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Waste Industry could provide 84,000 UK jobs over ten years

Posted on: May 17th, 2012 by Sam H

According to new research from SITA, the waste management industry has the potential to help the United Kingdom achieve some of its toughest goals in the economy and creating jobs.

The report – Driving Green Growth – the role of the management industry and the circular economy – claimed that, over the next decade, the waste management industry could create 84,000 new jobs.

As well as this, it also found that waste to energy has the potential to meet around half of the country’s residential gas demand.

SITA have said that the report is an attempt to demonstrate the benefits of a ‘circular economy’ – a ‘virtuous cycle’ which creates investment opportunity, innovation, growth, jobs and green energy.

It was also found that, to foster a circular economy, the UK needs a truly integrated policy framework that locks resource and energy use, production, consumption and waste management into a virtuous circle.

Various pieces of EU legislation governing the treatment of waste in the member states, notably the Waste Framework Directive 2008 are driven by the Waste Hierarchy.

According to the report, the legislation has meant that the rules for the industry have been significantly tightened up and also given clear signals regarding where the opportunities lie.

However, the report went on to conclude that the government needed to view the waste industry in a different light – more so as a key area in the broader economic base of the UK – as well as develop growth strategies that plan for optimal utilisation of the material and energy outputs from waste management.

Research shows that, through the use of recycled materials and re-manufacturing opportunities, there is also potential to help reinvigorate the country’s manufacturing sector.

“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,” explained David Palmer Jones, CEO SITA UK.

“The more effective use of recyclables will help reinvigorate UK manufacturing where waste provides the base materials for new products previously destined for landfill,” he added.

In Mr Jones’ opinion, the performance of the waste industry, paired with the continued innovation, makes a compelling case for businesses to unlock the funding and play a vital role in bridging ‘the green gap’ – which would significantly help the UK meet its carbon budget targets in 2020.

The report also warned that potential opportunities through the export of materials and energy – such as RDF – recovered from the waste stream are being missed out on in the UK.

Public perception was also highlighted as an area in which the government could significantly improve. According to the report, encouraging the use of funds and incentives, such as utility discounts could encourage community buy-in for waste projects.

Vince Cable reveals £80m investment in small-scale waste infrastructure

Posted on: May 16th, 2012 by Sam H

It has been revealed by Business Secretary Vince Cable that the UK’s Green Investment Bank has committed to an investment of £80 million to support the small scale waste infrastructure sector. The investments are planned to go towards the development of waste reprocessing and recycling facilities, as well as energy from waste projects and pre-treatment projects.

BIS has announced that every investment will require match funding, which will mean that an additional £80 million of capital will be infused into the sector. Following the EU state aid approval, BIS is currently handling the Green Investment Bank’s three billion pounds in investments ahead of the institution’s formal launch.

“These first investments are a landmark moment. They represent a great opportunity to unlock substantial commercial investment in green technologies and infrastructure,” said Vince Cable.

“The government has committed to setting the UK firmly on course towards a green and growing economy and today is another important step in that direction.

“Investing directly now shows that we are not just sitting on our hands while we wait for the UK Green Investment Bank to receive state aid approval.”

The funds available are more likely to be used to support small to mid-sized waste management projects rather than the very large waste-to-energy projects. Out of the initial funding given, £50 million will be managed by Foresight Group, with the other remaining £30 million to be managed by Greensphere Capital.

Green Investment Bank are going to target five investment areas with the funds they are in control of – two of which are waste recycling and processing and energy from waste generation. The other investment areas include offshore wind projects, non-domestic energy efficiency and green deal energy efficiency scheme.

A spokesperson for the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management said: “It’s really encouraging that waste has been identified as a priority. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the level of investment that will be needed by 2020, so the ability of the bank to leverage further investment will be very important. But this is a very welcome development and we look forward to seeing the lending criteria and which investments will be selected.”

Fears over food waste recycling

Posted on: May 15th, 2012 by Sam H

It has been revealed that Scotland’s environment watchdog is investigating “bioaerosol” pollution which is caused by food and garden recycling, amid fears that it could possibly pose a danger to public health.

There is apparently scientific evidence claiming that large-scale composting plants could cause illness – this has led to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) launching an inquiry.

