News Editorial


Metals, lords-a-leaping and bonkers amendments


EVERYONE’S GOBmust have felt well and truly smacked earlier this week when the news broke that LordMcNally, Lib Dem justice minister, had proposed an exemption in an amendment to the Legal Aid Bill for “itinerant collectors” enabling them to carry on plying their trade in cash while legitimate scrap dealers are banned from doing so. My namesake, Lord Faulkner of


Worcester (no relation), is reported to have vowed to fight the move. Hopefully he is armed and dangerous and will successfully rout LordMcNally. This astonishing proposed


amendment comes hard on the heels of the welcome news that the government was keen to outlaw cash transactions in the scrap metal trade by Spring 2013. Hopes had been raised that it will put an end to the blight of metal thefts which is reported to be costing the country £1 billion a year with churches, railways and utility companies suffering the most. Now, thanks to a ridiculous amendment put forward by a peer who


quite honestly should know better, it has thrown everything up in the air. All being well, by the time your copy of RWW lands on your desk the


proposed insane amendment will have been thrown onto the scrap heap where it clearly belongs. Legitimate scrap merchants, whether it’s end-of-life vehicles or scrap


metal from other sources, work hard at sticking to the rules, so it comes as the bitterest of pills to see a proposal that would enable itinerant scrap collectors to continue getting away with the proverbial blue murder. As it happens, this is a subject we will be tackling in an end-of-life


vehicles supplement that will accompany next week’s RWW. It will include an open letter from a businessman who after having


been in the reclamation trade for 24 years has had to put his yard up for sale. In his open letter, he states unequivocally that “new Environment Agency rules have helped to kill me off”. To find out more, make sure you get your copy of next week’s RWW.


Smurfit Kappa unveils £98 million investment


SMURFIT KAPPA has announced a three-year £98m investment plan in its Townsend Hook, Kent, paper- making facility. The installation and commissioning of a custom designed, five metre, lightweight recycled container board machine is due to be completed and operational by the end of 2014. According to Smurfit Kappa, this will secure the supply of paper for all the company’s packaging operations in the UK and Ireland. The purpose of the new machine


will be to produce lightweight corrugated papers, for use in Smurfit Kappa integrated plants .The cost associated with the project will


Geraldine Faulkner March 22 - March 28 Issue No. 793


Published by A&D Media Ltd, Jesses Farm, Snow Hill, Dinton, Wilts SP3 5HN Tel: 01722 716996 Editor: Geraldine Faulkner - geraldine@markallengroup.co.uk Advertising manager Jane Kennedy - 01722 717016 Graphic designers Carolyn Allen, Scott Godfrey Publishing director Jon Benson


Website: www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk Twitter: @RWWMagazine Annual subscription rates for 2012 - UK: Cheque/credit card £92 Europe: €120


© A&D Media Ltd, 2012. All rights reserved. No part of Recycling & Waste World may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the managing director.


Recycling & Waste World is printed on recycled paper. The paper used is accredited with the Eugropa Recycled Mark.


be phased over three years and is reported to be within the scope of SKG’s stated annual capital expenditure guidance. The outlay is said to represent


one of the largest investments by an established UK paper manufacturer. The equipment sourced from


Cartiera di Cadidavid will replace two existing container board machines, increasing Townsend Hook’s capacity of FSC certified, recycled paper per annum by over 8% from 240,000 to 260,000 tonnes. Together with Smurfit Kappa’s


SSK mill in Birmingham the company stated this will enable it to offer the widest portfolio of


corrugated paper available in the UK. Chris Allen, CEO, Smurfit Kappa Paper UK, said: “This investment in the current financial climate shows Smurfit Kappa’s commitment to the UK, Ireland and Pan-European customers of our corrugated and paper divisions. “The design of the new machine


features state-of-the-art technology that will produce a superior lightweight paper. Smurfit Kappa’s two UK mills will now specialise in producing all the recycled brown corrugated case material for its UK and Irish corrugated business, while maintaining its presence in the market.”


EA launches investigation over illegal waste shipment


THE ENVIRONMENT Agency has launched an investigation after almost 90 containers of alleged illegal waste from the UK were intercepted in Indonesia. The Indonesian authorities raised


The paper used within this publication is manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled fibres. Fibres are sourced from within 175 miles of the chain-of-custody certified production site. This means the paper’s manufacturing process has been chronologically documented across the supply chain. The paper has also been awarded the EU Ecolabel, Blue Angel and National Association of Paper Merchants environmental certificates. All residuals from the production process are reused for cement production, fertiliser or district heating.


Advertorial


Hughes Pumps give EfW plants a boost


HUGHES PUMPS condenser washing rigs have been successfully installed at a number of energy from waste (EfW) plants to help improve the efficiency of steam turbines. The combustion process


involves the burning of waste that cannot be recycled to produce high pressure steam. After leaving the steam turbine,


the steam is condensed back to water in a vacuum steam condenser that consists of a series of 10m long radiators. Over time these radiators become blocked


2 March 22 2012


with airborne dust and debris, losing their condensing effect and reducing the power output from the steam turbine. Cleaning using hand held


washing rigs is difficult because of the location of the radiators. The Hughes Pumps washing


rigs allow semi automatic radiator cleaning which can be regulated to provide the optimum cleaning effect to increase the efficiency of the vacuum steam condenser radiators.


• www.hughes-netclean.co.uk The washing rigs improve efficiency www. r e c y c l i n gwa s t ewo r l d . c o . u k Recycling & WA S T E W O R L D


concerns that the 1800 tonnes cargo, described as scrap metal, was heavily contaminated with liquid and mixed waste and requested repatriation of the containers to the UK. Under the terms of the


international laws that govern global


waste exports, Indonesia may accept scrap metal for recycling. However contaminated waste cannot be exported. The Environment Agency said


it is taking action to ensure the safe return of the containers. The containers are due to


be released for repatriation by Indonesian authorities at the end ofMarch. The shipment is expected to then


take about a month to reach the UK. Andy Higham, who heads up


the Environment Agency’s national environmental crime team said: “We are working closely with the Indonesian authorities to establish the facts of this case.” The Agency said it will oversee


the arrival of the containers before undertaking an inspection of their contents. The inspection is anticipated to


be lengthy and a fumigation process may have to take place first to make it safe for officers to document the consignment.


Welsh minister unveils funding for FareShare


WELSH ENVIRONMENT and sustainable development minister, John Griffiths, has announced funding for FareShare Cymru to continue its work across Wales. The charity redistributes quality surplus food from the food industry to disadvantaged community organisations. Funding of £685,500 will support


the development of existing projects in Cardiff and Llandudno Junction. The charity is also looking to open a new facility in South West Wales. FareShare established a site in


North Wales in September 2010, providing deliveries of high quality food to groups across Conwy and Denbighshire.


The fit-for-purpose food is


donated by suppliers including large supermarkets and local food companies. A similar project opened in Cardiff


last July and was officially opened by the minister at the beginning of this year. Griffiths said: “Projects like this


show how businesses can work with community groups to reduce waste and help disadvantaged groups. I encourage food producers and retailers to consider the potential benefits of engaging with organisations like FareShare.” To date, FareShare is said to


have prevented over 160 tonnes of edible food from being wasted.


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