News round

Mar 20, 2023

Air ambulance charity switches collections; Falkirk extends black box collections; Northern Ireland waste collections down; Veolia and Harrods turn plastic bags into picnic benches

Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) will change its clothing recycling operation from 1 May and will no longer distribute bags for used clothing donations.

The service posted 500,000 bags through supporters’ doors last year as part of its fundraising work, but the service says this approach is unsustainable.

"Last year we were distributing approximately 2,000 bags per day around the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria areas," said commercial project manager Phil Hall. "To distribute these bags, our recycling team drove at least 30,000 miles per year in a van."

Hall said that for every 1,000 bags distributed, only 35 were collected, and the charity would now focus efforts on collections pre-arranged through the GNAAS website, over the phone or through social media.

"By solely offering arranged collections we will be saving at least 938 gallons of diesel per year and reducing the amount of plastic being distributed to our supporters," continued Hall.

Press release

Falkirk Council will continue its black box collection system in September after the Scottish government's decision to delay the implementation of its deposit return scheme (DRS) until March 2024.

Councillors had decided to phase out the black boxes – which collect glass bottles and jars as well as small electrical items and textiles – in September, following the proposed introduction of the DRS in August.

It is reported, however, that the current contract cannot be extended beyond April next year, with councillors advised not to sign a new contract.

"The proposal to extend the black box collection until March 31, 2024 is welcome news as it will minimise the disruption that the people of Falkirk face following the delay of the implementation of the Deposit Return Scheme," said Conservative councillor James Bundy.

"But as a council, we cannot rest on our laurels. If the Deposit Return Scheme is delayed again beyond March 2024, we must have in place a workable system to encourage the recycling of glass."

Falkirk Herald

Councils in Northern Ireland collected 5.7% less waste during October to December last year, compared with the same period in 2021.

The latest provisional figures for municipal waste, published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) show that recycling rates remained consistent during the quarter, at 48%.

The amount of municipal waste sent to landfill was 23.4%, down from 29.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021, while the amount sent to energy recovery was up to 26.9%, from 20.3% twelve months before.

DAERA

Waste management company Veolia has partnered with luxury department store Harrods to demonstrate the potential of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags.

LDPE bags were transformed into pellets and then into plastic lumber, creating 10 picnic benches for Harrods employees at their distribution centre in Thatcham.

"In 2022, we removed our single use plastic carrier bags and launched our 100% recyclable and sustainably sourced paper carrier bag. We have since worked closely with Veolia to ensure the effective recycling of our old plastic bags," said Harrods’ sustainability manager Martha Brown.

"Harrods is dedicated to embedding circularity across the business, and this has been a great step in the right direction. We are excited to roll out this project in line with our sustainability commitments in the areas of waste, circularity and the reduction of single use materials."

Press release

The operator of an illegal waste site at Worksop in Nottinghamshire has been fined £941 and ordered to pay costs of £5000 at Mansfield magistrates’ court.

Andrzej Harytczak, aged 38, of Yeoman Close, Worksop, admitted operating a waste site without the necessary environmental permits at Tranker Lane on two separate occasions in 2017 and 2019.

"This site posed a significant environmental threat due to the high risk of fire and potentially significant impact to local communities and amenities," explained a spokesperson for the Environment Agency.

The court heard Harytczak had avoided paying approximately £20,000 in infrastructure costs to store construction and demolition waste, household waste and garden waste.

Press release

The Register of Approved Mattress Recyclers has launched with an initial three members, the Furniture Recycling Group, Circom and SSSI, the latter also known as Matt UK.

These firms all have sites that have passed the audits required for acceptance as RAMR-approved mattress recycling plants.

Alan Wheeler, chef executive of the Textile Recycling Association - one of the register's founders - said: "Unfortunately, recycling can attract traders who do not uphold the rules and regulations established to protect business, customers and workers.

"When a group of mattress recyclers approached us to collaborate on working out a way of tackling this problem and giving them the ability to prove their professional credentials, the idea of RAMR evolved."

