Frozen billboard launches Birds Eye food waste campaign

Frozen food producer Birds Eye has unveiled a frozen billboard on London’s South Bank as part of the UK launch of its iFreeze iSave campaign.

The installation at the South Bank Observation Point is composed of more than four tonnes of ice, with £700 of coins and notes creating a fish design frozen within it.

It has been designed to support the message of the iFreeze campaign, which launched last month, which centres on the idea that freezing food can reduce waste and save money.

Members of the public will be able to collect the money dropped as the billboard melts.

Launching the campaign, Andy Weston-Webb, Managing Director at Birds Eye UK, said: “We’re incredibly excited by this campaign as we understand the pressures families are under to save money.

“Reducing food waste by making the most of the freezer will not only help families to do so but it will also help the UK to become more sustainable and resourceful, something we’re very proud to be a part of.”

Find out more about the iFreeze iSave campaign.

Recycling Technologies aims to raise £500,000 from crowd-funding

Recycling Technologies, a plastic recycling company based in Swindon, has turned to equity crowd-funding platform Syndicate Room to raise the funds needed to complete a reference machine for commercial demonstrations of their product.

The company creates machines that convert mixed plastic waste (MPW) into a fuel – PlaxOil - which can then be resold into the hydrocarbons market or refined as feedstock for producing plastic.

The company is seeking investment of £500,000 from the crowd-funding site Syndicate Room in order to build a demonstration machine at Swindon Borough Council, as well as add to its 15 staff and filing further patents.

Those investing will receive an 11.58 per cent stake in the business in return, with equity offered to investors at 35p per share.

Following the launch of the Syndicate Room campaign in February, an investment of £125,000 has already been secured from a syndicate led by Barry Lingard, a Swindon-based management consultant.

The campaign has until 1 June to reach its target.

Writing on the Syndicate Room site, Recycling Technologies states: 'Conservative estimates suggest that in 2010 alone, eight million tonnes of plastic were thrown into the oceans.

'In 2012, the EU produced 57 million tonnes of plastic. Only 6.6 million tonnes were recycled. The rest, known as MPW, was incinerated, put into landfill or dumped in our oceans. There are currently very few solutions available to deal effectively with MPW.'

Find out more about Recycling Technologies’ Syndicate Room campaign.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles added to Transport for London fleet

Two new hydrogen-powered electric vehicles have been added to Transport for London’s (TfL) fleet as part of its effort to reduce harmful emissions in the capital.

The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles, which are powered by hydrogen and reportedly produce no harmful emissions, will be used by TfL’s bus operational management team to undertake a number of tasks including checking bus route diversions and carrying out site meetings.

The vehicles’ fuel cell stacks convert hydrogen into electricity and emit only water vapour whilst being driven. They have a range of up to 370 miles.

TfL has made the purchase as part of the HyTEC project, which aims to demonstrate and encourage the day-to-day use of hydrogen vehicles. It also coincides with ‘phase five’ of London’s Low Emission Zone, which focuses on curtailing the pollution caused by TfL’s bus fleet.

Commenting on the new additions to his fleet, Tony Akers, Bus Operations Manager at TfL, said: “TfL already has one of the cleanest bus fleets in Europe and we are constantly looking at ways that we can use innovation and technology to improve the air quality in London.

“This includes looking beyond just the bus fleet and looking at how we can be more environmentally friendly across the board.”

Diana Raine, Coordinator and Air Products’ Hydrogen Energy Business Manager at HyTEC, added: “Not only will this technology provide environmental health benefits to the people of London, but also help improve the capital’s air quality.”

Find out more about the HyTEC project.

Possible upgrade to Wrexham Council recycling fleet in the pipeline

Wrexham County Borough Council may upgrade its fleet of resource recovery vehicles (RRVs) in the next 12 months, according to a report due to go before the Executive Board next Tuesday (14 April).

The council currently uses a combination of ‘combi and standard kerbside vehicles’ for its waste service, however Councillor David Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Public Protection, has said these are ‘outdated and not fuel efficient’.

As such, it is hoped that the multi-compartment RRVs could provide better fuel efficiency and improve resource separation (the council currently operates a dual-stream service, using a box for all dry recyclables excluding paper and card, which is collected in a separate bag).

The proposed RRVs, which cost around £115,000 each and are manned by one driver and one loader, can be loaded on both sides and have compaction elements for plastic, cans and cardboard.

Similar vehicles are currently used in other Welsh local authorities such as Conwy, Powys and Port Talbot.

If the recommendations are granted by the Executive Board, eight RRVs will be purchased and migrated with the current recycling fleet in March 2016.

Speaking of the proposed change, Councilllor Bithell said: “We carried out a review of how we need to progress. We’re conscious Wrexham is growing and we need to review our fleet.”

Find out more about Wrexham County Borough Council.