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THE GARBAGE GURU – January 2009

Dave — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:39:07 +0000

TIP 1. Advertise and Capitalise
Advertising is now ‘cheap as chips’! You can haggle like you’re in a Morroccan Bazaar!!! Get full page ads in the Yellow Pages at half the usual rates and ‘beef up’ your web site, making sure your skip company is marketed to its full potential. This way, you’ll be ready for the boom in demand next spring when the property market will take off again… In other words, b****cks to the sceptics and their doom mongering!
TIP 2. Develop Your Existing Employees
That was the message at the launch of a new Diploma programme at the University of Huddersfield.
The new course is practical, flexible and concentrates on the waste and recycling sector, with modules being delivered by industry experts. It provides individuals with a cost-effective package of technical skills and knowledge to enhance business performance, productivity and also motivate staff.
The Diploma is aimed at supervisors and managers already working in the sector along with new entrants who have a background in transport, construction or sales. With a strong focus on practical work-based learning, learners can apply their knowledge to the real world.
For more information on the Diploma, or to discuss your specific requirements, call Mike Hibbert, University of Huddersfield, on: (01484) 472973, email M.Hibbert@hud.ac.uk or theguru@theskip.net

THE GARBAGE GURU

Dave — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:31:10 +0000

WHERE’S MY TAX BREAK?

TIP 1. WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT CARBON OFFSETTING…
I believe that all of us in the recycling sector should be writing to our MPs and complaining about the lack of incentives we get for our recycling efforts.
Take my document shredding company, A2 Shred Ltd, for example. We recycled fifty tonnes of office paper which we then sold on to a paper merchant. At the same time, my 2.7 litre diesel car is taxed at 189gm per kilometer!
Surely we recyclers should get a vehicle tax break on wagons and cars which are actually being used to contribute towards the greening of our country and planet! Many other industry sectors receive tax breaks as an incentive to act in an environmentally responsible manner. Isn’t it time that industries like ours were all given a bit of relief in recognition of the work we’re actually doing? Why should a skip lorry on it’s way to a transfer station, where most of its contents will be recycled and saved from landfill, pay the same tax as the lorry in front which is taking over-packaged, unnecessary items to an unethical company, adding to the global problem rather than working to improve it like us?
Enough is enough, I say. Time to make a noise about it. If enough of us write to our MPs, we just might get a result. Let’s make those politicians work for their money… OUR money!
TIP 2. Nifty thrifty home made sprinkler systems
Waste Transfer Stations can get incredibly dusty in no time at all, so why not consider fitting a home made sprinkler system?
You can make your own recycled sprinkler system by using reclaimed, redundant fire sprinkler pipework, which is readily available from demolition jobs.
Carl Belford from Belford Brothers Skip Hire, Stoke-on-Trent, has recently done this very successfully.
You can reach Carl on 01782 544 868.
TIP 3. Cash in on electrical waste
When getting rid of IT Waste, WEEEE or old computers etc, check out this web site: www.recycle.co.uk. There could be a market for that pile of old computers that is ££££££s more than the scrap value.
TIP 4. Keep the noise down!
My ears are still banging from when I was playing in a rock band many years ago…
If you have a transfer station, be sure your staff have adequate hearing protection in picking stations or when working with trommels or vibrating screens.
TIP 5. Free Training
Level 2 Waste Management courses are grant-aided in some regions. Liverpool, Wigan and other UK districts are earmarked for training money from the Government. Contact me for more information…
TIP 6. Protect your fuel supplies
The price of diesel is going to go through the roof shortly. This will make it an even bigger target for thieves – both external and internal!
A good way to prevent theft is to contact www.johnhoggtechnicalservices.co.uk, as they can supply an invisible or visible dye. Staff can then be ‘advised of it’s presence’. Prevention is often cheaper than cure!

Garbage Guru

Dave — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:00:26 +0000

Four days in the life of The Garbage Guru…
Day 1
Today I rescued a German Overstrung Piano from a Skip at J & B skip hire in Northwich (see photo). Proving that skip scavenging can be a great way of finding something for Christmas!
Day 2
This morning I arranged a photo shoot with Polish skip chick (see photo). Hopefully The Skip will feature her in one of their forthcoming editions. Oooh – it’s a tough life!
Then at 10 pm I got called out to deal with incident at a recycling plant in Liverpool. A Slovakian Recycling Operative had caused an accident with a 15 Tonne Volvo Loading Shovel causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. This just goes to show how vital it is that all recycling plants maintain a training matrix which cross references the machines on site with the machine operatives. It could cost you thousands otherwise.
Day 3
Fireworks started going off in an FEL Wagon at Gaskells Recycling Centre in Liverpool whilst I was training a new Operations Manager for COTF. Remember – training with proper certification will reduce insurance premiums.
Day 4
Spent the day COTC Training for Wigan Council.
Employers – remember to feed your pickers – it’s the perfect weather for porridge – it won’t slow them down and it’ll make them eager to work harder! Remember our lives are not in the lap of the gods, but in the lap of our cooks!
Email the Garbage Guru at

to ask any questions about the murky world of waste.