Press release

Biffa and vehicle electrification business Lunaz are to work together to replace diesel engines in Biffa trucks with electric ones.

Older vehicles will be kept in use instead of being scrapped as Biffa transitions its fleet to zero-emissions.

Lunaz has committed to supporting the transition of the diesel trucks over the next decade to clean-air electric powertrains through its proprietary electrification process and technology.

Biffa has placed an initial order for up to ten 26-tonne trucks saving up to 210 tonnes in embedded carbon.

Press release

J&B Recycling, part of the Urbaser Group, has installed a new Lyndex Bigro 105 channel baler at its material recycling facility in Hartlepool.

It said the new baler would give enhanced efficiency for processing and packaging recyclable materials, including paper, cardboard, plastics, and other recyclables, into dense, stackable bales ready for transport to end markets.

Managing director Vikki Jackson-Smith said: "This new channel baler from Lyndex Recycling Systems represents a significant enhancement to our material recycling capabilities."

Press release

A community-led initiative has launched in the Rhondda Valley to recycle, recreate and sell single-use plastics.

Social enterprise, Soaring Supersaurus collects and reuses local plastic waste to create household items for sale ranging from jewellery and coasters to kitchen chairs, stools and tables.

The project has been funded by the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund.

Sauring Supersaurus has also set up plastic collection points in outlets around Rhondda where people can donate their plastic waste, which will then be recycled.

Press release

Descycle has secured funding of £4.85m through venture capital group TSP Ventures and a £1m grant from the UK Government to set up a laboratory to develop a method to recycle and recover valuable metals, which it said could be done at low cost and zero emissions.

It said this involved a new type of chemistry that "has the potential to disrupt the metals industry".

Managing director Leo Howden said: "We have a unique, highly disruptive, sustainable technology, with a clear path to commercialisation. The success of the technology is underpinned by the high calibre of our team and the commitment of our investors, and we are excited for the future of the company."

Press release

Police have searched a storage site next to an HWRC in Roman Way Industrial Site, Bishop Auckland, after gaining a warrant from magistrates.

Durham County Council said police gained access through the HWRC in order to conduct the search at the adjacent site.

Durham Constabulary said the complexities of the site meant searches took several days but have now concluded.

Detective chief inspector Neil Fuller said: "Officers executed a warrant and have been on site since Friday."

Press release. This story was amended on 27 April to correct an error: the HWRC itself was not searched and had no warrant issued against it.

Harborough District Council's campaign against fly-tipping has seen a reduction in incidents for the fourth year running. There were 728 cases reported in 2018-19 but only 317 in 2022-23.

The council said the ‘tip off’ exercise informed the public about how to report and prevent illegally dumped rubbish.

Undercover surveillance cameras have been used at hot spot areas and signs erected making it clear to fly-tippers they are being watched. Daily foot and vehicle patrols are carried out with waste contractor FCC Environment.

Press release

Waste firm Suez has welcomed a group of young people to its employability and work experience programme, run in partnership with the Harlequins Foundation..

It said the programme had been designed to engage people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training and to offer them a practical approach to joining the workforce.

Each year, four groups of young people spend four weeks each on the programme, gaining essential skills including an introduction to the waste industry, job shadowing, weighbridge operations, transport operations, maintenance, material flow, administration and recycling operations.

Press release

Viridor has committed to continue its support for the charity Reuse Network, which started last year.

Reuse Network supports a network of charities that divert millions of household items a year from landfill, and in 2022 the reuse sector saw continued growth with 2.7m furniture and electrical items reused, which Viridor said prevented 98,935 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Viridor will provide funding, resources, and expertise to Reuse Network to improve access to reuse information, services and products to help low-income households gain the items needed to create a sustainable home.

Press release

Reusable Nappy Week takes place this week and aims to raise awareness of benefits of reusable nappies. There will be events, special offers and educational activities held across London and online.

Organisers said disposable nappies contributed significantly to waste, with an estimated 3.6bn nappies thrown away in the UK each year, costing local authorities more than £140m a year in collection and disposal.

