental burdens, creating new jobs and enhancing the resource base for the economy, are the ones that need special attention. That is when waste management and recycling comes into play offering a “win-win-win” opportunity to address these three issues.
Waste management and recycling can provide numerous alternatives to boost the economy of European countries. From 2004 to 2009 revenues from recycling grew fast and substantially with the turnover of seven main categories of recyclables doubling to more than €60 billion in the EU.
Towards the end of 2008, due to the economic downturn the turnover of recycling declined sharply but seems to have recovered its pace in the second half of 2009 and has been growing steady since.
The ever increasing demand for recyclables from booming Asian economies which help to push prices up and tougher EU waste directives are forcing EU nations to increase recycling levels year after year.
Recycling contributes to an economy in numerous ways, including enhancing resource efficiency, reducing environmental impacts from raw material extraction, generating jobs and business opportunities and ensuring secure supplies of essential resources.
A non-official report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) revealed that recycling generates more jobs at higher income rates than jobs in landfills and incinerating waste plants. Overall employment related to the recycling of materials in European countries increased by 45 % between 2000 and 2007.
The report, entitled ‘Earnings, jobs and innovation: the role of recycling in a green economy’ also shows what EU decision makers should do to increase recycling in the EU and thereby help Europe move close the so called “green economy. These opportunities are:
• Support demand for recyclables in industry within and outside the EU;
• Ensuring that recyclable material is separated from waste for disposal and the quality of recyclables is improved because this increases the value of the recyclable waste material;
• Improve product design to facilitate material separation;
• Integrate the recycling of rare and precious metals into the existing recycling infrastructure, developing new recycling technologies and stimulate research on substitutes for these metals;
• Phase out landfilling for recyclable materials;
• Build up recycling infrastructure and markets where they do not exist.
While a more effective waste management and recycling scheme provides a handful of economical, social and environmental benefits that generate prosperity while maintaining a healthy environment they alone are not the only solution to Europe’s economic problems. Both are only one of the cornerstones needed to put Europe’s economy back on the right tracks.
Waste Management in Severe Weather Conditions
December 06, 2011After the second warmest November since records began in 1910 temperatures finally plummet across the country while the north and the midlands woke up carpeted in snow and frost. With the big freezer comes a series of issues that make our day to day a little more difficult specially for councils who have to make sure roads and streets are frost-free for commuters and waste management and collection can continue despite sever weather.
According to the “Winter Readiness Survey 2011/12” councils have stockpiled larger quantities of salt and have on average eight full sized gritters, and one mini gritter. Innovative measures will also be employed such as using GPS to manage gritting routes.
One of the biggest concerns during severe weather conditions is how to ensure waste collections are not interrupted specially with roads blocked with snow. Many councils have already developed plans to avoid a repeat performance of last year which saw several councils suspend their collections due to the snow.
Some counties even went a step further by taking part on the exercise “Cold Fury” which is the case of Stafford City Council. The exercise accesses different weather scenarios to determine how collection services could be maintained should severe weather conditions arise.
Waste management companies have also sent their clients waste collection schedules and plans for severe weather conditions such as the forecasted heavy snow fall to hit Britain in the coming weeks. MT Waste who provides waste management and recycling in Milton Keynes issued its clients a plan of action of for the cold season in November.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) there is no size fits all solution for waste collection routes as weather conditions can vary greatly from place to place.
A spokesman for the HSE said: “HSE suggests that at times of bad weather individual LAs and contractors who are involved in waste and recycling collections liaise regularly with the highway authority regarding prevailing road conditions, adopt a consistent approach to when collection can or cannot take place, and make every effort to keep the public informed of their decisions.”
Waste Segregation: What goes in each sack or bin?
November 25, 2011A well thought waste management & recycling plan must commence with the separation of individual waste streams also known as waste segregation. Inciting waste segregation saves time and money and that is exactly what Milton Keynes’s waste management and recycling plan wants to achieve with its pink sacks, green bins, blue boxes, yellow bags and black sacks.
Waste management and recycling in Milton Keynes is taken very seriously by the council. The council developed a waste segregation plan with sacks, boxes and bins so residents can dispose each type of waste in the appropriate container facilitating collection and recycling.
Below is a infographic explaining: What goes in each sack or bin?
A text version of this page is available here.
For commercial and industrial waste management solutions in Milton Keynes please contact MT Waste and request a no obligation quote.
UK’s Food Waste Recycling Tripled says WRAP Survey
November 22, 2011According to the long waited WRAP survey about Britain’s organics waste and recycling sector the amount of food waste diverted from landfills has more than tripled in just nine months. Entitled ‘A study of the UK organics recycling industry 2009’, found that separate food waste collection by local authorities rose from 36,000 tonnes in 2008/09 to over 110,000 in April-December 2009.
Before you ask, yes the year is right. The survey published yesterday is for the calendar year of 2009 and it doesn’t use the financial year because the survey uses data input from a regulated site which is only available by calendar year.
Why is 2009 data only just being published?
The regulatory authorities’ data collection and publication cycle is such that the 2009 data were the most recent available at the time when the fieldwork was begun in early 2011. This survey has covered a wider range of types of sites and includes a more extensive range of analyses than previous surveys, which has taken longer to carry out and is reflected in the revised structure of the report.
Since 2006 this market analysis has been commissioned through a joint venture between the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Association for Organics Recycling (AfOR), the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA), and the Renewable Energy Association (REA).
It is also important to note that only nine months had elapsed since the previous survey covering the reporting period 2008/09 so the amount of food waste collected and recycled should even higher.
The study is the most complete market analysis of the UK’s organic recycling industry activities and performance. It is to be used as a source to identify trends and monitor structural and technological changes that are rapidly taking place within the industry.
Highlighted Fact & Figures
• A total of 309 organics recycling sites were identified as operational in 2009, comprising 281 permitted composting sites, 17 AD sites, nine MBT sites, plus two TAD sites (described in Section 3.1).
• Just under 6 million tonnes (Mt) of organic waste was treated at these sites in 2009, this represents an 8.9% growth from the 2008/9 survey excluding MBT.
• 5.5Mt of waste recycled at AD, permitted composting (IVC and OAW) and TAD sites, representing 93% of the total quantity of input waste to the industry
• 0.4Mt processed at MBT sites
• the industry was dominated by a large number of operators running one or two sites (75% of all operators are in this category
• the aggregate turnover of the UK organics recycling industry was estimated to be £229M (Section 3.3.2, Table 3.19);
• the permitted composting sector was estimated to have a turnover of £187M;
• turnover per tonne of material at composting sites ranged from £30 (OAW composting systems) to £61 (IVC systems);
• the AD sector was estimated to have a turnover of £11M, calculated to be equivalent to £105/t;
• business rates were estimated to cost composting sites £2.45/t of material processed
• a minimum of 2325 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees were engaged in organics recycling
• the composting sector is thought to be largely reliant upon gate fees as the primary source of revenue in their business models.
• Aerobic composting was the dominant treatment method, accounting for 91% of permitted/licensed sites and 90% of waste. 17 AD plants (5.5%) were in operation, although these only treated 1.0% of the total quantity of input waste.
For a copy of the full report click HERE
After an in-depth analysis of the report we can conclude that the quantity of compost manufactured in the UK is growing year on year. Food waste recycling by IVC (in vessel composting) showed the greatest increase in quantity of waste treated while composting continues to be the main source to recycle food waste. No change as observed in the quantity of waste processed by Anaerobic Digestion (AD) but with new government policies to take place in the near future these figures will change.
The contents of this article used as reference data from the following websites:
http://www.organics-recycling.org.uk/
http://www.wrap.org.uk/
http://www.adbiogas.co.uk/
http://www.r-e-a.net/
For waste management and recycling services in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas please contact MT Waste now for a no obligation quote.
Coke’s Zero Waste Plan for London 2012 Olympic Games
November 16, 2011The Coca Cola Enterprises has one of the most efficient waste management and recycling programs in the world. In the UK it has achieved a 99% recycling rate and now wants to help the London Organising Committee ensure London 2012 is a zero waste Olympic Games, with 70% all waste being recycled, reused or composted.
Coca Cola has been the official sponsor of the Summer Olympic Games since 1928 when the games were held in Amsterdam. Since then the company has been working together with organising committees to help improve the sustainability of the Games.
Last week (November 09) the soft drink giant announced a plan that will see the company recycle a fifth of the consumer waste produced at London 2012 venues. The plan is part of the company’s commitment to help the Games organising committee achieve its target of sending zero waste to landfill and recycle 70% of all the waste produced during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
10 Fun Facts about Coke’s Sustainable Programme for the Olympic Games:
1. Coca-Cola is working in partnership with the London Organising Committee to deliver a zero waste Games in 2012.
2. All bottles of Coca Cola products sold at the Games will be in 100% recyclable PET packaging, which will contain 25% recycled plastic.
