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“The SKIP” Issue 56 March 2010

stevewild — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:07:32 +0000

Fly tipping extreme

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Magnetic

Dave — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:29:38 +0000

CSWDC (Coventry & Solihull Waste Disposal Co Ltd) are one of only a few LAWDC’s (Local Authority Waste Disposal Company) remaining in the UK.
They are a small privately owned Waste Management company, with experience in many aspects of Waste Management including Incineration, Public Waste Site, Landfill. They are owned jointly by Coventry City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, who have a vested interest in ensuring the company does the best for the community.
Over 70 Operational and Administrative staff are employed at CSWDC and the plant runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In 2001 the plant boasted incineration figures of up to 220,000 tonnes per year and power generation of 17.7MW/hour together with 9MWt of heat for local use, thanks to the addition of a large Public Waste Recycling and Disposal Facility and a second power generation plant.
35 years ago CSWDC purchased an Overband magnet to function within the incineration plant. They purchased the magnet from the company formerly known as Industrial Magnets Ltd, the overband was designed by an engineer named Geoff Worley. He designed the overband using the old fashioned method of pencil and drawing board, long before Auto CAD and Computers were used.
Geoff later went on to start his own magnet company, Master Magnets Ltd which was established in 1978, over the years Master Magnets prospered and its product range, services, capabilities and facilities grew with the company.
Industrial Magnets were eventually taken over by Integrated Recycling Systems (IRS) Ltd, and then just to complete the circle Master Magnets acquired IRS Ltd in 2005 expanding their capabilities even further.
Early in 2006 CSWDC contacted Master Magnets after finding out they are now the parent company of IRS Ltd and thus Industrial Magnets. CSWDC explained to Master Magnets Ltd that their Overband magnet which was originally bought from Industrial Magnets Ltd 35 years ago no longer operated, and they wished to either replace it or purchase a new one, they were very surprised the find out that Geoff is now the Chairman of Master Magnets and he is still fully involved within the Magnet industry.
Master Magnets recommended that a site visit would be beneficial, to enable a Mastermag engineer to evaluate if the unit needs to be replaced or repaired. After a discussion with head office and CSWDC, the engineer decided that the best strategy would be to design and manufacture a new overband magnet. The new magnet would prove to be more efficient incorporating a more modern design.
The proposed Overband Magnet would have to meet CSWDC requirements.
It will be required to be able to extract metal from incinerator ash moving at approximately 12 tonnes/hr.
It will be required to be able to operate at a working gap of 300mm.
It should be heavy duty and capable of handling warm material straight from the incinerator ash.
It must operate over a belt width of 1.5 metres.
After Master Magnets fully understood CSWDC requirements they were able to quote the appropriate overband. Master Magnets recommended that CSWDC should replace the old unit with an Oil Cooled Coil Wound (OCW) Overband magnet. The OCW overband has a high magnetic strength producing 869 gauss at the required working gap of 300mm, more powerful than the previous unit installed which could only produce 500 gauss. Due to the high magnetic strength the overband would be able to work at an increased operating gap if required enabling it to extract ferrous from a deeper burden, and at a faster speed thus increasing the feed rate.
CSWDC were impressed with the proposed solution, and they understood the potential benefits that the stronger magnet would give. Consequently they agreed to place an order. The overband was custom designed and manufactured to fit directly into their incineration plant conveyor, the unit weighed just over 5 tonnes meaning that the frame supporting the unit had to be specially modified.
The overband is now in full operation at Coventry working within their incineration plant. CSWDC expect the unit to pay for itself within months, and the overband is expected to last for another 35 years or more.
For more information call 0844 560 7706 and quote ‘Magnetic’

This article originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine

Nick Brookes Get Hooked on Volvo

Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:26:48 +0000

Cheshire-based demolition, recycling and waste disposal specialists, Nick Brookes has taken delivery of a new 13 litre Volvo FM 8×4 hook lift fitted with a tri-axle close coupled trailer plus a Boughton hookloader and Kwikcova system.