Elisabeth Whitebread from the Nappy Alliance said: "If every baby in the UK switched to reusable nappies, the carbon saving would be the equivalent of 700 million car miles."

Press release

Private landlord firm Grainger is supporting ‘Stop Food Waste Day’ on 26 April by launching a digital swap shop and a service to trade unused and unwanted food products.

Grainger has also created ‘community corners’ for residents to leave and swap food items including non-perishable tinned goods, dried foods, pasta, and spices. Residents are welcome to take an item of their choice from the selection, or simply leave an item as a donation.

Its digital swap shop enables its residents to post items of any kind to give away or swap for free with other residents. The initiative will run across all Grainger's build to rent schemes.

Ruth Friend, resident services manager at Grainger's Pin Yard development in Leeds, said: "Grainger is committed to supporting residents’ eco-friendly and sustainability endeavours. We hope that by organising our Grainger swap shops, both physically within our developments and digitally through our new resident app, this will help support residents to take part and do what we can as a wider community."

Press release

Thames21 has joined forces with the Environment Agency and Rotary International for a clean up rivers campaign from 27 May to 11 June.

Participating groups will be asked, where possible, to collect data on the types of plastic pollution they find during their events to help build an evidence base on the extent to which plastic threatens rivers.

This marks the first time Plasticblitz has been UK-wide as previously, Thames21 worked only in the River Thames and tributaries.

Plasticblitz event last year saw nearly 500 volunteers collected 437 bags of rubbish across, with 14,581 items were individually categorised, of 85% of this being plastic. The worst plastic offenders were wet wipes, bottle tops, sweet wrappers and cigarette stubs.

Press release

Preston City Council is trialling an e-refuse collection vehicle from CTS Hire for six weeks to gain a better understanding of these vehicles’ effectiveness.

Duncan Coward, the council's head of waste management, said: "CTS Hire has provided us with the perfect opportunity to have an electric RCV for an extended period to gain a deeper understanding of this type of vehicle without being committed to a long-term purchase."

The vehicle is a Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide electric rear-steer chassis with the Dennis Eagle OL21 body and Terberg Xtra bin lift.

Bob Sweetland, managing director of CTS Hire: "It's a great opportunity for councils to see how these vehicles perform in their own collection environment and see for themselves what the transition from a diesel fleet to an electric fleet may require operationally and from an infrastructure perspective."

Press release

WEEE compliance scheme Repic has marked 15 years since the implementation of the first Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations in the UK with the publication of Looking Back to Look Forward on the influencing trends for equipment going onto the market and made available for collection.

Repic said that despite the upward trend in the amount of EEE placed on the market, and increases in WEEE collection targets, the amount of made available for collection had not increased.

Press release

Apple has said it will use 100% recycle cobalt in all its batteries by 2025. From the same time, magnets in Apple devices will use entirely recycled rare earth elements, and all Apple-designed printed circuit boards will use only recycled tin soldering and gold plating.

The company said it sourced more than two-thirds of all aluminum, nearly three-quarters of all rare earths, and more than 95% of tungsten required from recycled material.

"Our ambition to one day use 100 percent recycled and renewable materials in our products works hand in hand with Apple 2030: our goal to achieve carbon neutral products by 2030," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives.

Press release

Cornwall Council has given planning permission for a waste and recycling facility at Hallenbeagle capable of processing up to 140,000 tonnes of waste. It is due to come into service in 2025 and will be fitted with roof top solar panels.

The council said the facility was needed to ensure it could implement its new waste collection service, which will change from weekly to fortnightly in late 2023.

BBC

Uber Eats customers in central London can now order takeaway food in reusable containers. Once they finish eating they can scan a QR code and select a day for collection having given the containers a simple rinse. Collections will be made by low or no emission vehicles.

A trial will run for six months with a group of restaurants within 5km of reusable packaging supplier Again's Kennington site.

