With news on: Tesco launches hotline to tackle food waste; Newcastle Waste Commission meets; fly-tipping at Biffa site, and; Renewi opens on London Stock Exchange.
Biffa in fly-tipping warning
Waste firm Biffa has sought to higlight the ‘growing issue’ of fly-tipping in the UK, after having spent around £10,000 removing fly-tipped waste from the boundaries of its site in Swindon.
Fly-tipping at Biffa site
Peter Lunt, site manager at Biffa, said: “Fly tipping is a growing issue not just in this area but right across the UK.”
A team of five waste removal workers removed around five tonnes of waste, which included tyres, white goods, gas canisters and scrap metal. Asbestos was also found and removed which required a specialist contractor.
Mr Lunt added: “Working with the help of our OneCall division colleagues, we successfully cleared a backlog of fly tipped waste on our Clifton Hall site that had been blighting the roadside.”
Biffa claims that fly-tipping is becoming an increasing problem, with most recent statistics showing that in 2015 almost 900,000 fly-tipping incidents occurred across the country, costing more than £32m in cleaning and enforcement costs.
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Tesco launches ‘hotline’ to tackle food waste
Tesco has launched a ‘food waste hotline’ to help suppliers and growers identify where food waste is arising within the supply chain.
The hotline is available to all Tesco suppliers by its online resource Supplier Network, used by over 5,000 Tesco partners. The hotline will allow suppliers to alert Tesco to any supply chain food waste and work together to take action.
Tesco said it is committed to helping halve all UK food waste by 2025. The company has said that it hopes the hotline will allow it to work directly with suppliers to highlight any potential future food waste issues.
Commenting on the new hotline, Matt Simister, commercial director, fresh food and commodities at Tesco, said: “It helps our suppliers gain direct, easy access to our Product teams, and this will enable us to identify food waste hotspots and systemic issues and work in partnership to tackle them.”
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‘Commission’ meets to review waste management in Newcastle
A group of waste industry delegates met in Newcastle on Friday (March 17) – the first meeting of the city council’s ‘Waste Commission’, to review the city’s work on waste and recycling.
Newcastle’s waste commission, including (l-r): Richard Warneford, Northumbrian Water, Ben Webster, The Times, Heidi Mottram, Northumbrian Water, Marie Fullon, Environment Agency, Peter Maddox, WRAP, Andrew Griffiths, Nestle UK & Ireland and Paul Taylor, FCC Environment
The Commission will examine the production and handling of waste in the city and will work to develop proposals to reduce the 142,000 tonnes of waste produced by residents each year.
The commission will meet three times in Newcastle and twice in London, before producing a report at the end of the year on how the city can improve waste management practices.
Commission members include: Heidi Mottram, chief executive of the Northumbrian Water Group, Colin Church, chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), Ben Webster, environment editor of The Times, Marie Fallon, director of regulated industry at the Environment Agency, Peter Maddox, director of government programmes for WRAP, Paul Taylor, UK chief executive of FCC Environment and Andrew Griffiths, head of environmental sustainability, Nestle UK and Ireland.
According to Newcastle city council, the idea came from Cllr Nick Kemp, the counil’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and regulation, who hoped that the city can be emulated across the world in an effort to tackle a global problem.
Cllr Kemp said: “I welcome the waste commissioners to Newcastle. They are all experts in their own field and I am delighted we have managed to bring together such an eminent group of individuals to shape the future of the city which could have implications for other cities.”
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Plans for a new AD research centre announced
Plans for a Centre for Anaerobic Biotechnology and Bioresources Research will be outlined by the UK anaerobic digestion (AD) industry at the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) Research & Innovation (R&I) Forum 2017 in London next week (28-29 March).
ADBA is establishing an AD research centre
ADBA claims the centre will establish the UK as a ‘global leader’ in the biogas industry. According to ADBA, the centre would aim to transform AD into a more cost efficient and ‘multi-functioning’ biotechnology.
Charlotte Morton ADBA Chief Executive said: “A Centre for Anaerobic Biotechnology and Bioresources Research has the potential to create export opportunities estimated at £5bn and 60,000 jobs whilst contributing to the UK’s energy security and helping achieve the UN SDGs.”
Dr Mike Mason, research fellow at the University of Oxford and chairman at Tropical Power Ltd – an engineering and construction firm for the AD sector, said: “Power from AD could be competitive with coal and provide more energy than nuclear does today, but is currently only delivering a fraction of this potential.”
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Renewi begins trading on the London Stock Exchange
Renewi – a company formed through a merger of Shanks Group plc and Van Gansewinkel Groep – opened for trading at the London Stock exchange on Monday (March 20).
An event marked the merger of the two companies and the creation of what has been described as one of the largest recycling and waste companies in Europe.
In a statement, the newly-formed company, said: “For us, waste is a state of mind, an opportunity. When we take away someone’s waste we then give it new life. We transform a wide range of used materials into useful products and raw materials for our customers, like recycled paper, metal, plastic and glass, woodchips, compost, energy, fuel, and other products. In the process we protect the world from contamination, preserve finite natural resources, and enable customers to meet their sustainability goals. With our deep international expertise we also provide them with an extensive product range, combined with local service and attention. Above all, our team is committed and passionate about our mission: waste no more.”
The post News in Brief (22/03/2017) appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