Based from their state-of-the-art recycling centre near Nantwich, Nick Brookes has seen continued growth since they were established over 15 years ago. According to Nick Brooke’s Transport Manager, Gary Edwards, this has been possible as “the company always invest in the best equipment for the task in hand.”
Their latest arrival is no exception; the FM-440 is plated for 32 tonne gross combination weight and has been specified with a manual gearbox, a Day cab in ‘Fleet’ trim, as well as the additional drawbar specification.
At present the company runs a mixed fleet of 25 vehicles, 8 of which are Volvo. Gary commented, “Volvo has been extremely competitive on price and having reliable, local backup support in the form of Thomas Hardie Commercials has been a major factor in our recent purchases.”
Along with the rest of Nick Brookes’ fleet the new FM will be used on domestic and commercial recycling contracts across the Northwest, which help reclaim around 87% of the waste collected.
The new arrival joins another two recently-purchased Volvo FL and FE-240 skip loaders in the fleet.
For more information call 0844 560 7706 and quote ‘Nick Brookes’
This article originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine

The Garbage Guru

Dave — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 09:18:00 +0000

Electronic recycling is big news at the moment but there are still lots of companies and individuals who are still unsure of the best way to go about getting rid of old computers. In the following article I’ll be handing out four top computer recycling tips for those eager to find out more about the do’s and the don’ts.
Tip 1
Firstly, make sure you clear your computer of all your personal information or business files – you don’t want to run the risk of any important data falling into the wrong hands! By running a disc-cleaning utility you’ll be able to ensure that all the partitions on your hard drive are overwritten, which in turn will mean all data will be unrecoverable.
Tip 2
If your unwanted computer is still working why not donate it to a school or a charity. The computer will need to be under five years old in order for it to be of use. If it is older than this return it to the manufacturer or take it to a computer refurbisher. Dell are just one of many companies who now accept their old computers back and in turn recycle them for you.
Tip 3
Don’t forget to include all the computer’s accessories if you choose to donate it. Make sure the keyboard, mouse, printer, modem and all the software packages are included. Schools, charities and other non-profit organisations can nearly always put them to good use, but most organisations only accept complete computer systems.
Tip 4
Any computers that are over five years old or are no longer working should always be tagged for recycling. A computer recycler will be able to remove any of the hazardous elements and break the computer down into its various parts before it’s recycled. Two well known computer recycling companies are ITGreen (0870 3000905) and Computer Salvage Specialists (01635 552666).
Email the Garbage Guru at theguru@theskip.net to ask any questions about the murky world of waste. For more tips visit www.skiphiremagazine.co.uk
This article originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine

True Blue

Dave — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 09:21:05 +0000

“Blue Is the Colour”, sang Chelsea FC in 1972 and whilst such a song may not seem particularly relevant to waste management, it is a sentiment very much on the lips of Weir Waste Service Limited in Birmingham this month.