3. By using PlanBottle plastic for Coke bottles and introducing up to 25% rPET in all plastic footprint at drinks sold at Games time by around 9%.
4. 1928 was the year Coca Cola relationship with the Olympic Games began at the Amsterdam 1928 Games.
5. Through a new, more efficient warehouse and low carbon trucks, Coca Cola estimates the carbon footprint of the distribution of our drink at the Games will be reduced by a third.
6. Coke’s vision is to “close the loop” by recycling all empty plastic bottles collected in Olympic Venues so they can be turned back into new bottles.
7. Recycled material from over 110,000 used plastic bottles were used to make the wraps, table tops and banners for the Olympic Torch Relay tour that toured music festivals this summer.
8. The company will use recycled materials wherever possible, from staff uniforms to building materials.
9. Based on the previous Games, the company expects that 3/4 of the drinks consumed will be juice, water and low and no sugar variants produced by Coca Cola Enterprises.
10. Coca Cola has worked closely with the WWF at every stage and has incorporated their environmental recommendations into its sustainability strategy.
Can the London Olympic Games be the first zero waste Games in history? Join the discussion our Facebook Page and share your views in this ambitious waste management and recycling scheme.
Anaerobic Digestion the Problem Solver
November 10, 2011The expression “killing two rabbits with one shot” is probably one of the most popular sayings in the English language. Whilst “Anaerobic Digestion” is not an expression we use it on a daily basis, it could solve two of Britain’s biggest issues, waste to landfills diversion and energy security, killing two rabbits with one shot.
According to Lord Redesdale, who is the Chairman of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) and Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Climate Change, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) could account for “20% of UK domestic gas needs could be met by organic waste over next 10 years”.
This would shift thousands of tonnes of food waste from landfills every year helping Britain get closer to its zero waste economy ambitions not to mention that it would address climate change issues too.
Source: The Encyclopia of Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living
There is no doubt that AD is one of the most viable waste management solutions available today and the study “A life cycle assessment of AD” confirms that. Compared to other ways of treating organic waste, anaerobic digestion achieves far greater carbon savings.
Last month (October 2011) the ADBA published a report with a list of financial schemes which are currently available for AD projects. Download the report here.
Besides a viable waste management solutions Anaerobic Digestion could also be considered a renewable energy resource since it produces a bio fuel or better saying a biogas that can then be used to produce electricity in gas fired powerplants.
AD alone might not prove the be answer to the UK’s energy and gas crisis but it could sure be an alternative to help diversify energy generation resources reducing dependence on foreign supplies which in turn could help bring business electricity and business gas prices down.
We want to hear from you now, what are your views?
Head to our Facebook Page and join the discussion: Is Anaerobic Digestions the Answer to Britain’s Waste and Energy Issues?
Looking for waste management solutions and recycling services in Milton Keynes? Contact MT Waste now for cost effective solutions to save your business thousands of pounds each year.
Household Waste Recycling Tops 40% in England
November 07, 2011Despite a small growth of only 1.5 percent, one of the lowest of the past 10 years, England breaks through the 40% household waste recycling, reuse and composting barrier and it is now diverting 41,2% of household waste from landfills.
According to Defra’s Statistical Release 2010-2011 local authority collected waste being sent to landfill has decreased by 8.8 per cent between the financial years 2009/10 and 2010/11 to 11.4 million tonnes.
Due to reporting issues, the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs has not been able to publish a break down of the performance of local councils. But according to figures which were taken from the government’s WasteDataFlow database we have a regional break down of the regions with the highest and lowest household waste recycling rates and they were:
Top 5 Household Waste Recycling Regions
1. East 48.5%
2. South West 45.7%
3. East Midlands 45.6%
4. West Midlands 41.3%
5. South East 41.3%
Worst Performers
1. London 32.5%
2. North East 35.8%
3. Yorkshire and Humber 38.6%
4. North West 39.6%
Factors that contributed to this increase in household waste recycling rates:
• Household waste production has decreased: The generation of household waste continued to decrease between the financial years 2009/10 and 2010/11, with a 0.9 per cent reduction to 23.5 million tonnes.
• Waste generation per person has decreased: The weight of household waste generated in the year April 2010 to March 2011 in England, in kilograms per person, was 449 kg per person. Of this total, 185 kg was recycled, composted or reused whilst 264 kg was not.
• Local authority collected waste sent to landfill has declined: The tonnage of local authority collected waste being sent to landfill by local authorities has decreased by 8.8 per cent between the financial years 2009/10 and 2010/11 to 11.4 million tonnes.
Source: Defra’s Statistical Release 2010-2011
England still send the majority of its household waste to landfills but over the last 10 years local authority collected waste sent to landfill has decreased from 78.0 per cent of generation in 2001/02.
Recycling, composting and reuse is the second major method of waste management used in England but is worth noting that incineration with Energy from Waste (EfW) has gained some ground over the past few years and it is now the third most used waste management method.
For cost effective waste management and recycling services in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas do not hesitate to contact us now!
The UK’s Residual Waste in Numbers
October 31, 2011The UK’s waste management industry is likely to have a surplus of residual waste treatment facilities by 2020. But right now the annual capacity gap is of 22 million tonnes of untreated waste being sent to landfills, indicating there is “significant opportunity” for investment for many years to come.
According to report published by consultancy firm Eunomia during the ‘Investing in Resource Recovery’ event at the London Stock Exchange on Friday (October 28), the UK is narrowing the gap of residual waste arising against treated and recycled waste, such that by 2020 we are likely to be in a situation of overcapacity by 2020.
The UK’s residual waste segment can be summarised as follows:
These finds were published on Eunomia’s Residual Waste Infrastructure Review: High Level Analysis which is now available for download at http://www.eunomia.co.uk/product.php/113/1/residual_waste_infrastructure_review/ab5461b5b59bfe38a604e96136511a89. There are two versions a free one which contains a large part of this research, whilst a more detailed version with regional assessments is available for online purchase.
Report lead author, Adam Baddeley, said:
“The research shows that, in some regions, there may be an over-supply of treatment infrastructure by 2015. In other regions however, it appears that there will remain significant opportunities for investment for many years to come. This information will enable investors, project developers, local waste authorities, technology providers, waste management companies, utility companies and other stakeholders to quickly determine whether a particular project is likely to be able to secure sufficient waste input which in turn will inform consentability and bankability”.
End of Waste Regulations for Metal Recyclers
October 28, 2011For over a decade metal recyclers have been fighting to declassify metal as waste and now they are closer than ever to achieve their goal. In April and agreement was reached with the European Commission and yesterday (October 27) the Environment Agency published the regulatory guidance for scrap metal to cease to be waste.
Despite achieving their objective metal recyclers are concerned about the requirements and declassification system determined by the “Regulatory Guidance 333/2011”. Some say that instead of creating a straight forward system to declassify scrap metal as waste, the Agency is bringing in a potentially burdensome classification system.
According EA’s regulations scrap iron, steel and aluminium cease to be waste when they have undergone treatment and meet the requirements laid down in the regulations:
1. The waste inputs to the metals recovery process must comply with technical criteria in the regulations
2. The waste input must be treated in accordance with the criteria in the regulations.
3. The output must comply with the criteria set out in the regulations.
4. The producer of the output must issue a statement of conformity for each consignment of material which has met the relevant criteria. This must be passed on to the next holder of the material with the producer keeping a copy for a minimum of one year.
5. The producer must implement a quality management system (QMS) which complies with the regulations. If any part of the treatment process has been carried out by a prior holder of the metal, that prior holder must also implement a QMS.
6. The QMS must be verified every three years by an independent outside body that has been accredited by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).
7. The QMS and statement of conformity must be available for inspection by the Environment Agency on request.
Accreditation
Right now there is no accreditation scheme in place and according to the EA’s guidance UKAS and business sectors will need to work together to develop an accreditation scheme and rules for the operation of the verification process.
The Environment Agency commits itself to facilitate this process and stated that none of the numerous accreditation bodies in the UK is yet accredited to assess the QMS of waste processes.
The British Metals Recycling Association has not commented in detail on the new Regulatory Guidance but a spokesman speaking to letsrecycle.com earlier this week said: “At the moment it’s taken a bit longer than hoped for the Environment Agency guidance to come but they’re in the process of refining it at the moment and it’ll come.”
Further Information:
A summary of the Regulatory Guidance can download at http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEHO1011BUIW-E-E.pdf.
