United Biscuits extends oil-fuelled fleet

United Biscuits (UB), manufacturer of biscuits, cakes and snacks, has extended an initiative that uses waste cooking oil to power 16 of its vehicles on Ultra Biofuel, which, according to UB, generates a carbon savings of up to 97 per cent compared to traditional diesel.

The 44-tonne vehicles have been converted to operate a duel-fuel system with 85 per cent consisting of Ultra Biofuel and generating an overall CO2 saving of 82.5 per cent, the equivalent to removing 1.5 million truck miles from the road per year.

Alongside the fuel changes, UB has also extended 62 of its trailers by two metres. They now carry 15 per cent more pallets, helping to reduce road miles by 450,000 per year, according to the manufacturer.

Both projects form part of the company’s ‘Fewer and Friendlier Miles’ campaign, reportedly removing 30 million truck miles from UK roads in the past 10 years.

Rob Wright, Head of Distribution at UB, commented: “It is estimated that the UK generates 250 million litres of waste oils a year, and we are delighted to be able to demonstrate a sustainable use for this waste material with potential to deliver significant CO2 savings from transport within the UK. We firmly believe that this approach and technology is scalable and we hope to set a precedent that other organisations will follow.

“We are open to working with suppliers, customers and competitors to share our experiences and expertise.”

Learn more about United Biscuits.

European Parliament approves €1million funding to GCU research

The European Parliament has voted to award funding of €1 million (£714,000) to Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) to develop protocols for the assessment of urban green infrastructure.

The funding will help develop a set of standards to assist the creation, management and governance of green infrastructure projects, with the aim of reducing emissions and improving human health.

The pilot project will develop protocols for the establishment of region and city specific assessment schemes specifically to reduce climate change in cities.

Work in this area at GCU includes collaborating with the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership to produce a map of local temperature variations to help tackle the local overheating problem which is expected to worsen with climate change.

Professor Rohinton Emmanuel said: “We are delighted to be supported in translating our research into practical application for the benefit of urban communities. While the benefits of green infrastructure are well known, evidence-based tools and policies for its promotion, monitoring and implementation are not widely available.

“This project will develop protocols for an EU-wide deployment of urban green infrastructure that could act as a catalyst for enhanced urban sustainability and resilience at a time of major societal, economic and environmental change.”

Learn more about Glasgow Caledonian University.

Plastics Recycling Show Europe to focus on challenge of different plastic

This year’s Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2015 will discuss the challenges of recycling the major different types of plastic, including PET, PVC, HDPE, LDPE and mixed plastics. The conference will take place in Brussels on 25 and 26 November.

Sessions will include a mixture of examining current recycling systems, discussing the potential of mixed plastics, finding markets for recycled material, coping with price volatility in the virgin market and producer responsibility schemes.

Keynote speakers will include David Ingram, Director at Procter & Gamble, who will discuss sustainable packaging, and Jonas Bystrom, Senior Engineer at the European Investment Bank, who will speak on financing recycling in a circular economy.

Find out more about the conference.

Franchising of recycling centre reuse shops case study

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has released an online case study detailing how it franchised eight of its recycling centre reuse shops.

Partnering with a local charities, the council says, helps to raise millions of pounds for charitable causes, provides a sustainable income for the council and diverts thousands of tonnes of material from landfill.

WCC packaged the reuse shops on eight of its household waste recycling centre (HWRC) sites into a four-lot competitive tender that was won by Age UK Warwickshire (AUKW). The charity is now contracted to operate the shops on each of the eight sites, including two whole-site operations.

Generating an additional £250,000 a year in franchise fees (£100,000 a year more than WCC’s procurement benchmark), the arrangement is ‘providing a platform for sustainable social enterprise’, and ‘capitalising on the recycling centres as a magnet for unwanted goods and materials’, according to the case study.

In the case study, WCC states that its core purpose is to: ‘Develop and sustain a society that looks after its most vulnerable members, that delivers quality services at the right time, and seeks opportunities for economic growth and innovation.’

Read about WCC and AUKW’s Warwickshire’s One Organisational Plan 2014-2018.

Owner of waste disposal firm disqualified from running vehicles

The West Midlands Traffic Commissioner has disqualified George Talbot, the owner of Stoke-on-Trent waste disposal firm Alsager Contractors Ltd, from running vehicles for one year, after a public inquiry.

The industry regulator, Nick Jones, also made an order to revoke the firm’s operating licence (and a sole trader licence held by the director) from 1 November 2015.

The firm was called before the commissioner after an investigation revealed issues with vehicle safety standards.

The firm’s Transport Manager, Stephen Talbot, did not attend the hearing and has been disqualified from working in that role again until he passes new transport manager certificate of professional competence (CPC) examinations.

Jones released a statement after the hearing that stated: “George Talbot told me that he would be seeking to retire in due course. However his failings are such that in the interests of both road safety and fair competition, I will be making that decision for him.”

Scottish Government funding for convenience stores

The Scottish Government has announced a grant of £100,000 to boost the energy efficiency of Scotland’s convenience stores.

The Convenience Store Resource Efficiency Grant, managed by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS), will allow independent convenience store retailers to apply for grants of up to £5,000.

With this money, the stores can buy equipment such as double-glazed refrigeration doors and LED lighting to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions.

Speaking at the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) conference held today (30 October) at the Royal Bank of Scotland Conference Centre in Edinburgh, Chief Executive Pete Cheema, said: “The funds will help convenience store retailers to lead the way in terms of increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. I would urge all SGF members to make the most of this fantastic opportunity as a means of taking another step towards helping Scotland to become an environmentally sustainable society.”

Head of Circular Economy at ZWS, Louise McGregor also commented: “By installing resource efficiency measures such as double-glazed refrigerators, LED lighting and controls and heat recovery systems, stores could save between five and 35 per cent of their annual costs, depending on the individual circumstances of the store.”

Learn more about Zero Waste Scotland.