1. SLR Consulting advises ‘world’s first’ Tidal Lagoon scheme

Visualisation of the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay project

Environmental firm SLR Consulting, has been appointed to provide ‘strategic planning advice’ for the ‘world’s first’ tidal lagoon power station in Swansea Bay, ahead of an application to the Planning Inspectorate later this year.

The project, by developer Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay PLC (TLSB) will be capable of generating 240 megawatts of renewable energy on both the flood and ebb tide, providing enough electricity for all of Swansea’s domestic use. The lagoon will also act as a sporting and leisure destination for water sports, and the surrounding wall will be open to cyclists and pedestrians.

SLR is supporting TLSB through the provision of specialist Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) consenting advice as well as preparing the project’s supporting Planning Statement, alongside input from the client’s legal advisors DLA Piper.

SLR Senior Planner, Mike Harris, who prior to joining SLR worked for the NSIP planning regulator, said: “Our involvement in this world first marine energy scheme demonstrates SLR’s expertise across the renewable energy sector and the growing NSIP market.”

TLSB’s Head of Planning, Alex Herbert added: “The planning regime for projects such as ours is multifaceted and we value the clear thinking and strategic input Mike and the SLR team have provided ahead of our planning submission.”

Find out more about the Tidal Lagoon project.

2. Over 1,000 residents sign up to BIG Recycle

Leader of Portsmouth City Council Gerald Vernon-Jackson and the Lord Mayor Lynne Stagg.

Over 1,400 Portsmouth households having signed up to Portsmouth City Council’s new recycling initiative, the BIG Recycle.

The campaign, launched last week, aims to improve the rate of recycling in the city by offering residents the chance to win rewards of up to £250 cash for recycling the correct materials.

Speaking of the initial figures, Leader of the council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said: "This is a very encouraging start for the BIG Recycle and I am thrilled it has received such a positive reception from local residents.

"This scheme is an excellent opportunity for us all to help make our city a greener place to live, as well as maximise savings for the council which can then be used to support and protect important local services."

Find out more about the BIG Recycle or register to the scheme.

3. Novelis Fellowship Programme inductees announced

Aluminum rolling and recycling company Novelis, has announced the inductees the Novelis Fellowship Programme, the company's ‘highest technical honour’ that recognises the most exceptional engineers and scientists within the Novelis technical community.

The 2013 class of the Novelis Fellowship Programme includes:

• Robert B. (Bob) Wagstaff, ‘Novelis Fellow’: Director of Molten Metal Processing, Wagstaff was recognised for his ‘leading-edge technologies for aluminum processing have improved efficiency and safety’;
• Ron Dunsmoor, ‘Distinguished Engineer’:Senior Manager of Global Technology, Dunsmoor was honoured for his ‘outstanding leadership and continued success throughout his more than 40-year career at Novelis’;
• Adriano Ferreira, ‘Distinguished Engineer’: Senior Technology Manager for Novelis South America, Ferreira was chosen for ‘being a world leader and innovator in process control over a 30-year career’; and
• John Hunter, ‘Distinguished Scientist’:Group Leader in Surface Science, Hunter was praised for his ‘industry-leading expertise in the area of aluminum surface science and engineering’.

Speaking of the awards, Jack Clark, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer for Novelis, said: “The Novelis Fellowship awards are meant to acknowledge extraordinary achievement and leadership in research and technology. The recipients exemplify the very best in our technical community and have made an enormous impact not only within Novelis, but on the aluminum industry as a whole."

Read more about Novelis.

4. DPS Global unveils compact energy-from-waste facility

Engineering firm DPS Global has officially unveiled its compact ‘waste destruction facility’ for the defence sector at the defence and security exhibition, DSEI.

The PyroVore ST series facility involves ‘staged and separated pyrolysis and gasification’ of wastes to produce small amounts of ash and heat.

It has been designed on a small scale so it can be easily installed on an aircraft carrier or located in a military base. It also has the capability to provide electricity for ground and sea forces. The land-based version sits in a 40 foot container that can be transported to forward operating bases to enable all waste to be disposed of on site.

Neil Young, Managing Director at DPS Global, said: “We believe that our solution is the first of its kind that addresses the challenges of waste management for land and sea forces across the world. It allows the army and navy to manage their waste on site, even in the remotest locations. In doing so it safeguards against any security risk posed by the collection of waste and removes any associated costs of doing so.

Read more about DPS Global’s PyroVore ST series.

5. Community Can Challenge sees 5.7 tonnes of cans collected

Rexam Beverage Can Europe has announced that its third annual Community Can Challenge saw 5.7 tonnes of cans collected for recycling, 14 per cent more than in 2012.

Running over a 10-week period, the challenge was held in nine European countires and saw Rexam’s plant teams educate communities on the benefits of can recycling, while raising money for charity.

Rexam’s engineering facility in Milton Keynes collected the most cans for recycling from its local community efforts (1.7 tonnes), securing it the ‘Weight Prize’, and receiving £5,000 for the charity of its choice.

Iain Percival, Rexam’s Sector Director for Europe, said: “Whilst recycling cans is only part of Rexam’s wider sustainability programme, the Community Can Challenge is a visible way in which our employees can participate in and support the company’s commitment to running a sustainable company and build even better relationships with the communities in which they work.

“Those plants and locations that took part truly embraced the opportunity to educate their local communities about the importance of recycling and to help us make a difference in running a sustainable business.’

Find out more about Rexam’s sustainability programme.

6. Hundreds sign up to food waste recycling pledge

A three-metre high, inflatable food waste caddy that visited Wrexham, Cardiff and Swansea last week as part of Waste Awareness Wales’ campaign to promote food waste recycling, has encouraged 589 people to pledge to recycle their food waste.

In addition to signing the pledge forms, members of the public also received food waste recycling equipment, such as caddies and bags.

Andrew Osborne from Waste Awareness Wales said the events were a ‘great success’, adding: “Hundreds pledged to recycle their food waste and hundreds more picked up food waste recycling equipment.It was great to see so many people enthused seeing the benefit of food waste recycling and pledging to do this in the future.”

Oxfordshire Waste Partnership is calling on residents to also pledge to reduce their food waste over the next few weeks and will be giving out free recipe books with ideas for using up leftovers to residents at a range of events from now until 14 November.

Find out more about reducing food waste.