The full text of the regulations can be found at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/regulation/129311.aspx and you should consult them.
British Metals Recycling Association - http://www.recyclemetals.org/
UK’s Biggest WEEE Export Case Starts
October 26, 2011On Monday (October 24) the trial of the largest WEEE export case has begun. In total seven defendants - four individuals and three companies - are being accused of illegally exporting 158 tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment from UK to Nigeria.
The trial marks the completion of what was the largest ever investigation conducted by the Environment Agency into illegal electrical waste exports. The defendants were scheduled to appear at Basildon Crown Court in Essex the past Monday (October 24) in a case being heard by His Honour Judge Black. Dubbed “Operation Boro” which investigations began in mid-2008 discovered that 11 containers of hazardous waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were exported to Nigeria, containing a total of 158 tonnes of material.
Working electrical equipment can be exported for use overseas. However, it is always illegal to export hazardous e-waste from the UK for disposal to developing countries. Illegal exporters of e-waste undermine law-abiding recycling businesses and risk harm to human health and the environment in the recipient country.
The Environment Agency has a world class programme to prevent illegal e-waste exports to developing countries. With two teams (National Intelligence Team & National Environmental Crime Team) working together with local and international authorities the Agency has a 98 per cent success rate of finding electrical waste when stopping targeted shipping containers.
The EA’s crime team manager, Andy Higham, said: “Over the past two years painstaking intelligence work by Environment Agency officers has uncovered a web of individuals and companies that appear to be making considerable sums of money by exporting electrical waste overseas.
“Exporters of broken electricals put at risk the lives of those who work on waste sites in developing countries. These are often children who are paid a pittance to dismantle products containing hazardous waste. Illegal exporters also avoid the costs of recycling in the UK and undermine law-abiding business.
“It is always a crime to export broken electricals and hazardous waste from the UK to developing countries to be dumped. The last thing we want is our waste causing harm to people or the environment overseas.”
Those convicted of exporting e-waste illegally face up to two years in prison and or an unlimited fine. According to the Environmental Agency website there are 22 ongoing investigations into the illegal export of waste, 15 of which involve illegal WEEE exports.
After appointing a new head of waste and illegals, Mr Mat Crocker, the agency also confirmed that legal WEEE exports are a priority to reduce waste crime.
The 12 Local Waste Management and Recycling Commitments
October 24, 2011Last week (October 19th) the government launched a new voluntary commitment for local authorities to sign up and receive best practices information to improve waste management and recycling services of small and medium-sized business (SMEs). Entitled the “Local Authority Business Recycling and Waste Collection Commitment” it outlines 12 commitments that local authorities can use to tailor services to local businesses.
Every year UK SMEs produce 30 million tonnes of waste and only 50% of that waste is recycled. This low level of recycling is mostly due to the fact that SMEs often struggle to access cost-effective waste management and recycling services and are forced to throw out recyclable materials.7
Developed by Defra along with the Federation of Small Business (FSB) with assistance from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Local Government Group, the ‘Local Authority Business Recycling and Waste Collection Commitment’ features 12 principles of best practices that local councils should use to tailor improve access to waste management recycling services for SMEs.
The 12 local waste management and recycling commitments are:
1 - Reliable and regular waste collections
2 - A collection service tailored to meet the needs of your business
3 - Clear information about the Councils recycling services
4 - Support businesses to recycle waste
5 - Contracts managed by following the principles best practices
6 - Reasonable and clear fees
7 - Guidance on your responsibilities for managing waste
8 - A directory of local waste and recycling services
9 - Help with donating unwanted items for reuse or buying quality second-hand products
10 - A sensible approach to enforcement
11 - Easy ways to give us your feedback
12 - A commitment to continuous improvement
“The Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitment aims to help local authorities improve the satisfaction of their business customers with how their rubbish and recycling is collected and ultimately boost recycling rates.” - WRAP
Further information can be acknowledged through the following links:
Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitment
12 Local Authority Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitments (PDF)
The Coca Cola Enterprises Waste Management Programme
October 20, 2011Despite having one of the most consumed products on the planet, if not the most, the Coca Cola Enterprises Ltd is an organisation that is looked up to by most companies for its unparalleled excellence in many areas of its production processes including its waste management programme. Today we take a closer at these programmes for its UK manufacturing sites.
“As part of Coca-Cola Enterprises’ approach to Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, CCE is committed to ‘recovering the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2020, reducing the impact of its packaging and using renewable, reusable and recyclable resources”. Part of this commitment is a commitment to send zero waste to landfill from our manufacturing operations.”
In this article we’ll take a closer to understand how the soft drink mammoth plans to achieve that.
Back in 2001 the company committed itself to increase the amount of waste and recycling from its manufacturing sites. At the time CCE (Coca Cola Enterprises) was already recycling 72% of its manufacturing waste here in the UK.
By implementing simple changes to its production process and revising its waste management and recycling plan, by 2007 the company increased its recycling level to 94,7%. According to the company that was the easy part, it was then that the real challenge began.
In 2007 CCE decided it was time to sit down with its waste management contractor and analyse its waste stream thoroughly to come up with better and more effective solutions to increase recycling levels and divert as much waste as possible from landfills.
By investing in waste segregation, sorting and recycling equipments, rising staff awareness, measuring and publishing performance and learning from others in 2009 CCE achieved 99.5% recycling rate with four of its six manufacturing plants now sending zero-waste to landfill from manufacturing operations.
Into 2010 the company continued the focus of finding clever solutions to send zero waste to landfills and reduced by 15 tonnes the amount of waste at Morpeth and East Kilbride plants achieving an impressive recycling level of 99,9% of its waste.
From 2007 to 2009 Coca Cola Enterprises Ltd managed to divert 277 tonnes of waste from landfills with recycling, cutting the amount of packaging used in its products and maximising the amount of recycled materials used.
The goals now are to raise the amount of recycled content used in our PET bottles to 25% by 2012. And finally , to recover the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2020, reducing the impact of its packaging and using renewable, reusable and recyclable resources.
The Secret Formula
No we don’t have Coke’s secret formula but we figured out the formula of success of this impressive waste management and recycling scheme.
By conducting in-depth waste audits to better understand its own waste streams, investing heavily in recycling infrastructure and equipment, implementing segregated waste skips for offices, the staff canteen and production areas as well as advocating small changes in behaviour Coca Cola Enterprises Ltd managed to almost zero waste to landfill.
Anyone doubt CCE could achieve this by 2020 with more or less 8 years to go?
The “20 by 20” Sustainability Plan by Sainsbury’s
October 17, 2011Last week (October 12) Sainsbury’s unveiled an ambitious sustainability plan to send zero waste to landfill, reduce its packaging by half and its carbon emissions by 30 per cent in absolute of 2005 levels by 2020.
The “20 by 20” sustainability plan is a set of 20 challenging goals that Sainsbury’s plans to meet by 2020 that will cover everything from the way products are sourced through a better engagement with local communities. The main goal is to reduce environmental impact and set the standard for the UK and worldwide retail industry to follow.
Divided into three actionable areas - Sustainable and healthy products, Operational Excellence and Vibrant & Skilled Community - this £1 billion scheme has a special focus on waste management and recycling procedures that will surely be followed by its competitors and other industry segments.
Putting all waste to “positive use”
The supermarket giant already excel in the way it deals with its waste but it wants to enhance its procedures even further by working with colleagues, suppliers and costumers to rethink waste, reducing it and designing it out of their business.
The aim is to send zero waste to landfills by 2020. Right now the chain sends no food waste to landfill, with the majority of surplus food going to charities or anaerobic digestion.
“WRAP has worked hard to help grocery retailers tackle the issue of food waste, particularly through the Courtauld Commitment. Sainsbury’s, as a signatory to this agreement, has already done much to address a range of resource efficiency and recycling targets, and we’re delighted to learn of their latest ambitious plans. We wish Sainsbury’s every success with their initiative, and we’re looking forward to working with them in the future.” - Liz Goodwin Chief Executive, WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme)
Reducing Packaging by Half
The goal is to make sure that by 2020 packaging has been reduced by half when compared to 2005 levels. With innovative and effective packaging innovations already in place it claims to have cut packaging levels by 12 million kilograms in 2010/2011 and to have reduced 11% of packaging from its own brand products in the last two years.
30 per cent less absolute C02 Emissions
By achieving its waste management and recycling goals together with the packaging reduction Sainsbury’s estimates that it will reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent in absolute terms, compared to 2005.