Matthew Price, Uber Eats general manager, UK and Ireland said: "This pilot aims to make reusable packing more accessible for customers and restaurants alike."

Press release

Leeds Beckett University has partnered with ReFood to recycle waste from its food court. Plate scrapings and spoiled produce would now be used to generate renewable energy.

It said material from the 10 food court outlets had previously been overlooked in recycling initiatives. Food waste will be collected by ReFood for processing at its Doncaster site.

Mark Warner, the university's sustainability manager, said: "When looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste we sent to landfill, food waste was quickly identified as a key stream."

Press release

Suez has launched the third report in its series on re-use and repair Re-use – seizing the opportunity looking at the potential benefits that re-use could deliver to the UK's growing green economy if it were more mainstream.

The company called on the Government to set clear targets and timescales to give direction to both industry and the value chain.

Suez said it estimated that with this in place by 2028 the repair and re-use sector had the potential to manage more than 15m items and generate sales of more than £63m a year.

Sarah Ottaway, sustainability and social value lead at Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, said: "This report is a call to action to Government and local authorities to recognise the significant opportunities for re-use and repair and accelerate efforts to make it a more mainstream activity."

Press release

Dauson Environmental Group has seen turnover climb to £38.4m from £32.6m a year earlier, Insider Media has reported. Pre-tax profit was £4.8m, up from £3.4m.

The group comprises Neal Soil Suppliers, Atlantic Recycling, Cardiff Demolition, Neal Aggregate Suppliers, Neal Remediation, Bluefield Land and Resources Management (UK).

A statement filed with the results said the directors considered the results and the financial position satisfactory and better than planned.

The group said the acquisition of Resources Management (UK) during the last quarter of the financial period had added a new dimension by having its own landfill operation in west Wales.

Insider Media

Slough Borough Council has asked residents to be respectful towards its staff following an assault at a household waste and recycling centre.

The employee was verbally abused and punched in the stomach by a resident who was angered on discovering there was a charge dump laminate flooring. The culprit then fled in a vehicle,

Executive director place and communities Richard West, said: "We will not tolerate assaults on our staff. We understand people may be upset by charges for DIY waste but abusing and then assaulting a member of staff who is trying to help is unacceptable in any circumstances."

The member of staff suffered minor injuries during the assault and the matter has been reported to the police.

Press release

Two people have been released under investigation following their arrest in connection with the discovery of the body of a newborn baby at a recycling centre in Yeovil on 12 April.

Avon & Somerset Police said a woman in her 20s and a man in his 30s were arrested on suspicion of concealing a birth.

Police were called to the centre on the Lufton Trading Estate after a member of staff found the body of the baby girl.

Detective Inspector Ben Lavender said: "This is a very sad and distressing incident. We don't yet know what has happened and are treating the baby's death as unexplained at this time, pending the results of a post-mortem examination."

Press release

North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has pledged support for the ‘Choose Loose’ campaign, run by social enterprise Everyday Plastic.

This has called on supermarkets to abolish plastic packaging from the top five most wasted fruit and vegetable products: potatoes, apples, bananas, carrots and onions.

Choose Loose said that if these goods were sold loose some 1.7bn pieces of plastic packaging could be prevented from disposal.

Authority chair Clyde Loakes said: "NLWA has been asking government to change harmful packaging policy for years. There is no excuse for unnecessary plastic packaging anymore - sustainable packaging must become the norm without delay."

Press release

Guernsey is to close its three remaining recycling bring bank sites for recycling at the end of April, which the island's government said would save around £100,000 a year.

It said use had fallen to an all-time low following the Covid-19 lockdowns and that even before that there has been a two-thirds fall in use since the start of kerbside recycling collections in 2014.

Guernsey Waste's operations manager Sarah Robinson, said: "Ten years ago we were reliant on bring banks for our household recycling. Since then the amount being recycled has increased significantly, but the proportion collected via bring banks has consistently fallen"

Press release

Unique-every-time QR codes are to be added to all PET 2-litre bottles of spring water sold at the Co-op.

