New £5m plastics recycling plant
February 25, 2009 at 11:37 am
2K Manufacturing has announced that it is to begin the development of a new plastics recycling facility. The news comes after the company received a £5 million cash injection from Foresight, which has invested heavily in a number of companies in the past, including the Closed Loop Recycling plant in Dagenham.
The plant is to be built near Watford, and is set to start production this year. Furthermore, 2K Manufacturing has indicated that it hopes to build a further 11 recycling plants at sites around the country.
The aim of the plant is to produce ‘Eco Sheets’, a plywood substitute that is made from plastic waste. The sheets are formed using a process known as powder impression moulding, and the good news is that the process makes use of plastics, including mixed plastics, in order to produce the final product.
2K has big plans for its eco product, and has stated that over the next five years, as the other plants are constructed, the company should be able to produce up to four million eco sheets a year. And it is not hanging around, with mass production billed to start as early as this July.
Andrew Page of Foresight said that “2K represents a compelling investment opportunity”, as well as indicating that it is based in “an attractive area of the environmental infrastructure market”.
And it is also great news for believers in recycling, as it manages to solve another troublesome waste issue. With demand for recyclable materials dropping in Asia, it means that more waste will be able to stay in the UK and be put to good use.
Drinks producer goes green with new plant
February 18, 2009 at 4:03 pm
The world is on the brink of an ecological disaster caused by global warming. Rumours are mounting that the recession will bite into the green budget and set back the important aims to reduce emissions. So it is heartening to see that one UK company is taking the initiative.
The Cameronbridge distillery in Fife, Scotland, which is run by Diageo, is the location for a new £65 million green energy plant after work on the plant was given the go ahead last week to commence construction.
The distillery produces vodka, whisky and gin, and the plant will make use of the ‘wash’, a mixture comprised of the waste barley, wheat, yeast and water products, by turning it into a fuel that can be used to power the plant.
It is an exciting development as it is setting an example to other companies of how it is possible to utilise alternative forms of power in order to reduce carbon emissions and get the same results. Diageo, working in joint partnership with the energy firm Dalkia, claims that it will reduce the distillery’s reliance on fossil fuels by a massive 95%, certainly going some way to save the planet.
The plant was officially opened by Alex Salmond, the First Minister for Scotland, who said that not only would it help to pave the way for less reliance on fossil fuels, but that it would even provide jobs during the economic downturn, thereby killing two birds with one stone.
He is quoted by the BBC as saying that "Scotland is not immune from global recession, but by concentrating on our strengths we can emerge stronger from the downturn.”
Paper recycling gets costly
February 18, 2009 at 4:00 pm
The global economic meltdown has hit many areas hard. But behind the big news stories of huge banks going bust, well-known stores disappearing from our high streets, and bailouts being thrown around left, right, and centre, there is another area that is suffering: the recycling industry.
Both the BBC and Recycle.co.uk have recently reported on the rocketing costs of recycling paper since the crisis began to pick up speed at the end of last year. Since then, the entire recycling system has been put under almost unmanageable strain as a result of the collapse of the industry in the Far East.
According to Recycling.co.uk, back in September a tonne of mixed paper was bought for £65-£75. But in just a few months, the cost has plummeted to just £15. The price is slightly higher for non-mixed paper, that which has been separated already, which currently sells for £40 a tonne. But this is down from a high of £90-£115 back in September.
Asia, and especially China, is a big collector of the world’s waste, and the UK currently ships a hefty proportion of its waste to the other side of the world to be recycled. But with the rapid drop in demand that has come as a result of the financial crisis, the UK has suddenly been left trying to figure out what it is supposed to do with all those huge mountains of recyclables.
All of this means that councils around the country will be receiving far less money than they had previously budgeted for, and someone is going to have to pay the price. And there’s no prizes for guessing who that will be.
Kamikatsu, Japan – zero waste town
February 10, 2009 at 1:46 pm
There’s a chance you may have heard of the small town of Kamikatsu in south-western Japan. Its 2000 residents are embarking on an environmental and cost-saving project that may make them a model for the rest of the world, and has certainly got them noticed on UK shores.
For starters, the town doesn’t need any rubbish collectors. It doesn’t need them because the town’s goal is to be producing absolutely no waste by the year 2020. Instead, they are required to sort every possible piece of household rubbish into one of 34 categories for recycling.