“If we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change then it is vital that private sector companies step up with actions that are commensurate with the task at hand. Delivering targets like this is not easy but will offer business and environmental benefits. For example in reduced costs and enhanced reputation. I hope that other major retailers will follow Sainsbury’s lead and embark on the kind of carbon cutting programmes that the world so desperately needs to see.” - Tony Juniper former Executive Director, Friends of the Earth and Founder of the Robertsbridge Group
Sainsbury’s “20 by 20” plan has caused a stir in the whole UK waste and recycling industry and already won praise from the Prime Minister, David Cameron who said:
“It is a great example of the principles of Every Business Commits – helping to create jobs and growth whilst also tackling our shared social and environmental challenges, investing in their workforce and in our communities, and build a bigger stronger society.”
The man in charge of supervising and delivering goals on waste will be Sainsbury’s property director, Neil Sachdev.
With around 21 million customer transactions every week, 150,000 colleagues and over 2000 suppliers, Sainsbury’s is ideally placed to make a positive impact on the economy, the environment and society.
EU Environment Committee voted for an 85% WEEE Recycling Target
October 06, 2011On Monday the European Parliament environment committee met in Brussels to discuss a recast of the EU WEEE Directive and voted for a new WEEE recycling target. It was voted almost unanimously that the new WEEE recycling target should be at 85%.
The biggest challenge now is for the European Council and the Parliament to reach an agreement over how the targets should be calculated. The new target voted by the Parliament is well above the ones proposed by the Council ministers, which would require 45% of EEE materials to be collected by 2016, and 65% by 2020.
In particular, the Council, which brings together Europe’s environment ministers, believes new percentage-based collection targets should be introduced on a staged basis – with a first target of 45% for 2016, increasing to 65% in 2020. Which is perfectly understandable as it is virtually impossible to determine such an increase in WEEE collection and Recycling levels in a short period of time.
The targets proposed by the Council’s environment ministers are reasonable and perfectly achievable by any EU member state - including the UK.
EU Parliament and Council also differ in opinion with regards to the scope of the WEEE Directive, with the Parliament advocating an ‘open’ scope, bringing all WEEE under the auspices of the legislation, and some EU member states – the UK included – backing a category-based system.
Other proposals for the amendment of the Directive were also discussed by the MEPs’ committee which have been made by Karl-Heinz Florenz, German MEP responsible for steering the legislation through the European law-making process.
They were:
• Consumers being able to hand in “very small” WEEE to all but the smallest electrical shops for free;
• Setting higher recovery and recycling targets for individual items of WEEE – between 70-85% recovery goals and 50-75% recycling;
• Setting a new separate target for 5% of WEEE to be reused, which the Committee said would mean “that more functional goods get a new lease of life instead of being scrapped”;
• Ensuring producers and consumers should bear the costs of e-waste, not the general taxpayer;
• Doing more to cut out the “unnecessary administrative burdens and costs faced by companies”. For example, distance sellers should be able to report data to a central EU system, to avoid the extra red tape and expense of signing up for multiple national registers.
• Tackling illegal WEEE exports to the developing world by shifting the burden of proof to exporters to prove that electrical equipment being exported to non-OECD countries is fit for reuse and not just waste.
Commenting on the plans, Mr Florenz said:
“Collecting and recycling e-waste is good for the environment and good for the economy. Parliament’s ambitious but achievable targets will help recover valuable raw materials and cut the flow of e-waste to landfills, incinerators and developing countries.”
Mr Florenz proposals were presented on the draft report from August 2011. Monday’s meeting also tackled and proposed amendments to these proposals and a full final text of the report is not yet available.
A full plenary meeting of the European Parliament is now scheduled for January 2012 when these amendments will be voted. In the mean time EU Parliament and Council will hold informal meetings in a bid to reach an agreement over the proposed changes.
UK Businesses Unsure about EEE Disposal
September 26, 2011A recent research by non-governmental organisation Computer-Aid revealed that one in five companies are not 100% sure that their EEE disposal won’t end up in landfills and only 14% follow EEE disposal best practices.
Computer Aid hired research company Vanson Bourne to conduct two pieces of research to determine how UK companies are disposing their unwanted or outdated IT equipment.
In the first part Vanson Bourne’ researchers interviewed IT decision makers from 100 UK companies with over 1000 employees on their IT disposal practices and these were the major findings:
- 1 in 5 senior IT decision makers in the UK are “not confident” that zero per cent of their company’s unwanted IT goes to landfill
- Only 14 per cent follow best practice IT disposal and send their working IT for reuse
- 83 per cent of those who don’t reuse would like to do so if possible
- 542 PCs disposed of per large company per year
- Out of the 100 interviewed 13 were wholly unaware of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
- 28 per cent of businesses recycle all their IT and 41 per cent recycle more than half.
The research’s complete findings can be seen here.
Anja ffrench, director of communications at Computer Aid, commentated in a statement:
“It is extremely worrying that many of the UK’s largest companies are not able to guarantee that their equipment is not illegally dumped in landfill. Companies must use disposal providers that can track exactly where their equipment is sent so as to avoid the devastating impact on health and the environment that e-waste can cause.”
Not sure if your business is in compliance with the WEEE Directive? Unsure if your disposed IT equipment is not ending up illegally on landfills?
Here at MT Waste we offer a tailored EEE disposal service to suit your business needs. From the registration under the WEEE Directive to the appropriate recycling and reuse of your IT equipment. We guarantee that zero percent of our clients disposed IT or any other kind of electrical equipment ends up on landfills.
For other waste management and recycling services in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas do not hesitate to contact MT Waste for cost effective solutions that will save your business precious money.
EU Launches Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe
September 21, 2011In bid to ensure waste is managed as a resource in all EU countries by 2020 the Commission launched yesterday (September 20) a “Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe”. Despite a list of measures to increase recycling and economic incentives to stimulate demand for recyclables many green groups already labelled the roadmap as too vague.
The document state that reuse and recycling must be given high priority in order to ensure that, by 2020, all waste is managed as a resource and that it can be fed back into the economy as a raw material.
In order to achieve this a number of commitments should be achieved, including:
• By 2013/14, stimulating the secondary materials market and demand for recyclables through economic incentives and developing end-of-waste criteria;
• Reviewing existing targets for prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery and landfill diversion targets in 2014, to move towards an economy based on reuse and recycling;
• In 2012, to consider the introduction of minimum recycled material rates, reusability criteria and extended producer responsibility for key products;
• In 2013/14, to explore the potential to align legislation on various waste streams to “improve coherence”;
• Continue both EU-wide and international work to eradicate illegal waste shipments;
• Making sure, in 2012/13, that public funding from the EU budget prioritises activities higher up the newly statutory waste hierarchy;
• And, facilitating the exchange of best practice on waste between EU member states and to take steps, in 2013/14, to combat more effectively breaches of EU waste rules.
Commenting on the roadmap, European environment commissioner Janez Potocnik said: “Green growth is the only sustainable future – for Europe and the world. Industry and environment need to work hand in hand – in the long term our interests are the same.”
On the other hand, environmental groups criticised EU’s “roadmap” and labelled it to vague as it failed to include concrete policies aimed to ensure Europe’s sustainable economic growth through the improvement of resource efficiency.
“Either we will regulate the EU to become a resource-efficient economy or we will keep on dreaming about it,” said Pieter de Pous, policy director at Brussels based European Environmental Bureau (EEB).
Another green group which also criticised the “roadmap” was Friends of the Earth (FoE) stating that it lacked urgent measures required to reduce Europe’s consumption of energy, water and land.
Either way the report highlights two important points. First, the need for businesses and consumers to use resources sustainably and second, recognising that reducing waste, and turning the waste that remains into a resource is vital towards the dreamed zero waste economy.
UK Waste Management Sector Calls for More Incentives
September 15, 2011The UK’s waste management industry is urging the government to provide more incentives in order to improve investor confidence, otherwise the country will fail to meet EU Landfill Diversion targets and waste disposal costs will rise to stratrospherical levels.
According to a report published by lobbyists APSRG (Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group) the UK’s waste industry needs to find £15 billion until 2030 to deal with its waste successfully. It also states that the government needs renewed focus on financing new waste and resource management infrastructure.
To meet 2020 EU Landfill Diversion targets the report estimates that £8 billion of investment alone is required to build up the infrastructure needed to meet such targets.
The report which is entitled Rubbish to Resource also list factors that are causing uncertainties amongst investors preventing them from investing on new waste facilities.
Investors want a clear Waste Policy including regulatory risks, straight forward incentives schemes and changes in government policy in relation to the Renewables Obligation (RO), the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The Rubbish to Resource report also provides recommendations for the Green Investment Bank (GIB). The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), one of the report’s sponsors, suggests that the GIB must be able to guarantee loans to remove risk from the development of commercial and industrial waste capacity.
