News
Government launches community energy scheme
LOCAL COMMUNITIES will be able to take control of their energy bills and help transform the energy system, according to the government in proposals contained within its community energy strategy. Under the plans the government
said the scheme aims to broaden the support available for community energy projects, whereby people come together to reduce their energy use or purchase and generate their own energy. Plans include a £10m Urban Community Energy Fund
to kickstart community energy generation projects in England; £1m Big Energy Saving Network funding to support the work of volunteers helping vulnerable consumers to reduce their energy; a community energy saving competition, offering £100,000 to communities to develop innovative approaches to saving energy and money along with a ‘one-stop shop’ information resource for people interested in developing community energy projects. The Renewable Energy Association’s
chief executive Dr Nina Skorupska said: “People are beginning to rethink energy, seeing that it doesn’t have to be expensive and polluting, and that they can even supply clean energy themselves. “This is why we are seeing such
excellent growth in the number of community energy companies,” added Skorupska. Since 2008, around 5000
community groups are reported to have participated in energy projects in the UK.
Bozowi launches film competition
ELECTRICAL RECYCLING company Bozowi Sell My Mobile has unveiled a recycling awareness film/ video competition giving people, companies and organisations a chance to win one of 19 cash prizes; the highest being £1000 (£500 for them and £500 for a selected charity of their choice). It can be done in one take on a mobile phone or webcam,
or it can be a sophisticatedly edited piece shot on DCLR or 16mm. According to Bozowi, as long as
the film/video refers to recycling, it can be about anything the entrant wants and within any genre. The competition closes on March
27. For more details of how to enter, visit
http://bozowi.co.uk/video- competition
AMCS Group announces £19m round of financing
ENVIRONMENTAL SOFTWARE and technology developer AMCS Group, a specialist in the provision of integrated waste management software and vehicle technology, has announced a £19m round of financing. “The UK is AMCS Group’s largest
market. The deal, which is led by Highland Capital Partners Europe and includes financial support from existing investor Investec, will enable the business to boost its UK presence,” said a company spokesperson. Jimmy Martin, CEO of AMCS
Group, said: “Securing funding of this scale will enable us to grow our business and expand our operations in existing and new markets.” AMCS Group’s main UK
commercial customers include some of the UK’s biggest waste operators, one of them being SITA UK, along
with regional players such as the William Tracey Group. Highland Capital Partners
Europe specialises in making equity investments in growth- stage Internet, mobile and software companies. Fergal Mullen and Tony Zappala, partners at Highland
Capital Partners worked on the deal and will join the board of directors of AMCS. Investec Ventures are reported
to have invested in two previous fundraisings in 2006 and 2009 through its management of the Ulster Bank Diageo Fund.
Recycled cola bottles in eco-lights
SUSTAINABLE LIGHTS made from recycled cola bottles are expected to go on the market soon following an international study led by Nottingham Trent University. In collaboration with Spanish
SME Ona Product, researchers have developed a new lighting system which is housed in a recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) casing, a material commonly used to contain soft drinks. The design uses ultra-low watt
light emitting diodes (LEDs) which reportedly consume about seven times less energy than traditional incandescent lights. The product will be manufactured by Ona Product initially for domestic
and commercial purposes, but there are said to be ambitions for it to be used for street lighting as well. The team decided to use recycled
PET for its casing - which amounts to 80% of the materials used in the product - as tests are said to have shown it has a lower environmental impact than aluminium. The material was also found to withstand the heat emitted by LEDs comfortably and conducted light well. Professor Daizhong Su at
Nottingham Trent University said: “We were determined to raise the bar and create a new range of lighting with a very low environmental impact and found that rPET, because it is so widely recycled and because of its
optical, thermal and UV properties, was the ideal material in which to house LEDs.”
Skips & containers available for hire
We buy baled waste paper & cardboard
Collection of multiple grades per load
National collection service
We buy palletised surplus paper & board
Over 40 years of experience
Call 0800 0304154 or visit us online at
www.oswestrywastepaper.co.uk 10th International Energy from Waste conference - 26-27 February 2014 - London. Visit
www.efwlondon.eu for more information 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 January 30 2014 3
We can supply
compactors & balers
Industry opinion Falling foul of odour
emission permits Peter Badham at Air Spectrum ponders the conundrum why some facilities opt for paying fines for breaching odour limits
FOR SOME time now, many publications run stories regarding one company or another falling foul or their Environment Agency operating permit with regard to odour emissions. My office at air spectrum must field 10-15 calls per week where
operators have suddenly been of ‘interest’ to authorities. I can’t say I fully understand the sudden interest in odour emissions;
they have been around for years. Perhaps new developments are causing pressure? Perhaps local authorities and regulators have changed their
investigative methods? One thing is for sure; the sheer quantity of “guidance notes” is mind-
boggling. Unfortunately, many operators find them unhelpful, too wordy or not
relevant. With money being tight, we have seen a lot of operators who are
prepared to be reactive, and consider “paying a fine” more cost effective than actually dealing with the emissions issue, which in many cases are simple operational changes requiring little time and cost. Personally, I think the “follow me I’m right behind you” method is not
sustainable long term and will lead to even tighter controls being put into place, and fines increasing. Now, I am not saying operators are doing things wrong, or that
regulators and authorities are not helping. However I do think that a better, simpler and more targeted approach
to guidance is needed and they should be produced by operators and regulators together. “We do that now,” I hear you cry. Do you........... really? Many publications seem so biased towards compliance that they don’t
really give you help with how to get there. Planning is the best way forward, but I have seen little or no evidence
to see that even this method has been picked up. It is very easy to be given ‘advice’ from others, and produce reports and
drawings which show how odour ‘may’ impact on the local amenity, and miss the bigger picture of what happens long term. The smallest changes in an operation or a procedure can have the
largest impact, thus making the earlier planning process meaningless. It’s very easy for me sit here on my high horse and preach to the
converted, but I have seen nothing moving in the right direction over recent years and, to be honest, I really don’t think that looks like changing, that is unless pressure is applied from the right people in the right places. What do you think? Answers on a postcard to me please.
• To contact Peter, email himat
pete.badham@
airspectrum.com
OSWESTRY WASTE PAPER
Service without boundaries
Collections by Trailer, Container or Multilift bins
We buy
redundant paper & plastic reels
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12