Senior consultants from Eunomia have called on Defra to introduce policy measures that would “damp down” the EfW sector to bolster recycling rates.

Steve Almond, sales engineer with Tomra Sorting Recycling, said:

“Our industry’s current fixation on EfW as the solution for our waste really worries me,” he said.

“The opening of this new [Trident Park] plant also rings a number of alarm bells for me and, I’m sure, others in the recycling industry.”

The south Wales facility, which formally opened in June, has the capacity to process 350,000 tonnes of waste a year.

172,000 tonnes of the waste will be coming from five councils that make up the Prosiect Gwyrdd partnership: Caerphilly, Cardiff, Monmouthshire, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan. The rest will be acquired from additional commercial contracts.

With Wales aiming to reach a recycling target of 70% by 2024-25, Trident Park would process 22% of all waste generated in the country if used at full capacity. This would be classified as ‘recovery’ under the waste hierarchy.

Almond said that although EfW has a role to play in the UK’s waste management industry, investment should be directed towards material recovery for recycling first, so that only the remaining untreatable refuse is used in energy production.

A spokesperson for Prosiect Gwyrdd said that incinerator bottom ash resulting from the plant’s operations will be recycled and would contribute 5% towards the total Welsh recycling target.

“By working in partnership between five councils, we also have more flexibility between us on the amount of waste we can send to the plant,” he said.

Chris Jonas, Viridor’s director of business development, said: “Europe has thrown away old thinking about waste and is recognising its value as a resource.

“A circular economy won’t be a binary one and absolutes are the enemy of progress. In 2014-15 Viridor completed around £875m-worth of investment in UK recycling and decentralised energy infrastructure, releasing over one million tonnes of essential new resource recovery and landfill diversion capacity to Britain.

“It’s that investment – advanced recycling facilities, anaerobic digestion and an integrated network of energy recovery facilities – that is today helping to drive sustainability and moves towards a new EU package.”

Senior consultants from Eunomia recently called on Defra to introduce policy measures that would “damp down” the EfW sector to bolster recycling rates.

Tony Baker, Safety and Compliance Manager at GPT Waste Management, said:

“GPT Waste Management share the concerns outlined in the Eunomia article. As more and more EfW facilities are built, commissioned and compete for waste derived fuel there could ultimately be a detrimental effect on the amount of recyclable waste being extracted and presented to processors both at source and from the Materials Recycling Facilities.”

“There will be a temptation to avoid expensive separation and segregation methods in favour of RDF production (if that provides the cheapest option). If rebate rates for recyclable materials continues to decline this scenario may not be too far away!”

References:

MRW

Defra

According to a report commissioned by the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET) and written by written by Eunomia Research & Consulting, the problem of crime in the waste and resource sector is a growing blight on our society and, although not a new issue, the rewards for such activity are far greater than ever before.

Mr. B. E. Dennis on behalf of the ESAET Board of Trustees said:

“Having worked in the waste industry for a large number of years, we have all seen first-hand the impact that this sort of crime can have on local communities, businesses and the environment. There is a growing sense that as the rewards relating to ‘waste crime’ grow, a culture of criminality is taking root in the industry.”

In the UK, waste crime is a wipe spread pestilence, on one side you have a builder fly tipping in order to save a few pounds and then on the other end of the spectrum you have illegal waste sites processing thousands of tonnes of waste, and although these operators seem legitimate they are misclassifying waste in order to evade a tax bill that could total millions of pounds.

In response to this, the Government has rightly implemented policy measures to support recycling and promote a resource economy, but these have raised the cost of legitimate waste disposal. Evading these costs allows criminals to profit; but while they gain, everyone else loses.

While waste crime can have serious environmental impacts, the motive is economic. It offers high rewards and relatively low risk of substantial penalty. It takes work away from legitimate, permitted waste operators, who therefore lose income. However, the profits come largely at the expense of the taxpayer.

Below is a table showing the costs of waste crime to the UK Economy:

Measures have already been implemented by government to try to tackle waste crime. The Environment Agency’s waste crime task force has given a welcome boost to enforcement efforts, and has helped to close down a record number of illegal waste sites.

