Bags, sacks, bin liners


The significance of the all important bin


For local authorities, the decision to deploy a new container can make or break the introduction of a new material into the recycling collection. Carolyn Cross looks at food waste collections and speaks to container specialists about food waste caddies.


Carolyn Cross Copywriter and PR consultant


I


F I ask you to picture the most glamorous object in your life, you’re unlikely to warm to the thought of a 120-litre wheelie bin. Those of us who work in waste, however, rely on bins, bags and boxes for collecting and


shifting myriad types of rubbish that are then transformed, often by high tech and, arguably, glitzy technologies, into shiny new products. Not so dowdy after all. Maybe I just need to get out more, but


whatever your views on the mystique of containers, there’s no denying that they pull their weight in the recycling workplace. Mark Foxall, LARAC policy officer and


policy and strategy officer at Shropshire Council, says the considered roll-out of containers can have a far reaching impact on a wide range of issues from participation to quality. For example, local authorities are able


to tie in communications with the delivery of new bins, reinforcing messages about contamination or how they prefer material to be presented. The decision to deploy a new container can also make or break the introduction of a new material. Foxall explains: “If you introduce a new


service, by giving the householder a new container it is clearer to them that a change in service is happening and that the householder is required to behave differently to previously. “This should of course be supported by a


pre-notification campaign and more detailed instruction at the time of container delivery.”


Food waste collections Over the last five years, the number of authorities operating food waste collections has increased rapidly, with 72 now collecting food waste separately. Encouraging participation is key, and the manufacturers of collection equipment work hard to develop the most effective hardware. Frazer Walker, director of Ecosac, says it was hands-on experience at Biffa Waste


Management that led him and his wife to go into business selling compostable carrier bags, bin and caddy liners, and food waste bins and caddies. “Biffa was exhibiting at the NEC nine or


10 years ago when an in-vessel composting manufacturer described the problems he had with plastic bags in the system,” recalls Walker. He identified a gap in the market, contacted


a company in Italy which was pioneering the production of compostable bags and has never looked back. All the bags sold by Ecosac are compostable


(as opposed to degradable or biodegradable), and accredited to EN:13432, OK Compost, and OK Compost Home, which shows that the bags are suitable for composting at home, as well as in commercial facilities. Walker says: “We always say to people, ‘if


you don’t see the seed logo, then don’t touch it,’ because that’s the only guarantee that a bag is compostable. The bags are made to order from Novamont’s MaterBi, a cornstarch bio- polymer grown on redundant, set-aside land in Italy and France. Apart from the caddy liners which fit our own ventilated caddy, all our products are bespoke; we take a brief from the customer and purpose-make it so that we know it’s entirely suitable for purpose.”


Making the process cleaner Separate food waste collection trials undertaken by WRAP in 2009 showed that providing residents with caddy liners makes the process cleaner and easier, resulting in greater participation. Walker agrees: “Of course there is an


associated cost with using liners, but for overall cost effectiveness, efficiency in the composting stream and the number of participants taking part and staying on board, it really is very good value for money.” In addition to the bags and liners, Ecosac


has developed its own, ventilated caddy, which Walker says has been well-received by householders. “With food waste collection, if it’s clean then householders will do it. If it’s difficult or dirty, they won’t. Even where you use a liner, if you are using a sealed caddy, the moisture is trapped inside and you still have to wash the caddy out. The advantage of a ventilated caddy is that it’s breathable and the waste dries out incredibly rapidly. “Most of our customers tend to be small


specialist retailers in the food industry, but we do have some very large national customers as well. We’re also gaining customers among residents who have been supplied solid caddies by their local authority and come to us wanting a ventilated caddy instead.” In addition to the ventilated caddy, the


company has also developed a vermin-proof kerbside bin in a range of sizes, with a snap on lock and separate metal handle which saves crew time, during assembly and, later, on collection rounds. For local authorities which might be rolling


out thousands of bins over a short period and trying to maximise efficiencies for collection crews, details like this are crucial.


Compostable bin liners should carry the seed logo 4 November 24 2011


Keeping it Straight Jonathan Straight, CEO of Straight, says that any product developed must meet the needs of the market and that means safe for collection crews, aesthetically pleasing, and


The number of local authorities offering residents a separate food waste collection has increased to 72


appropriate for use in people’s homes and gardens. Straight says the company supplies bins and containers for virtually every element of the domestic and commercial waste streams and has also developed its own products to address perceived shortcomings. “Our kerbside caddy was specifically


designed for UK food waste collections. We had been supplying a similar product, which looked good, but we felt there were flaws in the design which we could improve on. “For example, the original caddy featured


lid pins, which tended to pop out, so we developed our own container without lid pins, thereby circumventing the problem. It is now used by more than 75% of UK local authorities with kerbside food waste collections,” says Straight. The company also worked with a local


authority to develop its wheeled bin inner caddy. This converts a standard two-wheeled container into a recycling station with two compartments, allowing a dual-stream collection within a single container. Like Ecosac, Straight advocates


accreditation. Recycled materials are used www. r e c y c l i n gwa s t ewo r l d . c o . u k


wherever possible and the majority of products carry the Carbon Trust label. The company also provides bins exclusively under the National Home Composting Framework. To combat any suggestion that home


composting may compete with commercial collections, Straight says: “Home composting makes excellent financial sense for local authorities and is also good for the environment: it sits high up in the waste hierarchy and should be promoted even if food waste is collected commercially too.” As one of the largest players in the


business, Straight offers a plethora of services to accompany its core container market. In fact, the company says it is able to


manage entire marketing campaigns, including design, media buying, distribution and PR. If these phrases sound more zappy than


your average bin, perhaps it’s a simple testament to the fact that the cosmopolitan container is having its day.


RWW


• Carolyn Cross Communications provides public relations and copywriting services to the environmental sector


Recycling & WA S T E W O R L D


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