It also recommends that the government analyse each project thoroughly so it only finances the most commercially viable projects.
Finally the reports goes on to say that in order to deliver better value for money, local authorities need to provide better resources for waste management companies and gather resources to address domestic and C&I waste streams simultaneously.
About the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group
The APSRG is the leading forum informing the debate between parliamentarians, business leaders and the sustainable resource community.
The Rubbish to Resource report can be downloaded here and for more information about the APSRG visit their website.
For waste management and recycling services in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas please do not hesitate to contact MT Waste.
UK Waste Management Sector Worth £7.5 Billion
September 08, 2011The Department for Business Innovation and Skills published a report where it estimated the value of the UK waste management sector. In other words, the contribution to the UK economy in 2010/11 according to the report shows the segment is worth £7.5 billion.
The study ‘From Waste Management to Resource Recovery: A Developing Sector’, released last week on September 1st 2011, was requested by the government to be an eye opener for businesses. It’s aim was to show businesses how to exploit the numerous opportunities available to make money with waste and recycling, as well as speed up the process towards zero waste.
Economic development consultancy Ekosgen, in association with Emma Buckman Associates, researched to define what exactly the waste management sector is and just how big it is.
According to the report the value of the UK’s waste management segment grew from £5 billion in 2009 to £7.5 billion in 2010/2011, generating a total of 128,000 jobs, up from the official figure of 94,000 in 2009.
As stated by the report: “There is limited data about the composition and size of the waste management sector and also its economic contribution to the UK economy. This study was commissioned by BIS to help address this gap and to identify the types of actions the Government could take to create the conditions for growth.”
In order to try and picture the industry as a whole, Ekosgen used data from the Environment Agency and also conducted an online survey of 1,251 companies, (representing 1% of the sector). Ekosgen also consulted industry experts from organisations such as the ESA and WRAP along with local authorities.
An interesting finding for waste management companies and councils is that by far the largest proportion of ‘Gross Value Added’ in the waste sector is generated from waste collection. Letsrecycle.com published some of the reports key findings or if you prefer to read the full in depth pdf report you can download it here.
Milton Keynes Waste Management and Recycling Centres
August 25, 2011Waste management and recycling in Milton Keynes is taken very seriously by the Council, be it household waste or commercial and industrial waste. The council has three main Community Recycling Centres; their main focus is to facilitate the lives of those citizens who also take waste management and recycling very seriously.
Below you will find a table with detailed information on these recycling points and the materials they accept:
| Bleak Hall | New Bradwell | Newport Pagnell | |
| Chesney Wold MK6 1NE |
Newport Road MK13 0AH |
North Crawley Road MK16 9HG |
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Please note that the Newport Pagnell recycling point is the only one in the county that accepts commercial and industrial waste and the Kingston Shopping Centre Recycling Point has new opening hours.
The centres are open 7 days a week from:
8am to 8pm from 1st April to 30th September
8am to 5pm from 1st October to 31st March
Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.
Centres will close at 1pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.
If you have a query about the waste you would like to take to the Community Recycling Centre you can contact the sites for advice on:
Bleak Hall - 01908 604171.
New Bradwell - 01908 315111.
Newport Pagnell - 01908 616312.
Each site has an answer phone. For general enquiries .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 01908 25 25 70.
For commercial and industrial waste management services please contact MT Waste.
New Opening Hours for Milton Keynes Recycling Point
August 18, 2011The recycling point at the Kingston Shopping Centre is one of the busiest in Milton Keynes. Everyday residents bring their recyclable waste to the site but unfortunately there is a minority who abuse the recycling point by dumping rubbish on the premises. This has forced the Council and Kingston Shopping Centre Management to close the site overnight.
The Kingston Shopping Centre Recycling Point is one of the busiest in the county and it is not intended for non-recyclable rubbish or industrial waste. All recycling must be placed in the bins provided as any refuse dumped on the ground is fly-tipping and this carries a fine of up to £50,000 or up to five years imprisonment.
Non-recyclable waste should be taken to one of the three Milton Keynes Community Recycling Centres located at Newport Pagnell, New Bradwell and Bleak Hall. Newport Pagnell also receives commercial and certain types of industrial waste. Businesses which are not sure where to take their waste should contact local waste management companies such as MT Waste Management.
Milton Keynes Council is working closely with the Kingston Shopping Centre Management Company to improve both the facilities and security at the site. Andy Hudson, the council’s head of environment and waste, said: “We are pleased that so many residents use the recycling facility at Kingston Shopping Centre. However, the minority who abuse the site by dumping rubbish are costing council taxpayers unnecessarily as we have to clean up the mess.”
Euan Forbes, Kingston Shopping Centre manager, added: “By closing the site overnight we hope to see less dumped rubbish which is an eyesore and lets down the entire area. We urge residents to use the site responsibly as continued abuse will mean we will have to re-consider the future of the facility.”
The council’s website also provides detailed information on all recycling points and the materials they accept.
Top 10 Recycling Councils in England
August 10, 2011Every year letsrecycle.com conducts a survey to determine the councils with the highest levels of recycling and composting. With 70% of waste diverted from landfills South Oxfordshire is at the top of the table this year followed by Rochford (65.46%) and Surrey Heath Borough came in third with 64.73% of recycled and composted waste.
Letsrecycle.com survey is an independent survey and comes ahead of the “official” league table generated by Defra’s waste statistics bureau WasteDataFlow which is expected to be published in a few months’ time. Since letsrecycle.com survey doesn’t have access to WasteDataFlow data we should expect changes when the “official” league table is published.
Top 10 Recycling and Composting Councils
1. South Oxfordshire - With an impressive total recycling rate of 70%, dry recycling rate of 40.97% and composting rate of 29.6%.
2. Rochford District Council - 65% total recycling rate, 29% dry recycling rate and 36.4% composting rate.
3. Surrey Heath BC – 64.73% total recycling rate, 52.68% dry recycling rate (the highest levels in this category) and 12% composting rate.
4. Bournemouth BC – 63.9% total recycling rate, 41.81% dry recycling rate and 21.98% composting rate.
5. Cotswold DC – 60.41% total recycling rate, 25.29% dry recycling rate and 35.12% composting rate.
6. Staffordshire Moorlands – 60.23% total recycling rate, 19.41% dry recycling rate and 40.82% composting rate (the highest levels in this category).
7. Stratford-on-Avon DC – 59.3% total recycling rate, 27.16% dry recycling rate and 32.14% composting rate.
8. Epping Forest BC – 58.14% total recycling rate, 28.84% dry recycling rate and 30.5% composting rate.
9. Suffolk Coastal DC – 58.65% total recycling rate, 26.48% dry recycling rate and 32.16% composting rate.
10. Harborough DC - 58.1% total recycling rate, 18.7% dry recycling rate and 39.34% composting rate
It is important to note that the only council that doesn’t have food waste collection and alternate-weekly collection services is Bournemouth DC and surprisingly still ranks in 4th positions. All the other councils have weekly food waste collection and AWC (alternate-weekly collection).
As stated by the majority of these councils, the formula to success was the introduction of alternate-weekly collections of residual waste and recycling alongside weekly food waste collections associated with other innovative waste management solutions such as the range extension of collectable recyclables to include glass, food and drinks cartons, aerosols and foil for the first time.
The leading council of South Oxfordshire even implemented software and microchips in wheeled bins to help answer residents queries and service complaints. Missed bins are now running at a very low 25 per 100,000 collections per week. Now that is what I call an innovative waste management service!
Is Waste to Energy the Way to Zero Waste?
August 03, 2011Zero Waste is the new trend amongst governments and companies throughout the world. Politics, CEOs and environmental experts are on the quest o find viable solutions towards a zero waste society and the concept of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is emerging as one of the most promising solutions to this issue. But is it really best solution.
The Zero Waste concept is pretty simple, it consists of eliminating waste from manufacturing processes by increasing recycling levels and minimising the waste dumped at landfills. The concept of burning waste to generate electricity fits in perfectly if it wasn’t for a few set back.
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) is a disposal technology that destroys resources forever; it makes things “go away,” and doesn’t reduce waste or protect natural resources. WtE technologies produces only a fraction of the energy that can be saved through recycling, it produces “dirty electricity” since it has the most greenhouse gases (GHG) per fuel type not to mention it is way more expensive than other types of renewable energy generation.
Waste to Energy greenhouse gas emissions problems could be easily solved the implementation of carbon capture devices on WtE plants but that would only increase the costs even further.
The proper definition to Zero Waste is:
“Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”
In which Waste-to-Energy fails to fit in. As afore mentioned the way towards a zero waste economy lays on redesigning manufacturing, distribution and collection systems so each one of them produces less waste and the waste produced can be easily recycled.
