If Tippi Hedren had heard of Wingaway perhaps Hitchcock’s The Birds might have been a slightly less frightening film…
Wingaway Alarm Cry Bird Scarers are a really effective method of removing and keeping birds away from landfill areas and other problem locations like waste transfer Stations, airports, marinas and farms.
There are four standard types of machine and ten standard cries that can be used. Originally developed in the 1970s the cries were recorded by the then MAFF on behalf of the RAF to protect both their aircraft and their airports in general.
Units are available now and in order to get the most from the equipment it is important it is used correctly. Because of this, Wingaway also offer a complete consultation service to establish, in detail, the problem as well as supplying detailed instructions with each unit.
Because Wingaway do not harm the birds (and never have!), the system is looked on very favourably by the RSPB and many environmental organisations and is seen as a very effective solution to what can be an extremely annoying problem.
Wingaway is one of the longest established bird scaring organisations in the UK an it has proved that, when used correctly, alarm cries are one of the most effective methods of removing and deterring birds both immediately and in the long term.
This article originally appeared in Issue 20 of The Skip magazine

Clive Carr from Singh (UK) Ltd in Cambridgeshire has entered this year’s London Marathon!
Clive, who is currently training six days a week for the race, is taking on the challenge in order to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. And he’s simply relishing the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jimmy Saville, Paula Radcliffe and some fool in a deep sea diving suit, even the though the last time he entered the race was over 17 years ago.

Talking exclusively to The Skip, Clive said, “This is a great charity to run for as they provide high quality nursing totally free, to give terminally ill people the choice of dying at home supported by their families. Marie Curie also have Hospices and carry out research to find better ways of treating cancer”.
If you would like to support Clive’s bid to raise £2000 for the Charity please go online on: www.justgiving.com/clivecarr
Marie Curie will receive all donations quickly and easily.
This article originally apeared in Issue 20 of The Skip magazine

Clogs, tulips, sex shows, soft drugs, cheese! No I’m not talking about a night round at Michael Barrymore’s house! I’ve just been to Amsterdam and I saw some beautiful skips in my time there. The Dutch certainly know how to use a skip (look at the yellow skip below) not only is it filled with nothing but wood, it also looks like a work of art (in my eyes at least).

The Netherlands in general has a great record when it comes to the environment. Their glass recycling rate for instance is one of the highest in Europe, at a whopping 80%. When you consider that the UK’s is somewhere around the 22% mark it just highlights how far ahead of us they are. In the Netherlands it’s a way of life – over here we only seem to be just starting to understand how important it really is.
In Amsterdam everyone rides around on a bike too. That’s something (even with the introduction of the congestion charge in London) that doesn’t happen in Britain’s major cities. Cyclists are few and far between here and it simply doesn’t make sense. Amsterdam has clean air, very little rubbish and apart from the huge amounts of dog shit on the streets is a very, very clean city.
The Dutch seem relaxed and authoritative at the same time when it comes to managing their waste. Maybe it’s the strange smelling smoke that creeps from their coffee shops that keeps them so mellow or perhaps looking after the environment is just second nature to them. If large skips can fit on a road without disturbing traffic then they get put there.
A stroll through the notorious Red Light District on my last day in Amsterdam was disappointing, however. A part of me hoped to see latex skips sat on street corners looking mysterious and sultry. But nothing! Maybe waste management can’t be sexy but it can certainly be efficient and well organised. The Dutch seem to have it sussed – now it’s up to us to follow suit.

Midlands based, Mid UK Recycling has developed the country’s first commercial process to totally recycle plasterboard – and the really good news is it costs up to 30% less than other methods off plasterboard disposal. The process recycles 100% of the plasterboard, currently accounting for up around half a million tons of landfill waste each year, underlining the company’s strong green credentials.
This breakthrough technology has been made by Mid UK Recycling, one of the country’s leading independent recycling companies and has taken several years to develop. It gives the skip industry and other partners the opportunity to further increase recycling rates.
‘Building waste is the biggest single component of landfill representing around 70% of the total. Such developments to positively recycle building waste are vital if the government’s landfill reduction targets are to be met,’ explains Chris Mountain managing director of Mid UK Recycling. ‘The process which has included the development of special shredders, magnets, gravity separators, screens and extreme dust extraction machines, importantly the process totally separates the paper from the gypsum – a highly complex and difficult process as both are bonded together.’
‘A vital part of our development has been to make it make commercial sense for the building industry. Often the green option is more costly but in this case it can save builders and contractors up to 30% compared with other methods of plasterboard disposal.’
‘The whole process has been developed by Mid UK Recycling and includes bespoke machines designed and produced especially for us. To commission such a system is also very time consuming – it has taken almost a year from the installation of the plant for us to launch the full commercial service.’
The quality of the recycled gypsum is so pure, 97.5% as opposed to only 70% for that which is mined, that it provides a double environmental whammy, reducing gypsum mining and energy used in its refining process. The other reclaimed materials from the plasterboard, paper and metal, are recycled along with other Mid UK products. Further environmental benefits are provided by the reduction in lorry movements and fuel taking plasterboard, which is much less efficient to transport than gypsum, to landfill.
‘Recycling is now important for businesses. It is not just a question of meeting government targets for reducing landfill and renewable energy but also changing corporate cultures to be environmentally friendly. This development fulfils all of these and is an important opportunity for the building sector to seen to be green. With landfill tax rising to over £35 per tonne in the coming years, recycling plasterboard will also save the building industry £15 million per year.’ See the website on www.plasterboardrecycling.co.uk for further information.

Mid UK Recycling Limited – Supporting The Skip Industry
Mid UK Recycling Ltd is one of the Midlands and East of England’s leading partners for skip hire and waste management services. It provides the skip industry with a total disposal and recycling service with materials recovery, recycling facilities and composting. From its two purpose built sites in Peterborough and central Lincolnshire with a capacity of 170,000 tonnes per year, Mid UK Recycling provides a range of complementary specialist recycling services including building and demolition wastes, plasterboard, woodwastes (including vinyl and MDF), paper, cardboard, plastics, green wastes, confidential destruction services, agricultural waste recycling and asbestos disposal.
An independent company, Mid UK Recycling Limited provides customers with a cost effective and flexible service. The company is also one of the countries leading innovators in waste management with a recycling rate approaching 95% of all waste accepted on its sites.
It’s sister company ‘Mountain Transport’ and ‘Mountain Skip Hire & Waste Management’ – have a combined fleet of 50 vehicles registered under ISO9002; ranging from 7.5 – 18 tonne skip loaders and Rolonoff’s (with trailers) through to 44 tonne high volume bulkers, ejectors, walking floors and lowloaders.
For more information contact Chris Mountain on 01400 273888 or visit www.midukrecycling.co.uk
This article originally appeared in Issue 20 of The Skip magazine