A long-term Blue Machinery customer, Weir Waste, happy to announce the installation of a Kiverco static waste processing plant at their modern recycling premises at Bordsley Green, Birmingham.
Primarily sorting and processing C&D waste, the Kiverco plant forms the first stage in a development of the site to enable Weir Waste to recycle both heavy and light waste.
Blue Machinery was recently appointed as a main distributor for the Kiverco range and this is the first major Kiverco plant to be sold and brought on stream by Blue Machinery Southern and is believed to be the largest static installation of its kind in the West Midlands.
The plant consists of a series of Kiverco units linked to form an integrated processing stream. A vibrating pan feeder has a variable speed, angle and throw to efficiently break up sticky material prior to the waste passing an overband magnet to remove tramp metals before it enters a Kiverco KL 830 Trommel for the screening process. The KL 830 Trommel separates 0-25mm soil/fines and 25-50mm filler material which is subsequently crushed to produce a high quality recycled aggregate.
Next, the waste passes an air separator to remove lightweight materials and from there, it is conveyed to a picking station where wood and other recyclables are removed to produce clean hardcore as the final product at the end of the conveyor.
Weir Waste reckons it is recycling between 85% and 90%, which is not only creating a wide range of saleable clean recycled materials but also vastly reducing tip-to-landfill waste.
Recycled aggregate is used in non-structural concrete, for haul roads and as a civil engineering and construction sub-base material; timber is sold on for chipping and shredding and paper is baled by Weir and sold for subsequent pulping. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals are taken by metal merchants in the region.
“We’re averaging 600 tonnes through this plant every day” says Managing Director Danny Weir.
“When we were looking to develop our site, we needed to replace the plant we bought some time back from Blue Machinery Southern. They recommended the Kiverco system and we are very pleased with its performance. We have worked with Blue Machinery for many years now and, once again, their expert advice and after sales support have been invaluable. They are very much a one-stop-shop for us for a wide range of recycling plant and equipment and, naturally, we are also talking to them about the light waste materials processing plant which is Phase Two of our development programme.”
Weir Waste Services Limited is a long established family owned organisation, with father Ron Weir and son Danny running the day-to-day operation. In addition to their major investment in the new Kiverco static plant at the Bordsley Green premises, Weir Waste has a modern fleet of Fuchs materials handlers and Komatsu loading shovels feeding the processing machinery, stockpiling and carrying out other duties.
For more information call 0844 560 7706 and quote ‘True Blue’

This article originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine

Letters

Dave — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:13:53 +0000

National Skip Hire Association – Sign Up Now!
Dear The Skip,
After a very interesting visit to the Recycling & Waste Management Exhibition at Birmingham NEC it was a pleasure to see so many companies presenting their services in such a professional manner. Steve Wild of “The Skip” magazine introduced me to many of the exhibitors and the feedback was tremendous with regard to the setting up of The National Skip Hire Association. I can honestly say that the feeling was 100% positive and the support I received on the day was overwhelming.
However, the truth of the matter is somewhat different, after inserting 3900 flyers in the last issue of the “The Skip” we have received only 11 replies, from those 11 only 6 have actually signed up to the NSHA.
We have now taken on a new membership coordinator, Mark Williams and he will be contacting Skip Hire firms over the next few months to invite them into membership.
My background for the last 23 years, has been running a very successful trade association that was started from scratch and has now developed into the largest in its field. I am fully aware of the pitfalls and hard work that goes into the running of a successful trade association and it is difficult to start from scratch but doggedness and enthusiasm will prevail. I have so much confidence that the National Skip Hire Association will become a force to be reckoned with, membership will grow steadily over the next few years and success brings success.
All successful trade associations are only successful because they work on numbers. We are looking to recruit around 1000 members in year one and grow from there, once we have sufficient numbers we will be able to work on issues that are important to our industry. You all know how difficult it is to get Government to listen to you as an individual. But as a major force they do listen and things do get done.
I urge you all to send in your application forms and get the National Skip Hire Association off the ground – we need to work together. Our website is almost ready, all members will have a free webpage linked to their own and there will be an Associate members website for manufacturers of waste/recycling machinery, suppliers of vehicles/skips etc.
If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me on
01206 307107 or visit our temporary website at www.nsha-uk.co.uk
Allan Buchan
National Skip Hire Association
THE SKIP SAYS: Thanks for your letter Allan. It seems a huge shame that more skip hire companies haven’t responded to the flyers as yet, but I’m sure many firms out there who are reading this now, will be in touch over the next few weeks. Best of luck with your plans and make sure you keep ‘The Skip’ regularly informed as to how things are shaping up!
Shooting Intruders
Dear The Skip,
I read with interest your account of bears raiding bins in Canada (Scare Bears – Page 5, Issue 25 – and it was Colorado USA – but we’ll let you off Roger! – Ed).
Whilst brown bears and grizzleys are a bit thin on the ground in the Bury area, we do have nocturnal visits from some strange looking creatures! Usually dressed in tatty anoraks and wearing baseball caps, they appear in the night and scour our skips for anything of value. Despite the barbed wire and greased walls they still manage to enter and leave at will too.
What they find is a mystery to me. Anyone who has ever met a skip driver knows that nothing worth a jot is left in a skip once they’ve been through it! Like specially trained police dogs they can sniff out copper, brass and anything else of value.
We have CCTV cameras in our yard and I have watched our night-time visitors scouring the skips. One once spent ages filling a rucksack with Playstation 2 games, but all the boxes were empty and he didn’t bother checking them! It’s legal in Bury to shoot intruders – but only with a video camera!
Yours
Roger Upton,
Dusty Bin Skips, Bury
THE SKIP SAYS: Thanks for your very witty letter Roger. The similarities between Grizzleys and Scallies are clearly numerous!
Dubai Query
Dear The Skip,
Are there any skip companies in Dubai?
I am an Australian Project Manager working for a new company in Dubai that
want to set better standards of safety and site cleanliness.
I\’m fitting out a new building for Dubai Properties and would like to use
skips on this proiect and mobile wheely bins to bring the rubbish down.
If you can assist with some contacts I’d much appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Craig Adams
THE SKIP SAYS: Thanks for your letter Craig. Good to hear The Skip magazine is being read all over the world! Although you’ve left no contact details, some of our readers may be able to help by contacting us with their ideas.
Readers! If anybody out there knows of any skip companies in Dubai, contact us at the usual address and we’ll post the message up onto our website for Craig.
These letters originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine

