Veolia meets 2013 WEEE obligations

Waste management company Veolia Environmental Services (Veolia), has secured the recycling evidence it needs to meet its members’ obligations for the 2013 waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) compliance period, it has been reported.

Veolia claims the confirmation that it has met its full reporting obligations in terms of both ‘the quantity and mix of evidence required’ has come ‘well ahead’ of the Environment Agency’s 20 April deadline and ‘earlier than any other scheme’.

The WEEE producer compliance schemenow collects from a total of 19 waste disposal authorities and 108 HWRC sites, after reaching a milestone last year of 200,000 tonnes of WEEE collected since its inception in 2007.

Clement Gaubert, WEEE Scheme Manager, said: “We have worked closely with our local authority clients, reprocessing partners and other key stakeholders to ensure our scheme members now have compliance status in advance of the final deadline.”

Find out more about Veolia Environmental Services.

CRUK Conference to focus on the circular economy

Carpet Recycling UK’s (CRUK) sixth annual conference will focus on ‘resources for the circular economy’, it has been revealed.

Taking place in Birmingham on 24 June, the one-day conference will include a programme reporting on new ‘developments and innovations across all sectors of the carpet waste supply chain’, as well as several recyclers offering insights into their experiences and successes.

The conference will also include ‘circular economy sessions’ to which Mike Walters from John Lewis Partnership will be a contributor.

CRUK Director Laurance Bird, commented: “This year, our circular economy theme reflects the excellent progress we have made towards encouraging treatment of carpet waste as a resource rather than a waste material destined for landfill.”

Read more about CRUK.

Viridor EfW plant sees PV solar panels installed

Viridor’s Lakeside incinerator near Heathrow Terminal 5 has recently had solar photovoltaic (PV) panels installed on its roof, the waste management company has announced.

A third of the south-facing curved roof at the back of the plant now accommodates 1000 solar panels, which generate 230,500 kilowatt hours of sustainable energy a year, delivering a total carbon saving of 137,000 tonnes a year.

Danny Coulston, Director of Operations at Lakeside EfW said: “Although investment in clean energy is Lakesides core business, this advanced solar PV system doubly highlights the benefits of this approach”.

A joint venture between UK recycling and waste management companies Grundon Waste Management and Viridor, the plant is capable of processing 410,000 tonnes of non-recyclable residual waste a year, generating 37 megawatts of power.

Find out more about Viridor.

Waste Awareness Wales launches new recycling campaign

Waste Awareness Wales (WAW) has launched a new campaign aiming to increase recycling in ‘every room of the home’.

The ‘Full House’ marketing campaign was launched this month in Caerphilly Council, Wrexham Council and Neath Port Talbot Council, and encourages people to recycle everyday items used in each room of the house instead of ‘just the kitchen’, for example: shampoo, shower gel and medicine bottles.

The campaign consists of social media, advertising, PR, ‘events’ and ‘door stepping’, the last two involving members of the public being urged to sign a pledge to recycle in every room of their home and being given a pack of ‘information and giveaways’.

Dan Finch from WAW said: “The Full House campaign aims to raise awareness of the recyclable waste that’s created in every room of the house. We all create waste across our homes, but some of this isn’t recycled”.

Launched in May, the campaign will be supported by an online interactive house on WAW’s website.

New WSP/RCN guidance for clinical waste

New waste management guidance issued by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and UK professional services firm, WSP, was published this week (17 April).

Highlighting the ‘benefits of improved waste management in healthcare’, the guidance related to the management of waste arising from health, social and personal care and highlights the need to: risk-assess all waste rather than ‘simply labelling it infectious’; call for greater focus on the ‘waste hierarchy’; and for more distinction to be made between different waste types.

The guidance also suggests strengthening staff training on waste management and recommends that all organisations consider appointing a dedicated waste manager.

Mick Fanning, WSP environment associate, said: “This guide aligns with the revisions to the Department of Health’s guidance that clinical judgment is a key factor in assessing risk and classifying waste appropriately.”

Read the full waste management guidance.