1. Copper Consultancy launches

A new communications and stakeholder engagement company has launched for companies developing projects across energy, resources, transport, water and the built environment sectors.

Copper Consultancy (Copper), created through the merger of 3G Communications and Sauce Consultancy, comprises 40 staff and has offices in London, Bristol, Ipswich and Cumbria.

The new company will provide public consultation, community and stakeholder engagement, media relations, public affairs, project and corporate communications and project marketing to clients.

Speaking of the launch, Claire Gordon, 3G’s founder and new Managing Director for Copper, said: “The rebrand completes the successful merger of the two consultancies and we’re delighted to be moving forward with such a strong identity and proposition.”

2. DeckSafe Solutions refurbishes HWRC

A maker of anti-slip decking, DeckSafe Solutions has completed an ‘extensive refurbishment and upgrade’ at SITA UK’s household waste recycling centre (HWRC) in Stoke Gifford near Bristol.

The HWRC was in need of refurbishment following the construction of a large housing estate nearby, which led to increased visitor numbers. It has now had ‘potentially slippery, uneven and hazardous concrete steps and surfaces’ replaced with three raised platforms accessed via ‘gently sloping, sturdy, non-slip gritted’ ramps. Safety handrails have also been installed on each ramp.

SITA UK Senior Site Manager Stuart Derrick said: “At every stage of this project, from design through to commissioning, I couldn’t have been more pleased with the level of cooperation from DeckSafe Solutions.

“The new housing estate close to the recycling centre resulted in a dramatic increase in visitors to the site. With our newly upgraded facilities, we’re now able to meet this demand without compromising on our stringent service and safety standards.”

3. Essex Thurrock Thameside Nature Park

Sir David Attenborough has officially opened a new wildlife park on Cory Environmental’s Mucking Landfill in Thurrock, Essex.

Thurrock Thameside Nature Park, opened on 11 May, is Essex Wildlife Trust’s biggest-ever project, and saw 30 metres of clay (known as ‘pie-crust’) cap Cory Environmental’s Mucking Landfill, which had been used to store waste from six London boroughs for over 50 years.

Around 120 acres of the 845 acres of Mucking Landfill have now been turned into a wildlife park, which also comprises a network of footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes.

The waste management company that owns Mucking Landfill, Cory Environmental, has also built a visitor centre relating the history of the landfill and the area’s history.

Sir David Attenborough said: “We live in a crowded country and we need to respect its limits to sustain us. Positive change like this must become the norm – and the Wildlife Trusts across the UK are trying to make that happen.”

Peter Gerstrom, CEO at Cory Environmental, added: “I am delighted that the former Mucking landfill site is now being restored and will be a wonderful asset for the local community to enjoy for years to come.”

Pictures courtesy of Daniel Bridge/Essex Wildlife Trust.

4. ‘Can Heist’ wins recycling video prize

Three students from Goldsmiths University have won a £1,500 prize for their short film on can recycling that ‘bust[s] common recycling myths in a way that [resonates] with young people’.

Jens Christensen, Louis King and James Hurst’s gangster-themed film ‘Can Heist’ won the award as part of the ‘Myth Busting – what happens to your can when it’s recycled’ competition run by trade body Can Makers in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI).

The film also won the prize for ‘wittiest’ film, for its ‘clever storyline and innovative approach to communicating recycling messages’.

Two ‘Most Visually Appealing’ category was won by ‘The Death and Life of a Can’ by Sonya Moorjani from The American International University in London, while the ‘Most Creative’ award went to ‘The Adventure of the Lonely Can’ by Wade Bennett from The Academy of Contemporary Music, Guildford.

Jens Christensen, studying BA Performance and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths alongside co-winners Louis King and James Hurst, commented: “Winning is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to us and it’s brilliant we can now fund more films. We had no idea what happened to our can recycling once it went in the bin, so we learnt a lot making this film, merging our passion for British gangster movies and lust for film making at the same time.”

Watch ‘Can Heist’.

5. Redeem extends into six new countries

Mobile phone recycler Redeem Holdings Limited has announced it will be extending its services into six new Nordic and Baltic countries as a consequence of its acquisition of Estonian mobile phone recovery, reuse and recycling company, UPR Global.

Specialising in wholesale mobile electronics, recommerce and recycling, Redeem currently operates in 10 countries and will now expand operations to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Urvo Männama, founder of UPR and recently-appointed Business Development Director of Redeem, said: “This acquisition brings together two great companies which are growing considerably. The combination of UPR Global and Redeem Holdings Limited, reinforced by the successful Redeem brand, will be a powerful force in international recommerce.”

Claes Svensson, CEO of Redeem Holdings Limited, added: “We are delighted that UPR will be our strategic platform for expansion into Baltic and Nordic countries. We see good potential for further growth and our ambition is to triple that growth over the coming 12 months by developing the online and in-store tools in line with customers’ requirements, using UPR’s unique understanding of this marketplace."

6. Repic’s Wayne Copley appointed to WEEELABEX

Wayne Copley, Procurement Director and board member of the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) producer compliance scheme, Repic, has been appointed as a member of the WEEELABEX governing council.

Founded in April 2013, WEEELABEX is a not-for-profit organisation made up of 26 WEEE compliance schemes, to help implement WEEELABEX standards across Europe. These lay down requirements that those involved in the handling, transporting, treating and processing of WEEE must meet, and aim to create a standard level of auditing for WEEE treatment plants, therefore improving WEEE management practices across the EU.

Copley commented: “Implementing the WEEELABEX standards is a fundamental part of improving the WEEE system, not just in the UK but across Europe. With the transposition of the WEEE Directive recast well underway, this year will certainly be one of significant change for the WEEE system in all member states, and as a member of the WEEELABEX governing council, I’m involved in driving change and continuing to push for improvements.”

Read more about WEELABEX.