Skip Watch with Branston Cowdell

Dave — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:07:52 +0000

What a weird and wonderful world the internet is! There was a time not so long ago when all it was useful for was buying a book or looking at rude pictures on. Now you can find almost anything on it whether it’s footage of Britney Spears’s latest woeful MTV “comeback” or some anonymous skip truck driver dumping rubbish on the drive of a non-paying customer

It’s got it all!
Just last week I stumbled across a website called “NYC Garbage”, where one New York resident has started selling see-through plastic boxes filled with “authentic New York garbage” (www.nycgarbage.com). The boxes also have date stickers on them so you know when the rubbish was picked and the “artist’s” signature underneath.
The man behind the idea is Justin Gignac and his aim was to try to sell something, “that nobody would normally want”. It’s a simple premise and the beauty of the idea is that the rubbish, arranged in the attractive plastic boxes by Justin, ends up looking rather pretty.
The boxes are also leak-proof and odourless and so far Justin has sold 500 of them to people from all corners of the globe. Proof, if proof be needed, that some people will quite literally by any old tat.
That said, I do quite like Justin’s boxes. Their aesthetically pleasing – a bit like all your photos of overloaded skips – however annoying it must be for all you hard working skippies to have to pick them up all the time, I love seeing your photos of them.
This month has been the best yet for entries. I’ve been inundated with photos and I have to say some of them have to be seen to be believed.

The first of this months three chosen entries (above) comes from Wayne Basham, Sales Manager at Dunstable Waste Group in Luton and it’s a real ‘fenced-in fatty’ of a skip. What makes it even more staggering is that this photo was supposedly taken after the customer had taken some off the top in order to ‘level the load’!

The second entry (above) comes courtesy of the lads at Kelly’s Skips in Swindon. The boys were very impressed by the way this customer had “cast a magic spell” that made 6 yrds worth of fencing fit into a 3 yrd skip. It’s another classic example of the ‘fencing’ technique employed by many a cheeky skip-hirer across the country – and a well organised one too.

This months winner (above), was sent in by Swift Skips in Telford, and it has to be the best yet in my eyes. The staff at Swift described it as a, “4 yard skip with 40 yards of rubbish in” – which isn’t far from the truth. It’s got rubber tyres in, things that look like they’re exploding out of it – it’s an absolute mess. There’s no vaguely pretty ‘fencing’ technique going on here – it’s just a great, big monstrosity.
The Swift Skips photo will clearly take some beating but if you see something even more ridiculous on your travels and think it’s worthy of inclusion here – take a photo of and email your entry through to the usual address or post it to – The Skip Magazine, Metropolitan House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, SK8 7GA
The gauntlet has once more been laid down!