There are around 160 industrial-sized recycling facilities that have sprung up in Scotland in recent years, recycling tonnes of organic waste from kitchens, restaurants, gardens and farms before turning it into compost. Some researchers fear the sites could exacerbate asthma, respiratory infections and skin complaints in nearby areas with bioaerosols – airborne micro-organisms produced during composting – being released.

The Scottish Government’s ambitious recycling plans – which state that 70% of all waste should be recycled by 2025 – have sparked a huge rise in commercial composting. SNP ministers have supported recycling plants as an environmentally sound solution that cuts the amount of organic waste sent to landfill.

However, scientists are concerned about the health risks that some organisms could have on the public. New restrictions may need to be introduced regarding the location of new facilities and the amount of waste they can actually handle.

The chief executive of SEPA, James Curran, confirmed they are in the process of investigating. He said: “The number of commercial composting facilities in Scotland, and the amount of waste processed, continues to increase. This has led to concerns about the potential for composting activities to cause adverse health effects.

“There are many gaps and uncertainties in our scientific knowledge of the risks, particularly to people with existing health conditions.

“Research is being undertaken with a view to developing a more robust, risk-based and proportionate approach to the monitoring, assessment and regulation of commercial composting.”

The probe also involves experts from Scottish Water Horizons, a commercial recycling arm of Scottish Water and the UK Environment Agency.

The investigation will focus on the bioaerosols that are already in the air, particularly in rural areas and which are produced in large quantities at commercial composting plants and organic recycling facilities.

Camden residents oppose wheelie bin plan

Posted on: May 14th, 2012 by Sam H

Wheelie bins could be introduced across the borough of Camden to help drive up recycling figures, according to a recommendation in a new Town Hall report. However, some residents are opposed to the idea, claiming that they will ruin the look of the area.

Council officers for the Culture and Environment Committee say that Camden is falling behind its recycling targets. The borough has a recycling rate of 32%, which is well behind the Government quotas which call for 50% of all waste to be recycled by 2020.

The Town Hall report reveals that a year after introducing a new system of having door-to-door collections for all recyclable materials – including food and garden waste – the tonnage of rubbish being recycled has not yet risen.

However, civic groups across the borough are concerned about the use of the large, bulky wheelie bins. There are fears that the bins will ruin the look of conservation areas and will not deal with the root cause of the problem.

Belsize Residents Association chairwoman Averil Nottage said that while there were problems with recycling, wheelie bins were not the answer.

She said: “We would be concerned about the impact of wheelie bins in Belsize. We fought long and hard to get rid of estate agent boards and this would be equally damaging to the character of the area.

“But it also would not be practical because of the variety of properties. This is a situation where one size does not fit all.

“A campaign to encourage recycling combined with alternative options for storing it would be a far better way forward.”

A spokesman for Camden Council said that the area faces some challenging issues when it comes to getting more waste of out landfills.

However, he also claimed that Camden had higher recycling rates than Kensington and Chelsea, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, Lambeth and Southwark last year.

As well as that, the spokesman revealed that the Council was reviewing collections that would see residents putting all recyclable goods into one big bin, but that no area had yet been chosen for wheelie bins.

The spokesman added: “We are providing collection services for all the materials that we are able to recycle but the tonnage has not increased over the last year, despite having a new borough-wide food and garden waste service.”

Bourne Skip Hire offer 50,000th customer prize to celebrate landmark

Posted on: May 11th, 2012 by Sam H

Bourne Skip Hire, based on Cherryholt Road in Bourne, South Lincolnshire, hit an important milestone on Wednesday 18 April when they served their 50,000th customer since the company first began ten years ago. To mark the occasion, the company decided to do something a little bit different for the customer who landed on the special number.

The lucky person was Lucy Sandall of Sandall Roofing – who has been a regular customer since the skip hire company was founded back in 2002. She was awarded a bottle of champagne and a free skip, much to her surprise and delight.

She said: “It was a nice surprise. We are regular customers. They are a local business and so are we and it is always nice to try and keep business in Bourne when possible.”

The Managing Director of Bourne Skip Hire, Chris Seggie, said: “We’ve been in business for ten years and we’ve had the 50,000th customer which is a bit of a landmark.

“We have kept a careful track on the number of skips through our invoices and with the 50,000th coming up we thought we would mark the occasion by doing something nice.

“We would like to thank all our customers who have supported us over the years.”