Hartlepool recycling firm teams up with local academy

J&B Recycling, a commercial waste collection and recycling firm based in North East England, has collaborated with a Hartlepool school to help students with learning difficulties prepare for working life.

The partnership is intended to help the students from Catcote Academy, a school for students with learning difficulties, by involving them in a social enterprise scheme that sees wooden pallets renovated into furniture. Through the partnership, J&B Recycling delivers 40 pallets of wood at a time to a nearby workshop where the students work on the material.

Catcote Academy and J&B Recycling plan to develop their partnership in the future to include the creation of supported internships to help students get a feel for working environments.

Commenting on the scheme, Amanda Metcalf, who is responsible for the sixth form at the school, said: “This is all part of our post-16 study programme where the students learn about life skills and employability as well as entrepreneurship and work skills.

“During this project they will build garden furniture, work individually and as a team, sharing ideas and helping each other, just as they would in a working environment.”

Jackie McGarry, Information, Advice and Guidance Officer at the school, added: “We are looking forward to working in partnership, to increase opportunities for work experience and supported internships for our students, enabling them to gain invaluable work skills, increase confidence and prepare them for sustained employment in the future.”

Find out more about J&B Recycling.

Perth and Kinross Council announces new recycling partnership with Scottish hospice

Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) has announced a 12-month pilot scheme that aims to increase glass recycling rates while simultaneously generating funds for Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS).

For every extra glass jar or bottle that is recycled by residents of Perth and Kinross, one penny will be awarded to CHAS’s Rachel House Children’s Hospice, which provides medical care to seriously ill children and supports their families.

According to PKC, the council currently captures 55 per cent of all empty glass jars and bottles – but 45 per cent is still being dumped in to landfill. A 10 per cent increase (350 tonnes) over the next year would contribute between £3,000 and £5,000 to CHAS.

Rachel House is one of two children’s hospices run by CHAS. It services eight families at a time, supporting the needs of families from neo-natal to young adults. The hospice attends to the medical needs and care of seriously ill children.

Rachel Cheer of CHAS said: “CHAS currently supports around 370 families from across Scotland. As we need to raise over £9 million to operate Rachel House, Robin House and our CHAS at Home service, every penny from this Glass Recycling Campaign really will count.”

Find out more about Perth and Kinross Council’s recycling and the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland.

SUEZ announces two new appointments

The recycling and recovery UK division of SUEZ has announced two new managerial roles.

Gary Mayson has been appointed to the company’s management board as Director of Energy. Mayson previously held the position of General Manager of the processing division for SUEZ Energy Solutions. Reporting to CEO David Palmer-Jones, he will now take responsibility for the company’s energy business and its portfolio of energy generation assets across the UK, including incineration, anaerobic digestion, gasification and landfill gas operations.

The second appointment is Gary Whitehead in the new role of Director of Customer Development. Whitehead returns to the UK after working in Australia as a Divisional MD for the Resource Recovery operation of packaging and paper manufacturer Visy.

Commenting on the two appointments, Palmer-Jones said: “I am pleased to welcome Gary Mayson to the board of directors, which reflects the strategic importance we place on the energy generation business, and our most valuable assets, moving forward. Gary brings a wealth of experience, both in operations and management, to this vital part of the business.

“I am also pleased to welcome Gary Whitehead to SUEZ in a new role for the business as Customer Development Director. Gary will take responsibility for our key corporate accounts as we increasingly help our industrial and commercial customers realise more innovative, sustainable and circular waste management solutions.”

Learn more about SUEZ.

VEKA Recycling announces new compound division

A new division launched this week by PVC-u (unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) window recycling company VEKA Recycling Ltd will work to promote and improve the perception of the company’s recycled polymer.

VEKA Compounds will seek to develop new customers for the compound polymers, which are used in the manufacture of a variety of products including cable management, ducting, pipes and window profiles.

Simon Scholes, Business Manager for Kent-based VEKA Recycling, said: “The reasoning behind the creation of VEKA Compounds is simple: as part of the VEKA UK Group, one of the UK’s leading extruders of PVC-U, we are able to guarantee the quality of our pellets and pulver, and their supply. The new division allows us to focus on the end product, paradoxically by separating it from the process of recycling.”

Find out more about VEKA Recycling.

Hubbub launches #PumpkinRescue campaign over Halloween

Environmental campaign charity Hubbub has launched a series of events in a bid to cut down on the 18,000 tonnes of edible pumpkins wasted at Halloween.

Through social media campaigning using the hashtag #PumpkinRescue, Hubbub intends to rally support from London and cities across the UK, as well as New Jersey in the US, to run community festivals based around pumpkins and food waste.

The 20 planned events include pumpkin planting and a mass lunch in Worthing, an outdoor mass cookery class in Newcastle and ‘a Halloween ball with a food waste twist in Manchester’. Workshops being held across the country include community gardens and composting sessions as well as drop-off points for old pumpkins to be used as compost after Halloween.

According to Hubbub, 40 per cent of UK households buy pumpkins for decoration at Halloween and throw them away, along with offcuts, as soon as the holiday is over.

Hubbub has also made a free pumpkin cookbook, containing recipes submitted by Ainsley Harriot, chain restaurant Leon and various food bloggers, available on its website. Recipes from celebrity chefs Mark Hix and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall can also be found on the Hubbub website.

Read more about #PumpkinRescue and find an event near you.