SKIP HUNK OF THE MONTH

Dave — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:31:05 +0000

Davro, Ball and Brown – stand aside! There’s a new Bobby in town and not only that – he’s our skip hunk for September!!!

Bobby’s a happy, chatty, beer drinking Stockport guy and a big Manchester Uni…oops, I mean ‘City’ fan.
So then Bobby tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I’m a Class 2 Skip Driver and a footie fan – but I don’t do the two things together or I’d crash the wagon!!!
And what do you like most about your job?
Finishing work at the end of the day and the boss buying us all beers in the local pub in Edgeley (what a nice guy! – Ed)
Apart from football what are your other hobbies?
Beer and Skip Chicks!!!!
Good selection. So, do you consider yourself a bit of a ‘catch’ with the women then, Bobby?
Nah, I’m not really that hunky – the lads have put me forward for Skip Hunk of the Month, it’s a good laugh though innit!!
And how do you think this interview and your picture will go down with the lads at work?
They’ve all said they are gonna take loads of copies and put my picture up in all the pubs around Stockport and Edgeley – ESPECIALLY the Prince Albert!!!!
Good luck then and thanks Bobby!
Looks like our September Skip Hunk is going to become a local celebrity!!!
LOOK OUT FOR HIM ALL YOU STOCKPORT LASSIES OUT THERE!!!

Bridgend Blaze

Dave — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:25:00 +0000

Over twenty fire-fighters were called to battle a blaze at a South Wales recycling plant recently when fifty tonnes of waste and plant machinery caught fire.
The fire at Nolan Recycling Ltd in Stormy Down, Bridgend, took hold in the early hours of the morning and fire-fighters from across South Wales were called to the plant to help put out the huge blaze.
As yet Police haven’t been able to confirm how the fire had started or whether it’s being treated as suspicious or not.
Fortunately no-one was injured in the blaze but it is thought that much of the building has suffered extensive damage from the fire.
A spokesman for South Wales Police said, “The fire caused a bit of disruption to traffic on the A48.
“We are asking workers at neighbouring quarries to use other routes.”
Nolan Recycling Ltd is a well respected, family-run business, with over twenty five years waste management experience.
Investigations are now under way to find out the cause of the fire and police are encouraging anyone who may have seen anything to get in touch.
This article originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine

Grind-Scouse

Dave — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:22:05 +0000

Skip truck driver, Steve Potts, had a bizarre celebrity encounter last month after bumping into film director, Quentin Tarantino on the streets of Liverpool.
It may sound like PULP FICTION but Tarantino was in Liverpool to promote his new Grindhouse-inspired film, Death Proof and had got lost wandering around.
Kind-hearted Steve spotted the Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill director looking confused and after a quick double-take drove over to see if he needed any help.
Steve, who works for CCS Skiphire in Kirkby, said of his chance encounter with the movie legend, “ “I didn’t know he was in town so when I drove past I didn’t think for one second that he was the real thing.
“As luck would have it, I was due to pick up a skip from a site opposite the Hope Street Hotel where he was staying during his visit.
“A crowd was gathered outside so I asked someone what was happening and was told that Quentin Tarantino was staying there and I realised it must have been him who I’d seen.
“I loaded the skip onto the truck and drove back the way I came to see if I could spot him”.
Steve eventually spotted Tarantino for a second time by a set of traffic lights still looking slightly lost.
“I yelled to him ‘Wait there Quentin, mate, I’ll come and give you a lift’ and then drove round to get him” Steve added.
He then took a few photos of the director, to show his mates down the pub and chatted to Tarantino about Liverpool.
Steve said: “He was very nice and really chatty. He told me he liked the city and found the people here very friendly”.
Readers! Have you ever had any famous encounters whilst driving your trucks around town or taking orders in the office? Steve’s set the bar pretty high with his Tarantino encounter. If you have a celebrity tale you’d like to tell, get in touch with us at the usual address.
This article originally appeared in Issue 27 of The Skip magazine