Recycling September 19 2013 Weekly & WA S T E W O R L D Sign up for our digi tal edi t ion now. Register at www. recycl ingwastewor ld.co.uk In this issue:


Biffa IWM changes name to Biffa IRM


BIFFA INTEGRATEDWaste Management (IWM), a division of Biffa Group, is changing its name to Biffa Integrated Resource Management (IRM). IRM generalmanager


Reducing metal waste at the start


Find out how manufacturing processes such as cold forming aim to reduce the volume of metal scrap and prevent 80% of metal being wasted.


• Page 4


England set for carrier bag levy


David Burrows Freelance writer


EVERY PART of the UK will have a plastic bag tax by the end of 2015. Last Saturday, deputy


Ensuring employees stay safe and sound


Historically health & safety in waste management has fared badly. Find out how training can help raise industry safety standards.


• Page 5


prime minister Nick Clegg announced plans for an English scheme at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Glasgow. The day before, the Scottish government confirmed that its own levy will be in place by October 20, 2014. Wales introduced charges


for carrier bags in 2011. The Northern Ireland


scheme started in April this year; plans to increase the levy there from 5p to 10p were dropped last week with the scheme working well in its current format. The exact details of the


Should food form part of the farm AD recipe?


Can farmers and the food industry partner in a relationship whereby the food supply chain is managed in a closed loop?


• Page 8


new schemes will now be thrashed out. Defra did, however, confirm that the use of biodegradable bags would be incentivised as part of the England scheme. Bags meeting a new ‘high


standard’, to be developed with manufacturers, will be exempt from the 5p mandatory charge. Clegg noted the success of other schemes - levies in


Collections by Trailer, Container or Multilift bins


We can supply


compactors & balers


We buy


redundant paper & plastic reels


Industry


leading service since 1998


Northern Ireland and Wales have reportedly reduced carrier bag use by more than 75%. “This is not a new problem,” he added. “We’ve waited too long for action. That’s why I am drawing a line under the issue now.” There was a similar feeling


of 'better late than never' in Scotland. “We did the first policy


assessment for a plastic bag ban for the Scottish government back in 2005, so from my perspective this ban has taken its time,” said Jamie Pitcairn, Scotland director for consultants Ricardo-AEA. Pitcairn said he was


“surprised” that retailers had not “seized the initiative” and made the transition to bag charging before legislation. Attempts by the Scottish


government to persuade the larger supermarket groups to introduce the tax voluntarily in January, just before it becomes law, were deemed “preposterous”, by the Scottish Retail Consortium. Some 60% of supermarkets now also have bag recycling facilities front-of-store. UK data released in July


by WRAP showed use of thin- gauge (single use) carrier bags increased 1.1% to 8.1 billion between 2011 and 2012.


Pitcairn said a recent


survey reported that Welsh consumers now “dislike” using new single use carrier bags and that the use of bags for life and other reusable bags is becoming “second nature”. North of the border,


environmental groups said the plastic bag charge would help change behaviour in line with Scotland’s zero waste ambitions. "Single-use carrier bags are symbolic of our wasteful attitude to resource use which must be addressed if Scotland's vision of a zero waste future is to be realised,” said WWF Scotland director Lang Banks. In January, the new Waste


(Scotland) Regulations come into force. The Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland said these gave independent retailers enough to think about with the new levy an “additional irritating headache”. Small businesses are likely


to be exempt from the charge in England to ensure that they are “not disproportionately burdened by the charges”, said Defra.


• Find out how parts of the packaging industry have responded, turn to page 3


UK RECYCLING & GLOBAL TRADING


Robin Chambers explained the reason for the change. “Although Biffa started


out as a waste collection and disposal company, we are now helping customers get to grips with their resource management practices and eliminate waste altogether. "Biffa Integrated Resource


Management (IRM) takes the approach that if a company is paying to have waste removed it will most likely benefit from some leaner business thinking,” said Chambers before adding: “For the waste management


industry to properly grow up, it needs to provide customers with the right advice about their waste. That shouldn't stop at separating recyclables or diverting waste to energy recovery facilities, but should address why waste is arising in the first place. That's why we embed our staff on customer premises and get to the root cause of waste - be it through improving supply chain management, or developing a co-product from a waste stream,” continued IRM's general manager.


Government unveils GDF consultation


THE GOVERNMENT has launched a consultation on a revised process for working with communities in order to agree a site for a geological disposal facility (GDF). The aim of the multi- billion pound facility would be to dispose of higher activity radioactive waste safely underground. The purpose of the consultation is to gather views on how


aspects of the siting process for a GDF for higher activity radioactive waste could potentially be revised. The consultation covers England, Wales and Northern


Ireland, but not Scotland, which has a different policy for the long term management of radioactive waste.


• To read the consultation, visit https://www.gov.uk/ government/consultations/geological-disposal-facility -siting-process-review


We buy palletised


surplus paper & board


Collection of multiple grades per load


Call +44 (0) 1270 611444 or visit us online at www.recycling-uk.com Recycling & WA S T E W O R L D www. r e c y c l i n gwa s t ewo r l d . c o . u k September 19 2013 1


Consulting & Facilities Management


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waste paper & cardboard


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