Vegware wins Queen’s Innovation award for second time

Edinburgh eco-packaging firm Vegware has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for the second time for its zero waste efforts in food service provided by its compostable catering disposables and recycling advice.

Vegware was founded in 2008 to provide a sustainable alternative to the landfill or incineration disposal of takeaway packaging. The firm created a large range of compostable plastic free catering disposables, which replace plastic with plant materials with a lower carbon footprint, and in 2015 the firm reportedly displaced over 3,500 tonnes of carbon.

The company has also set up a Food Waste Network, which provides clients with composting and AD options and produces bespoke bin signage, which has been shown to reduce bin contamination by 42 per cent.

Vegware also provides compostable products to 50 per cent of UK universities. The University of Surrey switched to Vegware’s compostable Green Tee collection range for serving food to reduce landfill costs. Glasgow’s Commonwealth festival reached a recycling rate of 81 using Vegware products.

Managing Director of Vegware, Joe Frankel said: “Winning the Queen’s Award again is a huge honour. With the current appetite for recycling, we are soon announcing a crowdsourcing campaign to create additional composting routes. We are proud to be a sustainability leader in foodservice.”

To celebrate the award Vegware has released a one-minute film featuring the problem of disposable cup recycling. The problem was highlighted by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s War on Waste campaign which revealed only one in 400 cups are recycled and seven million are sent to landfill every day. The video presents the composting of degradable packaging with food waste as the only solution.

More information about Vegware can be found at the company's website.

Members of plastics industry invited to ‘Meet the Recycler’

The inaugural ‘Meet the Recycler’ conference of the British Plastics Foundation (BPF) was held on 19 April at the Evolve Polymers Ltd plant in Hemswell. The event, which attracted moulders and recyclers in the plastics industry, allowed recycled plastics to be showcased to moulders interested in using them in their manufacturing processes.

The conference, which forms part of the BPF’s calendar of events, was the first to be hosted by Evolve Polymers, which produces 50,000 tonnes of PET flakes and pellets from post-consumer PET bottles.

Nearly 40 people attended the event from 29 companies and included representatives from Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and Recycling of Used Plastics (RECOUP). Exhibits from nine recyclers were also present at the event.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) promotes the interests of its 500 members across the plastics industry supply chain, which includes polymer producers and suppliers, recyclers, processors and machinery manufacturers among others.

Chris Brown, the CEO of Evolve Polymers said: “Working with the BPF to host this event is a great opportunity for us to build closer and better relationships with our fellow BPF members, as well allowing us to showcase our products and manufacturing processes.”

David Richardson of the Marwood group said: "Meet the recyclers was a good networking opportunity and a great platform to explore the potential of recycled materials in the moulding industry. I enjoyed the tour of Evolve facilities as it added an extra dimension."

More information about the BPF's Meet the Recycler event can be found on the body's website.

Competition promotes sustainability to schoolchildren

Two pupils from Woodland Community Primary School in Skelmersdale have been chosen as joint winners of a recycling design competition, organised by Lancashire food waste recycler ReFood to promote sustainability to schoolchildren.

Kyle Unsworth and Wiktor Slojewski won the ‘ReDesign a ReFood Truck’ competition due to their attention to detail, creativity and fantastic use of colour. Their designs, which were unveiled by Mayor of West Lancashire Borough Council Nikki Henessy, will now be displayed on new ReFood waste collection vehicles operating throughout Lancashire.

The competition, which was open to primary school pupils across the North West, was designed to highlight the importance of recycling and food waste and integrate sustainability into the school curriculum.

Entrants were asked to draw a picture on the subject of food waste recycling. Winners Kyle and Wiktor will also receive £500 book vouchers for their school and a personal tour of ReFood’s anaerobic digestion plant in Widnes.

Trudi Derbyshire, Regional Sales Manager at ReFood Widnes, commented: “At ReFood, we understand the importance of getting young people to think about food waste – they’re the next generation of recyclers!

“Our creative design competition aimed to make the whole process more fun and understandable, helping to support the concept of sustainability – both in schools and at home.

More information about ReFood can be found on the company's website.