HMRC has clarified the rules on what kinds of waste can be classified as inert, and the Sentencing Council’s review of guidance on the penalties for environmental crimes seems likely to improve on a current weakness in the enforcement system.

Despite this action, waste crime remains a substantial threat to the legitimate waste sector, and the resources available to tackle it are coming under increasing pressure. Yet cutting enforcement expenditure seems a false economy.

Modelling shows that, at the margin, each pound spent on enforcement is likely to yield a return of as much as £5.60. Of this £3.20 would be received directly by government in taxes, with the rest benefitting legitimate waste sector businesses and wider society.

Waste crime is increasingly of concern because of its economic impacts. Not every waste crime always harms the environment, but almost all damage law abiding individuals and businesses operating within the waste sector and deprives the government of tax income.

Waste crime:

• undercuts legitimate waste businesses, making it harder for them to make a living while charging a fair price for their services;
• reduces the government’s tax take, not just through illegal operators evading landfill tax, but by reducing the VAT and corporation tax that would otherwise be paid by legitimate businesses;
• creates nuisance, disamenity and even danger for the public when waste is fly-tipped in the countryside, stored unsafely, or deliberately burned in the open;
• endangers people in other countries when illegally exported waste is reprocessed in low tech and environmentally irresponsible ways to extract the highest value materials from it;
• imposes costs on those who have to clear up after waste criminals: local authorities, the Environment Agency and private landowners;
• is increasingly associated with organised criminal gangs, who may also be engaged in other forms of crime, who are “attracted to the trafficking of illicit waste and associated criminal activities because of the low-risk, high-profit nature of these criminal activities.”

The Environment Agency defines waste sites as being illegal if they:

“Do not have a permit or do not meet other legal requirements, such as a registered waste exemption.”

Tony Baker, Safety and Compliance Manager at GPT Waste said:

GPT Waste Management has robust management systems and arrangements in place to ensure we utilise top quality, legally compliant and ethically sound Service Providers.

Our Appraisal and Approval process is independently audited and verified by a UKAS accredited certification body. We fully comply with the requirements of the Quality and Environmental Management system standards ISO 9001 and 14001 respectively.

We expect our Service Providers to go beyond just fulfilling legal obligations and prior to approving their use for collecting and processing our Clients’ waste we ensure the following minimum objective evidence information is obtained:-

• Waste Carriers Licence and any relevant Vehicle fleet licences etc. (FORS for e.g.)
• Environmental Permit including their list of permitted wastes and any other relevant and legally required permits and registrations,
• Health, Safety and Environmental Policies,
• Copies of relevant regulator inspection reports,
• Fate of waste confirmation and achievements,
• Liability Insurance cover etc.

Client visits are arranged to show the Waste Producers where their waste is processed and periodical Duty of Care Audits are carried out by our Compliance Team.

GPT Waste Management’s Compliance Manager and team monitor the introduction, changes and amendments to statute in relation to Waste legislation, Environmental Legislation and Health and Safety Legislation. GPT’s Environmental Management System ISO 14001:2004 certification ensures GPT create and maintain a Legal Register.

This is managed by the Compliance Manager. Changes to legislation are communicated in writing to our Clients and via the GPT website. Each of our National Account Managers is fully briefed and kept up to date with legislative changes and communicate relevant information to their Clients and provide the appropriate course of action where necessary.

Illegal waste sites typically do not have planning permission and they often blight communities as a result of anti-social vehicle movements, noise, dust and odour, as well as other forms of pollution.

A financial analysis of illegal waste sites by the Environment Agency showed that £150–£200,000 of legitimate revenue is lost for each illegal site in operation. Central government bears 90% of this loss, with the remainder split between landfill operators, local authorities and skip hire operators.

For further information about Waste Crime, download the report here.