The codes, added without loss of efficiency by the supplier, says Polytag, will take customers to a Co-op landing page detailing information about the retailer's charity and sustainability commitments.

A UV tag will also be added to the bottle's label, enabling barcode level information to be captured at recycling centres, providing data on recycling behaviour.

"The combination of consumer facing QR codes and UV tags is the future of creating and maintaining a circular economy from the millions of pieces of packaging that enter the market every year," said Polytag chief executive Alice Rackley.

"The onus is now firmly on the industry to take responsibility for the packaging they produce," she continued, with the company saying that such technology could be crucial for the efficiency of deposit return schemes and extended producer responsibility.

Press release

AI waste analytics company Greyparrot have appointed former managing director of Comply Direct, Sarah Foster as their new chief revenue officer.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Greyparrot in their effort to improve resource recovery. Their platform is one of the waste sector's most exciting innovations, and I look forward to playing a part in its evolution having watched its success to date with a keen interest," said Foster.

She has more than a decade of experience in the environmental sector, with the company saying she will help them guide the next stage of the company's development.

Greyparrot co-founder Mikela Druckman said that Foster's environmental compliance knowledge will help put the huge potential of the circular economy in stakeholders that use the company's services.

Press release

Repair and refurbishment company UK Container Maintenance (UKCM) has secured a three-and-a-half-year contract, maintaining waste and recycling containers for Glasgow City Council.

The Cheshire-based company will provide factory-based service, increasing the lifespan of council containers, after securing a position on Scotland's official portal for public sector opportunities.

"At UKCM we work with a large number of local authorities across the length and breadth of the UK, enabling them to benefit from the extensive opportunities afforded by recycling otherwise redundant containers back into service, said Emma Elston, chief executive of UKCM.

"We look forward to extending our technical knowledge and expertise further as we work to support Glasgow City Council."

Press release

A Musselburgh fish and chip shop has startexd its own bottle recycling scheme, encouraging customers to return bottles of its own-brand chippy sauce after use.

East Coast Fish & Chips has sold around 6,000 litres of its special sauce every year since 1974, and customers will now get 50p off their next purchase for returning their empties.

"Salt 'n' sauce has always been part of the chip shop tradition across this part of Scotland, so we like to honour that tradition with our very own branded East Coast chippy sauce," said owner of the award-winning chippie, Carlo Crolla.

"We’re also keen to do our bit to help the environment, so we sell our chippy sauce in glass bottles."

East Lothian Courier

Tesco says its new ready meal packaging initiative will create the industry's first tray-to-tray recycling scheme.

In collaboration with packaging manufacturer Faerch, the supermarket will take PET waste collected at kerbside in Europe and convert it back into food-grade trays with a minimum recycled content of 30%.

"We are determined to close the loop on our packaging – for it to be fully recyclable and contain recycled content wherever possible," said Tesco's packaging development manager, Adele Kearns.

A phased rollout will begin this month across the company's own-brand chilled ready meals.

Faerch UK's strategic sales manager, Ruth Price, said the company's eventual plan was to increase the level of tray-to-tray content but also to take the recycled plastic from local feedstocks.

Press release

WRAP's textiles campaign – aimed at raising awareness of the value of clothes to reduce waste – has been archived.

The campaign was launched in 2014 as part of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan. WRAP said it was stopping due to a change in funding priorities and following feedback from the Textiles 2030 working group.

"While the Love Your Clothes brand comes to an end, reducing the environmental impact of clothing across the UK and influencing a more circular approach to clothing globally remains key to WRAP's mission," said the charity.

WRAP

Bath and North East Somerset Council have announced that the first phase of its Keynsham Recycling Hub will open on 17 April.

"This new purpose-built public household waste and recycling centre will be quicker and easier for residents to use, with expanded recycling provision to make it possible for people to recycle even more," said Mandy Bishop, the council's chief operating officer.

The current recycling centre, on Pixash Lane, will close and be incorporated into the new construction. Phase two of the scheme is expected to be completed over the winter, as will landscaping around the site.