Here are some of the categories: glass (brown, green, clear, other), tin cans, sake bottles, lighters, electric razors, cardboard boxes, nappies/sanitary towels, milk cartons, plastic containers, plastic bottles (separated by type), plastic bags…
Why put themselves through that? Well for a number of reasons. In particular, this option was both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than landfill provision over the next 12 years, or building new incinerators after the town’s original ones became too polluting to pass new regulations.
Certainly the change hasn’t been accepted completely willingly – it’s taken time for the aging residents to come round to the idea, and according to a recent poll, 40% of residents still object to having to wash everything before palming it off for recycling. But home composters are in use in 98% of households and attitudes improve with every passing day.
But would any of this ‘wash’ in the UK? It’s probably too early, in my humble opinion. It’s true, recycling uptake has dramatically improved and continues to do so – according to government figures, 30% of rubbish is recycled by those in the east of England. Barnet in north London recently reached a target of 28% after introducing a ‘compulsory recycling scheme’ – something which, believe it or not, requires regular enforcement by officers provided for the purpose.
There’s a lot we can learn though, and as a country we ought to admire the tenacity of a small rural Japanese town for making a giant step towards saving the planet.
First nappy recycling centre due to open in Birmingham
February 10, 2009 at 1:39 pm
A nappy recycling plant is being proposed in Birmingham in response to concerned parents who don’t like seeing so many disposable nappies going to landfill. The company, Knowaste, already has plants in Canada and Holland and will be leading the project.
Research conducted found that 95% of respondents to an online survey would welcome this development which would enable 13% of nappy waste to be recycled. Frequent attempts have been made by the government to encourage people to use re-usable nappies to reduce the waste. The Chief Executive of Knowaste, Roy Brown, thinks this is the wrong approach: “Rather than trying to change people’s behaviour, we should try to find a solution to using disposable nappies”.
Dave Jelley has been appointed as general manager of the site and will spend time building links with stakeholders and ensuring operations run smoothly once the plant opens. It is estimated that 30,000 tonnes of nappies could be recycled each year in a 42,000 sq foot space presuming the planning application is successful.
It is estimated that nappies make up 6% of household waste so this type of project should significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfill each year. This will help local authorities who are struggling to keep to landfill targets.
Incontinence pads and bed liners will also be recycled in the same place to make plastic cladding, roof tiles and other products. Plans are already in the pipeline for sites in London, Manchester and Newcastle in the next five years and Knowaste are hoping the government will lend its support to ensure the project will be developed to its full potential.
UK risks EU recycling fines
January 29, 2009 at 3:40 pm
There has recently been even more bad news announced to bring more misery to those of us feeling the pinch of the credit crunch as the New Year progresses. It looks like council tax rises could be on the horizon in response to possible EU fines imposed upon the UK for failing to meet its recycling targets.
According to a report that was recently released by The National Audit Office, the UK government has simply not done enough to reduce the amount of recyclable waste that manages to find a home in landfill sites across the country, which it had agreed to reduce by a quarter by 2010 and by a half by 2013. There is a lack of recycling facilities available to deal with the waste, despite the protestations from local councils that they want to recycle more and, as such, the UK government is badly failing the general public.
The possible fines will unfortunately be steep – £150 for every tonne of recyclable waste that reaches landfill. This means that the figures will run into the hundreds of millions, and the most likely way that we are going to pay for it is through council tax hikes.
One of the main problems facing the recycling effort is the fall in demand for recyclable materials in Asia, which is where many of the items were until recently sent. This means that more recyclable waste is staying in the country and there are not enough facilities to deal with it. So, not only are we going to have to pay for this mess, but people are surely going to wonder whether to bother to listen to the government in their bid to get us to recycle more if it is just going to end up in a landfill site along with the rest of our rubbish.
Sunderland’s green vision to beat recession
January 23, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Chris Mullin, MP for Sunderland South, wants to see green jobs created in order to introduce vital employment to help beat the recession. The main area is to be in recycling, where building new plants would prevent the UK’s reliance on Asia, which currently purchases much of the UK’s recyclable goods. Mr Mullin wants to see the government put cash into environmental schemes in order to create a greener UK which would take responsibility for recycling goods itself. He is keen to see areas like Sunderland become home to these new developments, particularly in light of the recent job losses at Nissan.