References:

Environment Agency (2013) Cracking Down on Waste Crime: Waste Crime Report

ESA

The Guardian

Poor IAQ in learning spaces not only affects the health and comfort of pupils, but can also reduce academic achievement and increase absenteeism. For example, a recent UK study shows that pupils’ performance is increased by up to 15% in various tasks when ventilation rates in teaching spaces are increased from 0.7–1.0 l/s per person to 6–8 l/s per person. Common complaints in new schools are that they are stuffy, suffer from overheating, and are under ventilated.

A lot is being asked of the modern ventilation systems in schools. CIBSE TM57 states that a successful school ventilation strategy must consider a complex set of interacting factors:

• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
• Thermal comfort
• Ventilation heat loss
• Noise ingress
• Local noise generation from mechanical services

The guidance also states that in the winter (heating season) the ventilation system should be designed to meet air quality requirements, while minimising ventilation heat loss, whereas in the summer (cooling season) the ventilation system should help to reduce the risk of overheating. Accordingly, a much higher airflow rate is required in the summer than in the winter.

There are several approaches to mitigate summer overheating and achieving thermal comfort. These include using night-time cooling to reduce or eliminate the energy consumption of a cooling system, or by stimulating internal air movement.

Designing schools with mechanical ventilation is fraught with challenges – it is often a source of poor IAQ in schools because of lack of attention to cleanliness in operation. Filters should be changed regularly yet they rarely are. Horizontal duct work is a dust trap and so should also be cleaned frequently. Poor cleanliness also increases dust mite populations.

The maintenance of mechanical ventilation systems is a considerable issue in schools, with both operational and capital cost implications. The need for high airflow rates in the summer can be expensive in terms of energy and maintenance if a mechanical ventilation system is used.

All of the above issues should be considered during the design. A low cost alternative is a well-designed automated natural ventilation system.

Ventive have produced a guide to Passive Ventilation with Heat Recovery in Schools document which is available to download here.

contact@ventive.co.uk

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Amazon Filters – Pleated filter

The two most commonly used process filters used throughout industry today are the pleated depth type and the meltblown true depth type, but where should we use each to its best benefit?

The filters themselves have very different construction characteristics.

The pleated depth is quite a thin media, ranging from 2-4mm thick, but being pleated offers a relatively high surface area giving it excellent flow to differential pressure characteristics.

Meltblown depth filter

Whereas the true depth media is around 14mm thick and therefore has exceptional dirt holding characteristics, however it’s surface area is limited and therefore when compared to a pleated depth media, offers a lower flow to differential pressure characteristic. Therefore your filter choice should be made that matches filters relative strength with the right application.

Pleated depth filters are the common choice for relative clean systems or when the contamination has a very consistent or classified size.

In this instance the high surface area offers a higher flow characteristic which in turn offers low initial costs and lower running costs.

Meltblown depth filters are selected where higher contamination levels or where variability in the size of the contamination is much wider and therefore the high dirt holding capacity of the product is utilised, resulting in lower running costs.

It is common to find that the wrong initial selection has been made, often for cost reasons, however if you follow these simple recommendations then in the vast majority of applications you will invariably select the correct filter type.

There are many industries that rely on effective filtration for their critical processes and Amazon Filters is a company with a proven track record for reliability and performance in supplying the equipment they need. Watch the following video to find out more about our capabilities here.

To discuss your project requirements, call +44 (0) 1276 670600 or email sales@amazonfilters.co.uk .

Email: sales@amazonfilters.co.uk

Call: 01276 670600

www.amazonfilters.com

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The 71 Series is designed for vessel venting and the single stack 72 Series and multi-stack 73 Series designed for liquid filtration. Where filtration of compressed air or gases is required we offer the 76 Series housing with a plenum.

See the presentation below for further information:

Download the presentation here.

Watch our Filter Cartridge and Capsule Manufacturing Capabilities video to find out more today.

Email: sales@amazonfilters.co.uk

Call: 01276 670600

www.amazonfilters.com

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The total value is rising rapidly due to soaring prices in fuel, which in return is causing many people, groups and families on low incomes to be unable to afford ‘healthy food’. This “food poverty” does not only cause massive environmental damage but also contributes to malnutrition and obesity levels. A third of the food those living London buy, ends up in the bin.

