News Editorial


Resolving to ‘do better’ when it comes to H&S


NEW YEAR, New Year resolutions and a new clutch of conferences; and nowhere is this more essential than with health and safety. As this week’s issue of RWW went to press, details of a H&S summit, organised by the Health and Safety Executive along with the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH), landed in my inbox. According to the HSE,


between 2004/5 and 2011/12, it received reports of 97 workers and 19 members of the public being fatally injured, and 3,722 employees suffering major injuries, in waste and recycling activities, making it one of


Britain’s most dangerous sectors. You only have to look at page three of this issue for an example of the


terrible accidents that can occur in the waste management industry. Graeme Walker, HSE’s head of waste and recycling, pointed out that:


“At a time when the industry is expanding, it is particularly important that action is taken to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries which continue to occur each year. A change in culture is needed.” Despite being a rather tired cliché, ‘a change in culture’ is definitely


called for in waste management. If recycling and waste management is going to help the UK economy recovery and attract more people into the industry, it needs to create safer and healthier workplaces. So it comes as welcome news that from April this year HSE officers are


going to carry out inspections at materials recycling facilities. It’s a start. Years ago when I worked in the construction press, I shadowed an HSE


officer in London as he carried out unscheduled inspections on building sites. It was a real eye-opener. Construction workers slouching over shovels


straightened up quickly when they saw the inspector approach and don his hi vis jacket. “Quick, get the guv’nor,” was passed down the line. Because, however unwelcome a surprise visit from an HSE officer may be, in the long run - if it saves lives - then it is of incalculable value.


Geraldine Faulkner @RWWMagazine


Left to right: Rick Hindley, executive director, Alupro; Mike Stafford, regional manager, Viridor; Derek Osbourne, leader, Kingston Council and chair of the Joint Waste Committee; Rachel Lewis, chair of the South London Waste Partnership management group and Sharon Hartley, lead member for sustainability, Kingston Council


Partnership introduces MetalMatters campaign


A COMMUNICATIONS campaign has been launched across South London to encourage residents to recycle more metal packaging. The six-week ‘MetalMatters’


campaign is intended to remind people that every piece of metal packaging put out for recycling will be used again and again for years to come. The campaign is being delivered through the South London Waste Partnership, a group of four councils (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton). At the heart of the campaign


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Website: www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk Twitter: @RWWMagazine


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


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.


Left to right: Angela Barker (8), councillor Joe DeAsha, Valerijs Biruks (7), Teagan McKlymont (7) and Lucy Ferguson (7)


Investors back waste fuelled CHP system


UNIVERSITY OFWarwick spin out company, Recycling Technologies, is reported to have completed an equity financing deal with the Wroxall Investors Group (WIG), a Midlands-based “business angel” syndicate (A business angel is an entrepreneur who provides capital in return for a proportion of the company equity). Recycling Technologies was


formed to commercialise a process developed at the University of Warwick that can reportedly transform mixed plastic waste into heat and electricity. Adrian Griffiths,MD of Recycling


Technologies, said: “This deal not only secures the funding we need at this stage in our growth but


2 January 24 2013


simultaneously has expanded the experience that we can draw on.” Business angel, Martin Lusby, the


company’s chairman of the board, said: “The concept of a machine that can be installed into existing recycling facilities to turn what most people still regard as waste plastic into electricity and heat in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant is timely given the increasing costs of landfill and energy prices. “With the first machine due to go


into production in 2014, the WIG investment will allow the team and company infrastructure to be expanded at the Swindon base to ensure this commercial opportunity is fully exploited,” added the company chairman.


Merseyside eco projects get £26K to stop waste


A SELECTION of local community groups including eco teams, Viking archaeologists, urban gardens and schools are set to benefit from funding in an effort to drive down levels of waste on Merseyside. The £26,000 has been made


available as part of the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) Community Fund 2012/13 to support an ongoing promotion of waste prevention and reduction. The ten projects, which include


‘Recycle like a Viking’, ‘Learn the 3Rs’ at St Albert’s Catholic Primary School and Tomorrow’s Women Wirral’s ‘Tomorrow’s women recycle today’, will see unused children’s toys and furniture donated to vulnerable families; Viking workshops and re-enactments to teach how waste was managed in the past and recycling and compost bins introduced into schools.


www. r e c y c l i n gwa s t ewo r l d . c o . u k Joe DeAsha, MRWA chairperson,


(pictured above) said: “We’ve awarded this money to a wide variety of projects. From introducing recycling bins into schools to delivering practical waste prevention advice and classes on smarter shopping, sewing and clothes repair. “The Community Fund is about


educating, encouraging and engaging with Merseyside residents so ultimately we’ll see a drop in waste levels. Hopefully we’ll see an impact in that people view waste more as a resource.” According to MRWA, the


£26,000 is part of an overall £60,000 available in the Community Fund, which is also supported by Veolia Environmental Services. A pot was allocated to four projects in November 2012 while further funding is currently available for school applications until March.


January 24 - January 30 Issue No. 829 MA Business & Leisure Ltd


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will be two leaflets that will be delivered six weeks apart to 365,000 households across the partnership region. These leaflets will be supported with various outdoor


advertising including buses, trams and collection vehicles. The cost of running the campaign


is being met by Recycle for London, Viridor and a partnership made up of organisations and businesses from the metal packaging and recycling industry; it is being project managed on their behalf by Alupro, the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation. Derek Osbourne, chair of the


SLWP joint committee, said: “The average household uses around 600 food and drink cans, 280 foil trays, 27 aerosols and over 100 metres of household foil every year. Although all these items can be recycled, statistics show that less than half are being recovered, meaning


valuable materials are being lost to landfill. Hopefully the MetalMatters campaign will encourage people to go that extra mile and recycle all of their metal packaging. “The campaign has had great


success in other parts of the country, but this is this first time it will be run anywhere in London,” added Osbourne. Rick Hindley, executive director


of Alupro, the organisation that manages the MetalMatters programme, said: “Through MetalMatters, residents have the opportunity to make a difference and help prevent valuable materials going to landfill. Metal is endlessly recyclable without any deterioration in quality.”


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N Ireland unveils levy on single use carrier bags


A LEVY on single use carrier bags will be introduced in Northern Ireland from April 8, 2013. From that date, retailers in Northern Ireland will be required to charge at least five pence for each new single use carrier bag they supply to their customers. The proceeds of the levy will be


forwarded to the Department of the Environment (DOE). According to the DOE: “Recent


statistics have shown a significant increase in single use carrier bags handed out by major supermarkets in Northern Ireland. It is envisaged the levy can help reduce the use of these bags by at least 80%.” The levy is not confined to


plastic bags; it also applies to bags made from paper, plant- based material and natural starch. There will also be a range of


exemptions from the levy on the grounds of hygiene and food safety, the protection of both goods and consumers as well as confidentiality in respect of prescription medicines. The revenue raised from the


levy will contribute towards a number of DOE eco programmes. There are also proposals to


increase the levy to 10p and to extend charging to low cost reusable bags from April 2014.


Recycling & WA S T E W O R L D


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