News


MEPS call for ban of most hazardous plastics


THE MOST hazardous plastics and certain plastic bags should be banned by 2020 as part of an EU strategy to reduce plastic waste in the environment, said the European Parliament in a recent resolution. The EU should also introduce binding plastic waste recycling targets, added MEPs. In the resolution, a call for action further to a European Commission green paper, MEPs stressed that plastic waste is damaging the environment due both to weak enforcement of EU legislation on waste and to the lack of specific EU laws on plastic wastes, despite their particularities. MEPs proposed that specific binding targets for


collecting and sorting up to 80% of waste should be included in EU legislation.


Mandatory criteria for recycling, and harmonised ones for collecting and sorting waste, should be framed to ensure fair competition, they suggested, before adding that the current EU directive on packaging waste should also be reviewed. Parliament called on the


European Commission to make proposals by 2014 to phase out the landfilling of recyclable and recoverable waste by 2020 and discourage the incineration of this waste. It also urged that plastic waste should not be used for energy recovery unless all other


possibilities have been exhausted. MEPs said that the most dangerous plastics should be withdrawn from the market. The use of single-use plastic bags should be phased out wherever possible.


They also called for bolder steps to tackle illegal exports and dumping of plastic waste. MEPs stress that the economic potential of recycling plastics is still largely unexploited. Only 25% of plastic wastes are currently recycled. Fully enforcing EU legislation on waste could save €72bn a year, boost the annual turnover of EU waste management and recycling firms by €42bn and create over 400,000 jobs by 2020, said MEPs.


Protect your business from flooding, urge Adler and Allan


BUSINESSES ARE being asked to take “proper” precautions to protect their assets from the damaging effects of flooding which cost SMEs between £75,000 and £120,000 on average, according to environmental services provider, Adler and Allan. “This trend is only set to increase,” said Alan Scrafton, MD for Adler and Allan. “If your business has remained unscathed so far, it doesn’t mean it won’t incur flood damage in the future.


“Companies need to have proper plans in place and carry out the correct post-clean up procedure to limit damage to assets and prevent pollution. This is a legal requirement for fire and the same should be true of flooding.” Adler and Allan’s flood damage limitation tips include the following: check your flood risk. Keep a close eye on the Environment Agency’s website which issues regular warnings for those areas at risk of


flooding. Pre-plan: Make sure you have a flood plan in place. Appoint someone responsible in-house to take charge of the plan should flood water strike. Defend: Flood defences can protect assets and minimise the risk of environmental damage. Protect your assets.


Also, check insurance policies to see if you are covered for business interruption, loss of profit and water damage.


Airport partnership recycles over 70 tonnes of food waste


A PERMANENT food waste recycling scheme set up by MITIE and Birmingham Airport has segregated and recycled over 70 tonnes of food waste while producing renewable energy off site. Over the last 10 months the airport is reported to have been successful in diverting the food waste from traditional disposal routes to a local anaerobic digestion plant. At the plant, the waste is de-packaged, sorted and processed to be turned into ground fertiliser, producing electricity in the process. Energy derived from the process is reported to supply over 2,500 local homes and businesses with electricity.


“The scheme engages staff in public areas and retail concessions throughout the airport, where the vast majority of food waste is produced in the form of packaged food, leftovers, and out of date stock,” said the company representative.


Birmingham Airport and MITIE


implemented the full recycling scheme in April 2013, following a small-scale trial period. Dave Peabody at Birmingham Airport, added: “We initially thought that 40 tonnes per annum would be a good target, but MITIE, working in close cooperation with our food retailing partners, nearly doubled those figures during 2013.”


At last; a universal shredder Advertorial


THE NEW generation of universal general purpose shredder WLK Series, designed to meet the heavy demands of the UK recycling sector, has been recently launched in the UK by Fercell WEIMA UK. The WLK 800, WLK 1000, WLK1500 and WLK2000 shredders are designed for processing most plastics, and include other recyclables such as wood, paper and cardboard, at high throughput volumes. Crammed full of features others call optional extras and


competitively priced this series is ideal for plastics applications shredding production lump waste, film, big bags, fibres, filaments, pipes, automotive parts, blow moulded materials such as PET bottles for example, PE/PP bottles, containers or buckets, and of course paper for document destruction, cardboard and light metal swarfs. Visit the website for more information, or alternatively call the customer support team, to discuss your requirements and to book a


complimentary machine trial at our Aylesford, Kent facility where we encourage the use of your own materials. “…………our input is key to your output”


Fercell Engineering Ltd T: 0845 130 4014 E: info@fercell.com W: www.fercell.com


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Industry opinion


Putting fire risk into the spotlight


Following the spate of recent fires, former firefighter and MD of Safety Management UK, Brian Gregory, looks at how to avoid fire hazards.


RECYCLING AS an industry has grown in both size and scale. While the industry has developed management practices to convert waste into cash and profit, the question being asked currently is: “Has the same dedication been taken in securing plant safety?” According to the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) there were more than 300 incidents involving recycling in 2012. This trend appears to have continued in 2013, with some notable significant incidents across the UK. So what can be done? I am not suggesting that the industry isn’t already working in these areas; simply that these are some things that can be considered practically by sites. The effectiveness of on-site emergency response must be considered. As is common in other high risk industries, there is an acceptance that from time to time incidents, in this case involving fire, will occur. Having trained personnel on site to deal with an incident in its early stages is often invaluable. Other industries will train employees working on production lines or in other parts of the process to deal with an incident in the early stages, preventing it from becoming more serious. Firms should understand what emergency response are needed to deal with the specific risk a company is storing on site. While the emergency services are excellent in what they do, they do not carry the necessary equipment to extinguish specialist fires, for example, but having that capability to hand can reduce the time the incident has to develop. Good housekeeping is also key to reducing the risk of a fire. Ensuring machinery is kept clear of obstructions, both combustibles and metal obstructions that will create hot spots. Understand where the weaknesses in the process are and take practical action to prevent incidents starting. The effective maintenance of equipment being used always needs to be considered. Care should also be taken to ensure the effective segregation of products, and the storing of products in an environment that will not promote combustion. The cost of retro-fitting sprinklers is coming down these days and while sprinklers are not there to extinguish a fire, they will stop it developing until emergency services arrive. That means the team arrives to a small, contained incident, not a well developed blaze. Finally, have a fire safety specialist support the production of an effective fire risk assessment.


This provides recycling experts with the additional knowledge they may need in fire safety. Producing a fire risk assessment together as a team will put businesses on the right track from the start. With both the Fire Service and the Environment Agency looking at this area more closely, the industry should take an inclusive approach to this conversation and support the safety measures required to reduce the number, scale and cost that these incidents produce.


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