Every day in the capital we throw away:

• 176,000 bananas. Put end to end that stretches 22 miles, the length of the jubilee line.
• 560,000 potatoes. That would fill St Paul’s Cathedral twice.
• 750,000 slices of bread. Stacked up, that’s over 30 times the height of the Gherkin.
• 1,450,000 grapes. Enough to fill the House of Commons twice.
• 400,000 untouched apples. Enough for 28,571 litres of apple juice
• 73,000 whole eggs. Enough to make an omelette for everybody in Romford.

Liz Goodwin of WRAP recently said that:

“An area the size of Wales would be needed to grow all of the food we throw away from our homes each year in the UK.”

In the past few years a lot has been done in order to try and reduce this waste, this includes restaurants offering a choice of portion sizes and even supermarkets cutting down on ‘buy one get one free’ offers. However, if you look to the street of London in the evening you will realise that this big food waste problem still has a long way to go.

Food waste is a massive environmental problem, costing the UK billions of pounds a year; there is a political consensus that reducing the amount of landfilled bio-waste is a key policy priority. Boris Johnson now recognises that processing food waste will play a very important role in boosting the capitals recycling and composting rates.

There are other pressing reasons to ensure that the capitals sends less food waste to landfill, it has become an urgent priority due to the Greater London area containing very little landfill capacity; and sites outside its boundaries accepting its municipal waste are expected to be full by 2025.

According to the Bag it or bin it? Managing London’s domestic food waste report, set up by the London Assembly; London has greatly reduced the amount of domestic waste it sends to landfill, but food waste still accounts for around 20 per cent of its household waste.

The capital, which has the highest concentration of food businesses in the country, produces an estimated 32m–44m litres of used cooking oil every year, much of which is poured down drains. In a recent article by the Guardian, it reported on the lump of congealed fat and household waste which was 40 metres long and so heavy it broke a Chelsea sewer, costing Thames Water £400,000 Stephen Hunt, a repair and maintenance supervisor at Thames Water, who is overseeing the repairs, said its size was staggering.

“The original sewer has been so badly abused by fat being chucked down the plughole we’ve had to opt for the time-consuming and disruptive option of replacing many metres of pipe.”

It is know that London does not stand out nationally for its success in recycling — while recycling rates vary widely across the capital, there is particularly low participation in inner London. More London boroughs are collecting food and green waste than in the past but the costs are not only related to goods which are binned but also goods which are being disposed of down a drain.

The Bag it or bin it? Managing London’s domestic food waste report says:

London urgently needs to introduce or extend food waste recycling in its high-density housing stock. The local authorities have tightening budgets, and are often guided less by environmental concerns than they are by cost when choosing different recycling and processing methods. In general, separate food waste collections are likely to make waste management more effective overall, as food waste is one of the few waste streams that residents can directly control. Although more expensive, providing a separate collection for food waste can go some way towards improving an authority’s overall recycling performance.

GPT Waste is the leading UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services, they were chosen as a waste partner to work with a number of restaurants and hospitals within the capital to identify and implement the most sustainable and cost-effective waste solution. GPT Waste improves the quality and efficiency of waste management for variety of clients from around the UK.

• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Patient Dining Services – run by Sodexo- GPT Waste has implemented 3 x W20, food waste digesters into Charring Cross, St Marys, and Hammersmith hospitals. When all units are used at full capacity, it will divert 189 tonnes of food waste from landfill. See healthcare case studies here.
• Benares Restaurant – GPT Waste are now providing food waste collection services that sends approximately 35.1 tonnes to an anaerobic biogas plant
• Corbin & King Restaurant Group in London – GPT has implemented a combination of 1 x W20 system and food waste collections for this group. The Delaunay site, have a food waste collection service that takes 54.6 tonnes per annum for anaerobic recycling. The Beaumont site, has a W20 food digester, that is approximately digesting up 63 Tonnes of food waste per annum.
• Sodexo City at Islington College – Made up of 4 sites, GPT have implemented a food waste collection service that diverts (based in industrial average) 20.8 tonnes of food waste for anaerobic recycling.