Many companies have embraced that the concept of Zero Waste doesn’t mean zero waste to landfill and have redesigned products and manufacturing processes to increase recycling levels and minimise the levels of waste produced. Hence the importance of hiring a waste management company to conduct a waste audits.
The biggest challenge towards a zero waste society lies in creating Zero Waste Communities which a process that takes years to be implemented. But by setting up goals in 10 years these communities could reach 90% recovery rates. The remaining 10% of nonrecyclable, noncompostable and nonreusable discards can still be treated to reach the dreamed zero waste society.
WEEE Recycling: What Happens at the Recycling Centres?
July 27, 2011Electrical and electronics equipments are everywhere we look and we simply couldn’t live without them in this day and age. But what do we do once they break or stop working? We recycle them.
Instead of hiding them away or even worst throwing them away the wise thing to do with useless electrical and electronics equipment is to take them down to a recycling centre where components and materials can be recycled and used again to make all sorts of useful things.
Since 2007 the government introduced the WEEE Regulation aimed to reduce the amount of this waste going to landfill and improve recycling rates. EEE (electrical and electronics equipment) waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK with nearly 1 million tones generated each year. Thanks to the WEEE Directive most of this waste is being recycled.
Below there are two videos that explain what happens and what we should do with EEE once it stops working. The first video is from Recyclenow.com and the second is a preview of TV advert to be aired during the holiday season aimed to increase public awareness of WEEE recycling.
The WEEE Directive affects producers, distributors and recyclers of electrical and electronic equipment including Household appliances. Manufacturers, retailers/resellers and importers must have their businesses in compliance with the directive. MT Waste Management offers a complete WEEE compliance service tailored to suit your needs contact us now for detailed information.
Waste Management Documentary - A Story of Trash
July 20, 2011Students from the St Petersburg College in Florida, U.S, in association with a local TV broadcaster and the Pinellas County, produced a documentary aimed to educate viewers about what happens to the waste we generate each day. Entitled Away: A Story of Trash also takes us through a journey in time through the history of waste management.
The documentary starts by analysing the perception of what waste management really means by asking people what do they think happens to the rubbish they throw away every day and where does it go. Despite being aimed for an American audience “Away: A Story of Trash” is also suitable for UK viewers since our waste disposal and management practices are similar to the ones from America.
Like in America the waste produced over here is collected and then transported to landfills or recycling facilities. Both countries face the issues when it comes to waste management, the need to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills each day and what to do with it.
“I hope that the viewers will be educated enough to be influenced to take action and reduce the amount of waste that we create, so we can preserve the earth for our future generations” said Executive Producer Katie Bishop.
So grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy this educational documentary about waste management.
New Landfill Tax Makes Energy from Waste More Attractive
July 13, 2011The concept of generating energy from waste is not new but up until recently wasn’t a viable option because landfill tax wasn’t high enough to allow non-landfill technologies to compete with landfill. It is with that mind that UK Coal and Peel Environment are planning to build 11 EfW (energy from waste) plants in the North and in the Midlands.
The project is in its early days but it took a huge step forward after UK Coal shareholders approved to establish a project partnership with Peel Environmental.
UK Coal’s executive chairman Mr. Johnson Cox is overseeing the mining giant’s involvement in the waste joint venture as it is part of his strategy to reduce the company’s debts.
“This proposed waste to energy joint venture with the Peel Group will enable UK Coal to benefit from, and mitigate the risk and cost of, the development of eleven sites in the Company’s property portfolio,” he said.
And added
“These sites have not been identified as suitable for alternative development uses. This represents part of UK Coal’s focus on simultaneously unlocking and developing the maximum value from its property portfolio.”
These waste to energy projects are set to focus on converting commercial and industrial waste into energy by utilising EfW plants. Such waste management solution is already in development by other counties around the UK, which is the case of Exeter who just approved the construction of its first waste to energy plant.
As explained by Peel Environment:
“At an £80/t landfill tax, the total cost of landfill would rise to approximately £100/t and at such levels it is considered that there are a number of alternative waste treatment technologies (including mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and large thermal plants such as incineration with energy recovery) which are capable of operating at a lower total cost to users than landfill. Accordingly, there is an opportunity to target C&I residual waste for disposal in non-landfill treatment technologies.”
Peel Environment which is the expert in exploiting potential energy-from-waste sites by obtaining planning permission has identified several sites within UK Coal property portfolio suitable for the development of waste facilities. In total the joint-venture plans to build 11 EfW plants in several locations in the North and the Midlands and they are:
• Asfordby Mine, Leicestershire
• Bilsthorpe Colliery, Nottinghamshire
• Cutacre Industrial site, Bolton
• Gedling Colliery, Nottinghamshire
• Houghton Main Mine site, Yorkshire
• Kellingley Colliery, Yorkshire
• Meriden Quarry, West Midlands
• Tetron Point, Derbyshire
• Wardley Coal Disposal point, South Tyneside
• Waverley, Yorkshire
• North Selby, Yorkshire
Useful Links
If you would like more information about our waste management solutions and recycling services or simply find out how our services could benefit you business please call 0845 643 5070 or email us.
Exeter to receive first Energy from Waste Plant
July 06, 2011Devon County Council and a local operating waste management company have come to an agreement to build Exeter’s first Energy from Waste (EfW) plant. The plant will have a capacity to divert and treat 60,000 tonnes of Devon’s residual municipal waste.
This small scale thermal waste to energy facility will require an investment of £45.6m and will assist Devon in achieving its landfill diversion targets and maximise the associated renewal energy generation.
A French company specialised in building energy from waste plants will build and also operate it during the initial 5 years under a contract arrangement with the local waste management company. Thereafter, the waste management company will operate the plant.
According to the council, the plant will be built at the site of the former Exeter Incinerator on the Marsh Barton Trading Estate in Exeter. It will generate 3 MW of electricity for export to the National Grid with the possibility of exporting heat as well if a district heating network is established on the Marsh Barton estate.
Councillor Roger Croad, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Community said:
“I am delighted we are going ahead with this facility, which will deal with the remainder of the waste after recycling and composting has taken place. It will complement our existing services and eliminate the risk of being fined for non-compliance with the Landfill Directive.”
Devon County Councils approval of its first waste to energy plant is an important step for the county to work within the landfill allowance targets set by the government. Devon’s initiative should be copied by other counties and be associated with other waste management solutions to speed up the process of moving Britain towards the dreamed zero waste society.
Responsibility Deal to Improve Waste Management and Recycling Services
June 30, 2011Hot on the heels of the Waste Review 2011 and CIWN and WRAP plan to reduce waste going to landfills, Defra and the ESA (Environmental Services Association) announced a new “responsibility deal” between Government and waste management companies to further improve the quality of waste management and recycling services.
“The objective of this responsibility deal is to build on this progress and improve further the management of waste as a resource in the economy through an agreed set of commitments. Annex A to this document describes where we aim to get through these commitments by 2014.” - http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/PB13580-responsibility-deal.pdf
Announced by the environment minister Lord Henley, the deal was developed by Defra, the ESA (representing the waste management and recycling sector) with help from Local Government Associations, the EA (Environmental Agency) and FSB (Federation of Small Businesses).
The deal has four main objectives:
• Promote waste prevention and resource efficiency
• Increase recycling
• Improve the quality of recyclable and recycled materials
• Promote the waste hierarchy with further engagement of local communities providing more recycling opportunities
In total it is estimated that the deal will help businesses save collectively up to £18 billion a year by implementing simple cost effective solutions to reduce waste.
Lord Henley called the deal “groundbreaking” and said it would “help to boost growth in the green economy. Businesses will benefit from more user-friendly waste management services and better advice on how to deal with their waste.”
Waste management companies are to play an important role in this “responsibility deal” as well as in the move towards a more sustainable society. The Government knows the importance of supporting the waste management sector to speed up the process towards a Green Economy. According to the deal, waste management companies are to work as resources providers and:
• Provide help to their customers (businesses and local authorities) to adopt ever more sustainable resource management practices
• Position themselves as resource providers to the wider economy
• Help ensure that the benefits of the waste hierarchy and separate collection provisions of the revised Waste Framework Directive are fully realised
The deal also stated that the ESA is to amend the Code of Conduct for the waste management companies who are its members to reflect the four aims. Defra will have to work with the FSB and other trade bodies and local government organisations to raise businesses awareness of their waste responsibilities and provide signage to specific new services or changes.
Many waste industry chief executives have welcomed the “responsibility deal” by saying that it should significantly help Britain move towards a zero waste economy by simply encouraging better segregation of recyclable material to help the recycling industry.
