With news on: B&M University contract; Powerday ex-offenders scheme; Ardley design award; BPF bottle deposit response, and; ESA consultation.
B&M wins University waste contract
B&M Waste Services has won a three-year contract to carry out waste management and recycling services at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire.
Mick Ashall of B&M Waste Services (left) and Tina Hanson of EHU (centre) mark the start of the waste contract
The contract commenced on 1 October 2016, and B&M Waste is now installing various recycling and waste containers, training on-site staff to further segregate waste and developing a mini-materials recovery facility on-site.
EHU invited tenders for provision of its re-use, recycling and waste resource management services and a key component of the tender was an assessment of a potential service provider’s ability to complement and enhance the University’s sustainability vision.
Mick Ashall, director at B&M Waste Services, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this prestigious contract and look forward to working with all members of the EHU community to develop innovative waste resource management solutions to help realise their environmental and sustainability vision.”
Tina Hanson, housekeeping services manager at EHU, said: “With over 25,000 staff and students, we are a modern civic university aware of our social, economic and environmental responsibilities. We are committed to the sustainable management of waste to ensure legal compliance in a way that minimises environmental impact and promotes resource efficiency.”
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Powerday offers rehabilitation scheme for ex-offenders
London-based waste firm Powerday has teamed up with social enterprise Blue Sky and HMP Onley to launch a construction industry employment scheme for ex-offenders based in the capital.
Powerday is offering work placements for ex-offenders
This partnership gives inmates from the Category C prison in Northamptonshire the opportunity to receive training and subsequent employment with Blue Sky and Powerday at construction sites across London.
The initiative sees Blue Sky and HMP Onley identify suitable candidates who will work towards their City & Guilds Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment to enable them to apply for a CSCS Labourer Green Card. After receiving onsite training and a final screening process with Powerday, successful candidates are offered a six-month contract of employment with Blue Sky who will place them within Powerday teams on site. The first intake will be sited at Powerday’s long standing client, St George, part of the Berkeley Group.
Blue Sky will provide ongoing support to candidates who, where demonstrating a strong work ethic, will be considered by Powerday for full time employment.
Simon Little, Sales & Marketing Director, Powerday says: “Powerday is committed to helping Londoners who might not have had the best start in life. We are delighted to be launching this scheme and fully expect it to be the first step on the road for our candidates to forge successful careers in the construction industry”.
Pete Middleton (Head of Reducing Reoffending ) HMP Onley says: “The partnership creates invaluable opportunities for prisoners to transform their lives by gaining the confidence and essential skills in the workplace which in turn prevents them from reoffending.”
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Ardley ERF recognised for design impact
The Viridor Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Ardley, Oxfordshire, has been recognised at the annual Oxford Preservation Trust awards for its contribution to serving the residents of Oxfordshire and its design inspired by the history of the surrounding landscape.
Viridor’s Ardley ERF pictured from above
The Oxford Preservation Trust Awards aim to highlight the quality and variety of building projects taking place across Oxfordshire.
Judges were impressed with the design of the ERF tying into the surrounding landscape along with the reference to the ancient dinosaur activity on the site.
From the air the facility resembles a footprint, and this legacy is carried through to a 15 foot ‘megawattasaurus’ model dinosaur made from re-used materials standing proudly in the reception.
The Ardley ERF was completed in 2014, and treats household waste from across the county.
Richard Pennells, Managing Director for Viridor’s Energy Division said of the award: “We are absolutely delighted that the Ardley ERF has been recognised at this year’s Oxford Preservation Trust Awards in the ‘New Building category’. The awards are very well respected in Oxfordshire and there was a particularly strong field. Every day the team at Ardley is transforming waste into vital renewable energy to help keep the lights on in Oxfordshire and it is testament to the ERF and our partnership with Oxfordshire County Council that this vital piece of social infrastructure could be recognised.”
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BPF hits out at MP’s bottle deposit demand
The British Plastics Federation has responded to calls from the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas for the introduction of a deposit scheme for plastic bottles to increase the collection of the material for recycling.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has claimed that a DRS would prevent plastic bottles from being littered
Last week the Brighton Pavilion MP and Green Party co-leader called on the government to implement a mandatory deposit return scheme for bottles to ‘dramatically increase the collection rate’ of the material in an early day motion, tabled on Tuesday (8 November).
However, the BPF, which represents the UK’s plastics industry, claimed that the MP’s comments do not ‘fully consider the impacts of introducing a DRS or current research on litter composition’.
Responding to the statement, BPF has claimed that bottles account for only 2.5% of littered items in England, and that evidence from other European countries suggests that DRSs are expensive to introduce and cause ‘inconvenience’ for consumers.
The organisation added: “The introduction of such a system is likely to undermine the existing kerbside collection operated by local councils as well as penalise consumers who already recycle at home. The industry would welcome the opportunity to discuss recycling and litter with politicians, and encourages the involvement of relevant stakeholders in discussions of legislative proposals.”
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ESA to hold PRN consultation day
The Environmental Services Association is holding a consultation day to seek views on its recent proposals for alternatives to the packaging recovery notes (PRNs), which were published last month.
ESA has called for a re-think of the PRN system for funding packaging waste collection
The Consultation Day will take place on 17 November in London at Central Hall, Westminster.
Titled ‘A Discussion of the UK PRN/PERN System for Packaging Waste and Possible Alternatives’, ESA’s report suggested that developing a new packaging waste regime for the UK could incorporate a shift of funding to collection from local authorities to packaging producers.
Commenting on the Consultation Day, ESA executive director Jacob Hayler said: “It is important for all stakeholders to address the urgent issues that need to be resolved to create a long-term strategy for our industry.
“The report outlines four possible options for the PRN system in response to our changing world. Whilst the report has received widespread comment, we want to know more about what all stakeholders think about the different alternatives.”
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