These initiatives follow a similar vein to those suggested by Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg who, in December, called for several green goals to pave the way out of the recession. These included re-opening old railway lines, insulating schools, homes and hospitals and building zero-carbon social houses. President-Elect Barack Obama is making similar calls in the U.S, where plans are afoot to create 5 million green jobs in the clean energy sector, pioneering green technologies and the development of clean coal technology. On all sides of the globe, politicians, reeling from the state of the economy and the potential effects of climate change, are suggesting green jobs as one answer to the world’s problems. In Sunderland, Mr Mullin has watched as recyclable goods stack up in warehouses waiting until China and other Asian countries begin to increase their demand for this material. He wants to see the UK ensure a more stable future for itself and sees green initiatives in areas such as recycling and the greener vehicle industry as two key ways to make this happen.
No hope for festive waste
January 23, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Millions of emaciated Christmas trees, a flock of rotten turkeys, and up to a billion Christmas cards are wending their way gradually towards landfill sites this January, as recycling campaigns all over the country come unstuck.
Planting a tree in your living room is perhaps one of the most unusual things a person can do and yet every year, Britons spend thousands of pounds on foliage and plump fir trees to lend a bit of festive cheer to their houses.
Unfortunately, by the time the New Year arrives in a haze of smoke and good cheer, the old tree has outstayed its welcome, and spends the days rotting by the roadside.
The volume of waste produced on Christmas Day alone hit record-breaking levels last December, and local councils – who have spent much of the past year trying to educate their communities about the ills of landfill sites – are now afraid that their carefully laid plans have been scuppered by thoughtless residents.
Wrap, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, has blamed toy manufacturers for the exponential rise in festive waste. Inadequate disposal instructions are a bane to environmental groups and few major toy companies have had the foresight to offer useful advice on their packaging.
Recycle Now campaigners have found that a large quantity of Brits are unable to identify readily recyclable materials, and these individuals also struggle to dispose of their waste in a sustainable manner.
Waste watchdogs have urged British families to think carefully before dumping recyclable materials in with the common trash. Wood and paper-based products such as cards, wrapping paper, and trees should be placed in your green bin or box, or transported manually to a recycling centre.
Warehouse in York stores items meant for recycling
January 14, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Due to the current lack of demand for recyclable goods, the City of York council is stockpiling paper and card which local residents presumed were being recycled. The warehouse is being used until demand picks up once again but could also house other materials including scrap metal.
This summer has witnessed a crash in the market value of recyclable goods but the waste management company, Yorwaste, was keen to tell people that "there is no crisis."
China, which purchases much of the UK’s recyclable goods, has decreased its demand for materials in light of the recent economic downturn. However, councils are keen to stockpile materials rather than pay to put them in landfill and are convinced the market will pick up once again. The amount of waste set aside for recycling has significantly increased, meaning that in this current financial situation councils are seeing warehouses as a viable option until demand rises once again.
Other councils are following suit causing the Labour government to come in for a string of criticism, particularly as environment agencies are concerned about the health implications of storing unclean items for several weeks. To add to the concern, many local authorities simply do not know where materials end up, risking the credibility of local recycling initiatives.
Councils such as York are determined that warehouse storage is a temporary measure only. However, the Environment Agency has been compiling new guidelines for storing metal, plastic and paper, indicating that the problem is likely to remain for some time.
Mixed plastic items can now be recycled cost-effectively
December 24, 2008 at 11:28 am
Plastic made from mixed materials accounts for 45 billion wasted items each year. The failure to recycle these items as much as other recyclables has traditionally been excusable as never being cost-effective to do so.
However, research by the Waste Recycling and Action Programme (WRAP) has found that recycling mixed plastic items could save a substantial amount of money in landfill taxes and manufacturing.
“This is the first time that we have been able to prove that recycling mixed plastics is not only possible, but cost-effective and makes good environmental sense. The amount of plastic packaging we see in our bins is frustrating, as there is currently nothing most of us can do about it,” said Liz Goodwin, CEO for WRAP, who unveiled the research for the first time at a high-level conference of industry professionals on Thursday.
“This new research is a first step towards getting that plastic out of the household bin and back in use. This will reduce the need for us to use large amounts of energy producing new plastics and the oil required in their content.”
WRAP wanted to see if it made financial sense to recycle mixed instead of burning it or sending it to landfill. The research also looked at the effect on the environment in each different scenario. WRAP’s mission statement is to help individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.