Further information about the contents of this article can be found on the links below:
Responsibility Deal between the Government and the waste and resource management sector
CIWN and WRAP plan to reduce waste
Recycle Week 2011: “Recycling Home and Away”
June 21, 2011Recycle Week 2011 is already under way as councils across the land are gearing up their initiatives to increase the levels of recycling of their communities. This year’s theme is “Home and Away” increasing the levels of recycling at home and on-the-go. Recycle Week 2011 started Monday 20th and will go till Friday 26th.
The seventh annual edition of Recycle week follows the same format of previous years with councils across the UK promoting events to increase the awareness to waste prevention, segregation and recycling at home and on-the-go.
Several schemes have been developed by local councils to encourage waste reduction and recycling in general. For instance, in Sheffield the city council with the help of a local waste management company are promoting the launch of the city’s ‘revamped’ green sack service. The service is aimed for areas of the city that don’t have a green bin and suggests residents use green sacks to recycle garden waste.
Garden waste can be used for composting and according to Sheffield city council approximately 20% of the average household’s rubbish is made up of green garden waste. By dumping that on landfills a valuable resource that could be turned into compost is wasted.
The central Bedfordshire council is taken a broader initiative by outlining several activities that will be taken during the due course of Recycle Week 2011. These initiatives range from increasing awareness to household waste recycling as well as enticing companies to think wisely about their waste management and recycling.
According to executive member for sustainable communities services at Central Bedfordshire Council, Cllr Brian Spurr:
“Recycle Week is all about taking the smallest actions and changes every day, all of which have a cumulative effect to help our environment. Residents in Central Bedfordshire are already doing a great job within their homes, it is also about transferring that mentality wherever we are, be it out on a picnic during the summer months, at work or travelling about. Don’t just put rubbish in the bin, think about what could be recycled or composted first.”
If residents listen to the recommendations made by their local councils to what can and can’t go in their recycling containers there will sure be a reduction in the amount of waste going to landfills and Britain will be taking an important step towards a zero waste society.
Want to take part in this year’s Recycling Week please visit the official website at http://www.recyclenow.com/recycle_week/index.html to find an event near you.
Important Takes from the Waste Review 2011
June 17, 2011On Tuesday 14th of June 2011 the Government finally published the Waste Review like we announced here at the beginning of May. The main focus of this review is to increase the Government and councils commitment to increase the “frequency and quality” of waste management and collection across the UK.
The review outlines the steps needed to move Britain towards a “zero waste” economy, including a range of commitments aimed to modify the waste hierarchy in order to move as much waste as possible away from landfills, making waste prevention a priority.
The commitments suggested were:
- Support incentive schemes which “reward and recognise people who do the right thing to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste”;
- Support councils and waste management companies to improve the quality of waste collection from small businesses;
- De-criminalise “trivial” household bin offences, while making sure there are stronger powers in place for fly-tipping and serious waste crime;
- Reduce the burden of regulation and enforcement on “legitimate” business, but targeting those who persistently break the law.
As predicted the Waste Review 2011 suggests plans to take a voluntary approach to reduce waste and increase recycling with the development of voluntary responsibility deals in a range of sectors including the waste industry itself.
The review also include a scheme to create a new Recycling & Waste Services Commitment, where local authorities will be encouraged to take part and set up new principles for waste management services.
After presenting Waste Review 2011 on Tuesday to the MPs, the environment secretary Caroline Spelman, said in a written statement:
“The Review has looked at all aspects of waste policy and delivery in England to ensure that we are taking the necessary steps towards creating a ‘zero waste’ economy, where resources are fully valued, and nothing of value gets thrown away. The Waste Review includes a range of commitments designed to move waste more quickly up the waste hierarchy, away from disposal in landfill, with waste prevention a priority, followed by re-use, recycling and recovery.”
While it is too early to jump to conclusions about the effects of the 2011 Waste Review in the waste industry we agree that some of the suggestion made will surely reduce the amount of waste going to landfills, therefore increasing recycling.
The complete Waste Review 2011 can be downloaded here.
Waste Management Solutions: Turning Rubbish into Ethanol
June 08, 2011Incinerating rubbish to produce energy is no breaking news but it could be a viable solution to reduce the amount of waste sent to our landfills every day. That is what Canadian-based company Enerkem is hoping to achieve, whose technology turns old utility poles and household garbage into ethanol.
Every day millions of tons of rubbish are dumped into landfills across the globe to slowly decompose, from this decomposing process methane, a greenhouse gas, is released into the atmosphere.
Finding a solution to this problem has been subject of discussion by world leader for many years and various solutions have been proposed but they have never really added up to a wining proposition.
Enerkem is only a start-up but the announcement of a $60 million investment into the company by two big Canadian corporations has surely turned some heads. The company isn’t exactly established yet, but it is finishing up a “refinery” near Sherbrooke, Quebec, with a claimed capacity of producing 1.3 million gallons of ethanol annually.
Others have tried to produce ethanol from rubbish, like the E-Fuel Microfueler Refinery, a portable ethanol refinery from a Californian based company. But as afore mentioned the chemical arithmetic has never really added up to a winning proposition.
Enerkem’s differential is that since Enerkem is a waste management company it gets paid to dispose of the garbage it burns, making its raw materials “cost negative.”
How Rubbish is converted into Ethanol
First of all the organic waste must be separated from the recyclables, and then this organic waste is shredded and heated to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. From this process Hydrogen and carbon monoxide are produced and are trapped as they escape the incinerating rubbish and impurities like carbon dioxide are filtered out. These purified gases are then run over a catalyst which converts them into methanol. Methanol itself can be used as a fuel, but it releases too much CO2 from its burn, so a further refining step turns the methanol to ethanol.
If Enerkem manages to make this process work cost-effectively, it could sure be a game changer for the waste management industry as well as the energy industry.
Understanding the Waste Management Hierarchy
May 27, 2011The latest revision of the Waste Framework Directive, Europe’s primary legislation for waste management placed great emphasis on the waste hierarchy to ensure that waste is dealt with in order of priority and updated some aspects of waste control.
Amendments to the Directive have already been implemented in England and Wales through the Waste Regulations 2011 announced in April 2011. The changes affect waste producers and waste management companies as well as local authorities.
In summary, these were the main changes implemented by the revised Waste Framework Directive:
• Require businesses to confirm that they have applied the waste management hierarchy when transferring waste and to include a declaration on their waste transfer note or consignment note;
• Require a new permit waste hierarchy permit condition and where appropriate a condition relating to mixing of hazardous waste;
• Introduce a two-tier system for waste carrier and broker registration, which includes those who carry their own waste, and introduces a new concept of a waste dealer;
• Make amendments to hazardous waste controls and definition;
• Exclude some categories of waste from waste controls, notably animal by-products whilst include a small number of radioactive waste materials.
What is the Waste Management Hierarchy?
The waste management hierarchy determines, in order of priority, the waste management options a business should consider. It requires businesses to first try and prevent waste production, in case of waste production consider preparing waste for reuse and subsequently identify recycling opportunities, before disposal options for recovery such energy recovery should also be considered.
From 28 September 2011, whenever you pass waste on to someone else, you will have to declare on the waste transfer note, or consignment note for hazardous waste, that you have applied the waste management hierarchy.
Government has produced short guidance on the waste hierarchy aimed at waste producers and small business and this can be found at wrapwht.
In short the order that waste should be dealt with is the following:
• Prevention;
• Preparing for re-use;
• Recycling;
• Other recovery (for example, energy recovery);
• Disposal
Further information can be found through the following links:
Quick guide for waste producers and businesses (April 2011) (PDF, 122KB)
Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011
For a complete assessment of the waste produced by your company and how to comply with the waste management hierarchy get in touch with us now and we’ll provide you with cost effective waste management solutions in accordance with new Government regulations.
Waste Management an Important Environmental KPI
May 25, 2011Since 2006, the year when the new Companies Act became law UK companies must report their environmental disclosure in their annual business’ reviews. Reports must be done in accordance with government guidance.
Back in 2003 the Energy Agency was asked by the government to assess environmental disclosures in the statutory annual report and accounts of FTSE All-Share companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. The objective was to determine a baseline before the new Companies Act became law in 2006 and so a methodology was determined for future assessments.
Since the initial assessment in 2004 the percentage of FTSE All-Share companies reporting their environmental disclosures grew from 89% to 99% according to the 2009-2010 Environmental Disclosure Summary.
Companies must make quantified disclosures based on environmental KPIs (key performance indicators) which were determined by DEFRA’s (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) 2006 Reporting Guidelines for UK Business.