The costs of landfilling continue to rise however the landfill tax raised is not returned to London boroughs. At the same time, for boroughs that send residual waste for incineration with energy recovery, the cost issue is not landfill tax but gate fees.

The devolution of landfill tax to London would allow many authorities to invest more in food waste recycling and other sustainable waste management practices.

To speak to someone about your waste management requirements, call 0844 854 5000 or email info@gptwaste.com

References:

Bag it or bin it? Managing London’s domestic food waste report

The Guardian

Business Green

The Independent

Food Waste Statistics

www.gptwaste.com

GPT Waste is proud to announce the launch of their new website, with improved functionality, design and navigation. As the UK’s leading independent provider of waste management, GPT Waste has an important role in the responsible management of waste across all sectors for clients throughout the UK and the new website has been designed to best reflect this public profile.

The new website features a clean and simplistic layout in terms of design and content with an integrated blog portal which is regularly updated to ensure visitors can quickly and easily access the latest information from the industry. With over half of GPT’s web traffic being accessed via mobile devices, the company has ensured that the site is completely compatible with smartphones and tablets to ensure that all visitors are able to easily access the news, case studies, whitepapers and resources whilst on the go.

The new portal enables visitors to research in-depth information surrounding the projects that GPT Waste has successfully delivered across each of their core sectors. The blog section of the site promotes current news from the industry to provide audiences with the most up-to-date resources and essential information on compliance, legislation and change.

Managing Director, Guy Cherry said:

“We have gone from strength to strength and have become a well-deserved leader in our respective field. We came to the decision that our website, our virtual shopfront, needed to mirror our successes and to open a new door to how we engage with the marketplace.”

He went on to say:

“The new site is designed to provide our audiences and customers with transparency and clarity on the services we provide whilst demonstrating that the implementation of GPT’s waste solutions can achieve crucial directives. Working with GPT, clients can generate substantial savings, mould waste processes through compliance to remove unnecessary risk, make their company more sustainable and streamline corporate operational procedures which, again, can lead to financial rewards.”

Visitors can find a broad range of waste management projects undertaken by GPT Waste including testimonials from valued customers that they have worked with since its inception in 2004.

To find out how your organisation could make significant savings through improved waste management, call GPT Waste on 0844 854 5000 or email them here.

www.gptwaste.com

GPT Waste offers a basic Waste Review Service free of charge.  Find out how they can help your business deal more effectively with your waste: Call 0844 854 5000 or email here.

www.gptwaste.com

www.thewastesolution.co.uk

ENDS

About GPT Waste

GPT Waste, the largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services.  They continually demonstrate operational efficiency as well as financial savings via their innovative approach to waste management systems and routes to processes.

GPT Key Statistics:

• Over 410,000 consignments of waste managed each year
• Over 34,000 waste movements managed each month, the UK produce over 400 million tonnes of waste annually
• UK waste output is growing at over 3% per annum
• Legislation now dictates that companies should be more responsible for their waste
• Compliant with over 1300 pieces of environmental legislation
• Your company can be fined for improper waste management
• Company waste can be turned into a resource if disposed of correctly

GPT Waste Contact Details

14 Whitworth Court

Manor Farm Road

Manor Park

Runcorn

WA7 1WA

Tel: 0844 854 5000

Email: info@gptwaste.com

www.gptwaste.com

Representatives from GPT are available for media interviews and speaking opportunities.

If you would like to be added to the PR distribution list for future news or for more information, contact: Katie Brown, SMPR (Simply Marcomms Limited), 18 Boiler House, Coventry, CV1 4JU, Tel: 0870 199 4044, Email: katie@simplymarcomms.co.uk

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) is the professional body which represents over 7,000 waste professionals working in the sustainable resources and wastes management sectors- predominantly in the UK but also overseas. CIWM sets the professional standards for individuals working in the industry and has various grades of membership determined by education, qualification and experience.

