New waste collection structure in Croydon to drive up recycling rates, says Council

A reshuffle in Croydon Council’s waste and recycling service will lead to a more efficient and productive service, council chiefs hope.

From 1 June, the previously separate teams of council staff and contractors (from waste management firm Veolia), from street cleaners to binmen, have combined to cover eight local patches.

Each local team has an operations manager overseeing general waste collection, recycling, street cleaning and fly-tipping enforcement officers. The eight teams will have one or several trucks on patrol in each area at all times.

There has been no change to the waste collected or to the frequency of collection, but the council hopes the move will drive up recycling rates.

It believes the structure will lead to faster responses to issues reported to the council’s contact centre, better-planned routes due to better information on how much waste each street produces, improved coordination, and integration of staff with the ‘Don’t Mess With Croydon’campaign.

Councillor Stuart Collins, Croydon Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Clean Green Croydon, said: “Our officers already take huge pride in keeping our borough clean, so giving them a local patch means an even better service for our residents.

“We already know which areas of Croydon recycle more or produce more general waste, but our local teams will also spot and respond faster to overflowing bins, missed collections or dumped rubbish.”

Learn more about the ‘Don’t Mess With Croydon’ campaign.

EMR scrap metal recycling group Executive Director Colin Iles steps down

Colin Iles has stepped down as Executive Director and Chairman of scrap metal recycling group EMR.

Iles will remain as a non-executive director, but is leaving the executive role as part of a succession process designed to transfer management and governance on to a new generation of managers.

The company has now started the process of recruiting a new chairman.

Commenting on his decision, Iles said: “The succession of a successful, entrepreneurial company like EMR is a very difficult thing for any business to achieve.

“We have built excellent strength and depth in our executive management team and having worked with Chris Sheppard (EMR Group Chief Executive) now for eight years; I have a high regard for him and his ability to take this business to the next level.”

Sheppard added: “Colin has been a huge driving force in developing EMR into the successful global business it is. I would like to express our sincere gratitude for his exceptional contribution.”

EMR currently operates around 170 metal recycling sites across the world and has an annual turnover in excess of £3 billion. Through the recycling of end-of-life vehicles and consumer products, and industrial and construction materials, the group says it generates sales of around 10 million tonnes of recycled raw materials a year.

Learn more about EMR Group.

DS Environmental invest in CDEnviro sludge screen

Drain services company DS Environmental hopes to provide improved environmental cleaning services to customers after purchasing a CDEnviro MSU:10 portable sludge screen.

The machine, which can be transported by lorry and removes the need for crane hire, is designed to facilitate liquid and solid separation from a variety of applications including screenings removal from sludge, grit removal from sludge and pre-screening for removal of larger debris.

The company hopes this will mean better flexibility to adapt to varying waste streams on location at customer sites, allowing the customer to choose how to reprocess materials.

DS Environmental Services provide cleaning services throughout the North West of Ireland and are based near Letterkenny, County Donegal.

Director Denis Sheridan, commenting on the investment, said: “The addition of the MSU:10 unit to our operations has allowed us to deal with sludge more effectively.

“We trialled the unit at a sewage treatment work in Letterkenny prior to purchase and were delighted with the results. We’re confident that the MSU:10 is a good fit for the range of material we process, from septic tank to sewage works waste.”

CDEnviro CustomCare Manager, Fergal Campbell added: “The MSU:10 is the first of its kind in the industry – it’ s portable nature suits waste processors like DS Environmental who process a variety of waste streams on location at customer sites.

“We aim to continue to provide our customers with sludge handling systems that maximise productivity while minimising the cost involved.”

Learn more about DS Environmental Services.

Businesses and residents urged to bring WEEE to Aberdeen recycling event

Businesses, residents and organisations in North East Scotland are being urged to recycle their broken electronics at a free two-day event in Aberdeen from June 25-26.

It is the second time the event, hosted by Aberdeen University in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and the European Recycling Platform UK (ERP UK) has been held since 2012, when over 16 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were collected.

The event, which will take place at the university’s MacRobert Building, is part of a drive to increase the recycling of electronic waste. A 2015 United Nations report found that the amount of WEEE discarded across the world reached 41.8 million tonnes in 2014, and that the UK is the world’s fifth largest producer of the waste.

John Redmayne, ERP UK General Manager, said: “Plenty of people have broken equipment gathering dust, cluttering up their cupboards or lurking in a drawer.

“Well, now they can be free of it and benefit the environment at the same time. Bring anything with a battery or a plug on it, and it will be recycled.”

Councillor Jean Morrison, Aberdeen City Council's Zero Waste Management Sub-Committee Convener, explained: “E-waste contains lots of highly valuable materials, such as metals and plastics, which have huge potential to be recycled and turned into new items, and which cause pollution if they end up in landfill.

“I’d encourage everyone to take this opportunity to have a clear out and recycle their unwanted items.”

Learn more about ERP UK.

enitial awarded Oxfordshire landfill management contract

Environmental monitoring specialist enitial has retained a three-year contract to manage, monitor and maintain 10 of Oxfordshire County Council’s now-closed landfill sites.

Under the contract, ential, which has been providing monitoring services to the council since 2010, will monitor the 10 sites’ gas, groundwater, leachate and surface water levels.

The sites will be managed using a combination of flares to burn off landfill gas and convert it into carbon dioxide and 18 pumps to manage leachate levels.

The new contract has the potential to be extended by a further two years.

Rebecca Harwood, Service Delivery Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We were impressed with the comprehensive supporting documentation provided in enitial’s tender bid. They are able to provide cost-effective management for 10 of Oxfordshire’s closed landfill sites.”

The landfill sites under enitial’s contract are: Alkerton, Ardley Wood, Dean Pit, Eyres Lane, Littleworth, Milton Quarry, Oakley Wood, Stanford in the Vale, Stratton Audley and Worsham Quarry.

Learn more about enitital.