Among the most important environmental KPIs is waste management which was mentioned in the Business Reviews of 89% of the companies surveyed, followed by pollution (79%), climate change (62%), environmental management systems (61%), energy usage and bio-diversity and land use tied at 57% each.
Between 2006 and 2009-2010, the number of companies reporting on their environmental impacts grew considerably. The increase in discussion was greatest for biodiversity/land use and climate change, followed by energy and waste management.
“89% of the 458 companies analysed discussed waste managementt in 2009-2010, up from 76% in 2004. The biggest increases were among health care, utilities and oil and gas companies. Waste has remained the most discussed topic since 2004. Discussion rates were highest among utilities (100%) and lowest among oil and gas companies (75%). Although 85% of basic materials companies discussed waste in 2009, this is down from 95% in 2006.”
Such increase is partly due to the introduction of the WEEE Directive in 2007. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive affect producers, distributors and recyclers of electrical and electronic equipment including Household appliances. The aim is to prevent WEEE arising, to encourage reuse, recycling and recovery of WEEE and to improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the lifecycle of electrical and electronic equipment, especially those dealing with WEEE.
Despite a high percentage of FTSE All-Share companies disclosing information on their waste management and disposal only 6% are doing this in accordance with government guidelines. In comparison 34% of FTSE 350 companies disclosed information in line with reporting guidelines.
The way a given company handles and reports its waste can affect its performance. Most companies could reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling to improve resource efficiency by monitoring their waste handling and disposal. Such data can then be used to reduce impacts, improve processes, reduce costs and support regulatory compliance.
Further Information
The Importance of Segregation for Waste Management and Recycling
May 20, 2011Segregation is probably the most important step of waste management and recycling services, be it for households or industrial sites. An effective waste management service commences with the encouragement of segregation of individual waste streams through the supply of suitable containers.
A classic example of suitable containers for the segregation of waste streams are the blue, yellow, green and red recycling bins. Each colour is used to collect one type of waste, red are for metal cans, blue for paper and cardboard and so on.
For industrial waste management services segregation gets a little more complex due to the simple fact that each type of industry produces a different type of waste that sometimes requires special containers. By law certain industries can’t simply dump their waste as they wish.
That is when the job of a waste management company comes into play aiding businesses alike to properly segregate, collect and where possible recycle the waste produced.
As defined by the Cambridge Dictionary to segregate means to keep things separated from one another and treat them differently. That is exactly what a waste management company does with different waste streams; it separates them and applies a different treatment to each of them.
Industrial waste segregation is not as complicated as the name sounds. As afore mentioned it is done by supplying a given organisation with the adequate recycling containers. There are numerous types of recycling containers but they all have the same functionality: separate, store and facilitate waste handling and transportation.
Different Types of Recycling Containers
External Containers
External containers range from 240Ltr Eurobin to 35 Yard Open Top Containers they can be used for the containment and collection of single or mixed recyclable waste streams and general waste.
Internal Containers
Range from internal containers for office recycling bins and eurobins to rigid containers for warehouse and inexpensive recyclable containers.
The various containers range from waste bin size to 1100Ltrs and are suited to all manner of waste streams.
Specialist and Secure Containers
Specialist containers include internal and external containers for batteries, fluorescent tubes, hazardous and clinical waste streams.
Secure containers are suitable for the containment and collection of confidential and sensitive material including paper, IT Data (including hard drives), DVD’s, CD’s and end of line products.
Not sure what type of container you need for your business? Contact MT Waste to find out how we can help your business be more eco-friendly and save money at the time.
Government Delays Waste Policy Review until June
May 03, 2011Back in June last year the Government announced it was to carry a full review of England’s Waste Policy, the main focus of this review was to find cost effective ways to reduce waste, maximise profits from waste management and recycling services and the effects of waste policies in local communities and individual households.
Back in June last year the Government announced it was to carry a full review of England’s Waste Policy, the main focus of this review was to find cost effective ways to reduce waste, maximise profits from waste management and recycling services and the effects of waste policies in local communities and individual households.
The review was officially announced by the Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman during the Futuresource conference, at the time she said:
“There is an economic and environmental urgency to developing the right waste strategy. We have been slowly moving in the right direction with recycling rates. The direction of travel is right – it’s the pace that’s the problem. We need to go faster and we need to go further.”
Eagerly awaited by local authorities and waste management companies across the land, the review was due to be published this month but it was delayed by another month. It is now likely that it will be published during June’s conference of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, where Caroline Spelman will be delivering the keynote speech on the first day.
Major Points Expected to Be Reviewed
• The effect of waste policies on local communities and individual households, and how local authorities can best work with people to make the best decisions
• Maximising the contribution of the waste and recycling industries to the UK economically and environmentally
• How we work towards the “zero waste economy”, and drastically reduce the amount of waste created and valuable resources sent to landfill, looking at the entire process from source to end of life; and
• New approaches to dealing with commercial waste and promoting ‘responsibility deals’, reducing the amount of waste generated by production and retail
• Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, or LATS
• Food waste is also likely to play a big part in the review, with a strong chance that authorities will be given financial help to collect it separately
Above all the review’s maim aim is to ensure that the UK is taking the right steps towards creating a ‘zero waste’ economy, where resources are fully valued, and nothing of value gets thrown away.
For innovative and cost effective waste management solutions and recycling services for your business, do not hesitate to contact MT Waste or give us a call at 0845 643 5070.
MT Waste Launches New Interaction Website
February 21, 2011Detailed breakdown of waste streams showing Landfill V Recycling figures by client
All of MT Waste Clients can access our website with secure log in and access their data including the following:
> Recycling statics and detailed breakdown of waste streams
> Year to date costs and savings
> Individual waste stream reports
And much more….
Safecontractor
January 27, 2011MT Waste Management has achieved Safe Contractor accreditation
In recognition of reaching the safe contractor health and safety standards in accordance with sub-contracting work to other contractors.
Accredited 11th January 2011
The government wants organisations to pay the full costs of their waste disposal
January 25, 2011The Government is proposing to allow local authorities to charge businesses for disposal of their waste, as well as collections.
The Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 list different types of household waste which local authorities can charge to collect but not to dispose of. This is a barrier to achieving the government’s plan for a zero waste economy.
The main proposals include:
> Giving local authorities the power to charge for the disposal as well as collection of waste from non-domestic properties
> Reclassifying waste from certain properties as commercial and not household waste
> Retaining local authorities’ discretion to decide when to charge depending on local circumstances
> Providing free disposal to charity shops and reuse organisations
> Retaining local authorities’ duty to collect waste from certain organisations for public health protection
> Restructuring the controlled waste regulations to make them easier to use.
The proposed regulations will be of interest to local authorities, managers of premises who currently pay a waste collection charge (such as prisons, hospitals and universities) and private waste contractors.
The regulations will not make any changes to charges for waste collection from domestic properties.
The regulation will be coming into force on 6 April 2011
First recycling targets based on carbon savings proposed
December 03, 2009The first recycling targets to reflect the relative carbon savings of how a material is reprocessed look set to be introduced in the UK as soon as 2011.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is proposing to set differentiated glass packaging recycling targets for businesses based on whether material is recycled into open or closed loop processes.
This would incentivise more material to be sent for remelt - which Defra claims saves 0.3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per tonne of glass reprocessed - as opposed for use in aggregates, which Defra claims creates no carbon saving.
The move is the first time that carbon-based recycling targets have been formerly proposed in the UK could also have implications for how councils collect glass, because much commingled material which is sent to materials recycling facilities is mixed in colour and broken, meaning that it is often only suitable for aggregates.
The revelation, which firms up proposals first mooted in the Packaging Strategy published in June (see letsrecycle.com story ), came in minutes from the latest meeting of the government’s Advisory Committee on Packaging, during which Defra presented the first draft of a consultation document on packaging recycling business targets for the years 2011-20, which is set to be published in final form next year.
While setting out a number of options for the targets, Defra said that its preferred option was to increase the business targets incrementally to 2020. At present targets have already been set up until 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story). This would include higher targets for aluminium and plastics in light of potential carbon savings, the department explained.
And, with regards to glass, it said it was considering a new approach altogether.
The minutes said: “Defra proposed to set differentiated glass targets on whether the material is recycled into closed loop processes. The committee commented that differentiation should apply to all materials not just glass as currently proposed.”
“Defra explained that glass was the focus as this stage because it was the only material where the difference in carbon savings between open and closed loop recycling was both pronounced and not incentivised by other market mechanisms.”
British Glass
Responding to the proposals, David Workman, director general of trade body British Glass, stressed that they were still provisional.
However, he welcomed the move towards a carbon-based approach as British Glass has been lobbying the government for several years to incentivise closed-loop glass recycling.
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