Press release

A YouGov survey has found that 19% of UK consumers want to use their smartphone for more than five years, with only 1% saying they wished to replace their device more than once a year.

Just over one in ten respondents, in a survey of 2,018 adults, said they would use a device for between one and two years before replacing it.

"Even though four-fifths of consumers in the UK want to use their smartphones for over two years (82%), only a fifth of them consider the number of years of software updates available an important factor when buying a new device (20%)," said YouGov.

It found that consumers who spend over £1000 on their devices are almost four times likelier to switch within a year, while a quarter of budget phone buyers say they would use their phone for more than five years.

Press release

UK fragrance retailer The Perfume Shop has launched its largest ever bottle recycling scheme, with recycling units placed across all of its 211 stores.

For every bottle dropped at these points, the company will make a donation to the Eden Reforestation Project, and the customer will receive 15% off same-day purchases.

"When we launched the bottle recycling initiative it was the first of its kind for perfume bottles which we hadn't seen before," said managing director Gill Smith.

"We knew we wanted our loyal customers to both smell good but also feel good when they were aware what they could do with their empty fragrance bottles."

Retail Gazette

Documents released alongside last month's Spring Budget show that the landfill tax rate for England and Northern Ireland will be less than feared.

Figures from the HMRC show that the standard rate for active waste will rise from £102.1 to £103.7 per tonne, and the lower rate for inert waste would increase from £3.25 to £3.30 per tonne.

With the tax rising in line with the retail price index, some had predicted that next year's increase could be as high as 10%.

HMRC

Orpington-based waste company BSP (Knockholt) Ltd has been fined £150,000 for a series of health and safety offences.

The company received the fine from the City of London Magistrates Court last month after failing to act on improvement notices issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) more than two years before.

HSE inspections in August 2020 found that employees manually sorting through waste were at risk of being struck by heavy machinery, while there were inadequate rest facilities. A further inspection in February 2021 found no improvements.

Speaking after the 22 March hearing, HSE inspector Gordon Carson said: "BSP (Knockholt) Limited showed a disregard for the safety and health of its employees by failing to take action."

Press release

Waste management company Collard has doubled the capacity of its Reading materials recovery facility (MRF) with the installation of new equipment from Terex.

Managing director Robert Collard said the new equipment would help drive the company's zero waste to landfill commitment and increase recycling rates.

"Terex Recycling Systems and Molson Green worked with us to ensure the design, delivery and installation of our new plant worked around our site operations, also taking into consideration our site preparation works that included foundations, building modifications and power supply."

Terex specialises in modular recycling systems and the Reading facility is now able to process skip waste to produce 0-10mm fines, ferrous metals, clean 10-100mm heavy fraction (inert), non-ferrous metals, wood, plastic, paper & card, and clean +100m heavy fraction (inert) materials.

Press release

Microsoft has created controllers for its Xbox consoles made from recycled plastic resin and regrind.

Remix Special Edition controllers are made from previously moulded parts used in discarded controllers as well as materials reclaimed from items such as automotive headlight covers, plastic water jugs and CDs.

"We drew inspiration from natural landscapes and the physical world around us when designing the Remix Special Edition controller," read a press release from Microsoft.

The bright green Xbox button, D-pad, and front case color [sic] are inspired by lichen found in the Pacific Northwest Forest. The bumpers, triggers, and side grip areas feature a topographic texture pattern, a nod to the earth's dynamic landscape, while maintaining the tactility that our customers like."

They will be available for purchase from 18 April.

Press release

International engineering consultant COWI has completed the initial stages of carbon capture and storage installation at an energy-from-waste plant in Runcorn.

COWI says the completed pre-FEED is its first such project in the UK and makes the Runcorn facility – operated by Viridor – one of the first in the world to have the technology fitted.

"Deploying carbon capture and storage in the UK will be pivotal to reaching net zero by 2050," said Damian McGirr, senior market director at COWI.