Over the next decade, those involved within the Wastes and Resource Management sector will see strong emphasis on raising professional standards in response to legislative, environmental and public pressures. High quality professionals will be in demand.

The basis of a strong high quality professional industry lies with the underpinning knowledge provided by a sound and vigorous education, and during the last few years the growth of waste and resource management education has been one of the key aspects in improved standards.

Tony is also a Graduate Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Grad IOSH) and a full member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS).

He comments:

“During my time at GPT I have strived to continually develop a wide knowledge of the waste and resources sector, and, together with all my colleagues we aim to provide best practice guidance and solutions for our Clients’ waste management requirements. GPT has been a Corporate Member of the institute since the business started and my individual award demonstrates our overall commitment to the aims of the Institute and a recognition of the benefits associated with membership”.

To discuss your waste and resource management requirements or to speak to a Chartered Waste Manager,  call GPT Waste on 0844 854 5000 or email here.

www.gptwaste.com

GPT Waste offers a basic Waste Review Service free of charge.  Find out how they can help your business deal more effectively with your waste: Call 0844 854 5000 or email here.

ENDS

About GPT Waste

GPT Waste, the largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services.  They continually demonstrate operational efficiency as well as financial savings via their innovative approach to waste management systems and routes to processes.

GPT Key Statistics:

• Over 410,000 consignments of waste managed each year
• Over 34,000 waste movements managed each month, the UK produce over 400 million tonnes of waste annually
• UK waste output is growing at over 3% per annum
• Compliant with over 1300 pieces of environmental legislation
• Your company can be fined for improper waste management
• Commercial and Industrial waste can often be turned into a resource if processed correctly

GPT Waste Contact Details

14 Whitworth Court

Manor Farm Road

Manor Park

Runcorn

WA7 1WA

Tel: 0844 854 5000

Email: info@gptwaste.com

www.gptwaste.com

Representatives from GPT are available for media interviews and speaking opportunities. If you would like to be added to the PR distribution list for future news or for more information, contact: Katie Brown, SMPR (Simply Marcomms Limited), 18 Boiler House, Coventry, CV1 4JU, Tel: 0870 199 4044, Email: katie@simplymarcomms.co.uk

There are several points which need to be taken into account when earthing reinforced concrete components. Earthing connections may be routed through the concrete, or the existing reinforcement can be used for earthing, assuming that the reinforcing steel has a sufficiently large cross section of 200mm². In such cases, the earth conductors must always have freely accessible connecting points.

The function of the PFEIFER Concrete Earthing Bridges which have been tested by Deutsche Bahn is to provide earthing for the reinforcement of concrete components in the vicinity of electrical equipment carrying high voltages.

Advantages:

• The adequately dimensioned cross-sections enable an immediate potential equalisation through the lowest possible resistance
• Special implementation in easily weldable reinforcing steel
• No corrosion thanks to discs made of non-rusting material
• Easily attached to the formwork using stainless steel nails
• Inexpensive solution
• Less risk of theft thanks to earthing connector with rope
• Modular system with variable end fixings and connecting elements

The product is approved by the Federal Railways Office and the DB Netz AG. If you would like to see the brochure, please click here to download it.

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Visqueen TorchOn prevents the ingress of water and is ideal for use in cold weather conditions due to the hot bonding (torch bonding) installation process. The use of hot bonding in cold and sub-zero temperatures provides a homogenously sealed junction, which can otherwise be difficult to achieve in cold weather.

These photos show a good method of application when sealing around beams with TorchOn Tanking Membrane, it certainly shows the benefit of torch on versus any polymeric or SAM system.

These images are part of a large housing development by Birch Homes. They show a high level of application and show our products correctly installed.

TorchOn Tanking Membrane Features include:

• Robust tanking membrane
• Ideal for cold weather application
• Suitable for gas protection applications
• Torch bonded laps provide a homogenously sealed junction
• Used to waterproof basements, car parks, lift pits, reinforced concrete slabs, retaining walls

For specification or technical advice, contact the team on 0845 302 4758 or send us your CAD details for review to enquiries@visqueenbuilding.co.uk.

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