"Projects like this will play a key role in helping the UK reach its goals by accelerating the adoption of CCS technologies in the industrial sector and we are delighted to be part of that journey."

When completed, the system will capture around 900,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Press release

Volunteers are calling for all councils to scan all deceased cats to be scanned for microchips by UK councils.

The Pets (Microchips) Bill – also known as ‘Gizmo's Law’, after a pet in Bury killed by a car and sent to landfill in 2016 – will have its second reading in Parliament this month.

Gizmo's owner, Helena Abrahams, began the campaign to reunite pet owners with the animals rather than have council road sweepers dispose of them.

The ‘Gizmo's Legacy’ website sees thousands of volunteers monitoring the group's accounts, responding to news of deceased pets in order to reach the animals and scan for chips.

Abrahams said: "Why DEFRA insist on saying the councils are following ‘Best Practice’ is so frustrating, when Gizmo's Legacy have proved hardly any councils scan, let alone bother to check the database, if they actually have a cat that is chipped in their possession.

"No more cats should go to landfill. Owners must get the closure they need. Much loved pets deserve respect."

Metro

Recycling and waste management company Recycling Lives is providing bespoke vehicles and parts to help train prisoners.

The mechanics course, run by welfare services provider PeoplePlus, aims to help inmates find work after their release. It has donated the cars and parts for 12 months, after which they will be recycled and replaced.

"We believe in getting people into a sustainable circle of opportunity where a stable job can mean a life change, and it's programmes like this at HMP Stocken that can really make a difference," said Barry Flanagan, Recycling Lives’ social sustainability manager.

Keeley Moore, head of reducing reoffending at HMP Stocken, said: "The cars and parts Recycling Lives have donated are specified according to the needs of the programme and are vital in achieving the mechanical qualifications we run at HMP Stocken, contributing significantly to those on the course finding meaningful employment when they are released from custody."

Press release

Powerday has announced a target to reach net zero for its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040.

The London-based recycling and waste management company has been measuring its Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2020. It has set this net zero target, relative to a 2021 baseline, with interim goals of a 20% reduction in 2023, 35% by 2026 and 50% by 2030. The commitment has been registered with SME Climate Hub so as to count towards the UN Race to Net Zero.

Powerday managing director Liam Kearney said: "We fully recognise the climate emergency and the urgent need for climate action. We believe that achieving net zero as quickly as possible is essential for our business, and want to ensure that our target and roadmap are robust yet ambitious."

Press release

Andusia has signed a contract with a new RDF supply partner, Norfolk-based, East Coast Waste (ECW).

The collaboration will see 10,000 tonnes of RDF exported from ECW's Great Yarmouth base to an EfW facility in Germany, over a 12-month period.

ECW, founded by Paul Clements, offer a total waste management service, boasting two purpose-built waste transfer stations in Great Yarmouth. Having been in the industry for over 40 years, and employing three generations of the Clements’ family, they are one of the largest private businesses of their type in the Norfolk area.

Press release

Compliance scheme Ecosurety is offering a free trial to the Ecosurety Hub website includes access to a range of in-depth digestible knowledge articles, bite-sized videos, and live webinar recordings to help all UK packaging producers to understand the complex new extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation.

Ecosurety said this would help alleviate the "frustration and confusion expressed by packaging producers around the fragmented and delayed information released by Government".

The service includes help on identifying whether packaging EPR applies to their organisation, liabilities, costs and data requirements, and best best practices for data collection.

Press release

Waste plastic road company has been nominated for the Earthshot Prize environmental awards, backed by Sir David Attenborough and HRH The Prince of Wales.

The Earthshot Prize celebrates and rewards the most innovative solutions to combating the Earth's environmental crisis and was launched in 2020 to inspire new ways to safeguard our future.

Based in Lockerbie, MacRebur processes waste plastics otherwise destined for landfill or incineration. Its method produces pellet-like granules which are then integrated into asphalt. The use of recycled plastic means a reduction in the volume of bitumen - a fossil fuel - needed in the mix.

Press release