Veolia charity raises £100 million for community projects
The Veolia Environmental Trust is celebrating £100m in donations to thousands of community projects over the last 25 years.
The French-owned company handed out another £1m to 19 projects across the UK at the end of 2023, reaching the impressive milestone in donations since it began in 1997.
The funding has gone towards projects from nature reserves, children’s play areas, and sports facilities.
It donated £60,000 to a Wildlife Trust project to re-introduce beavers, extinct in the UK since the 16th century, to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Shrewsbury town centre.
Caroline Schwaller MBE, chair of the Veolia Environmental Trust, said: “The vast range of projects that we’ve supported have had profound impacts on their local communities, including jobs and volunteering opportunities for over 2,500 people.
“None of this would be possible without the work of the teams throughout the Veolia Environmental Trust who have put time and commitment to ensure the funds went to worthy projects throughout the UK.”
SUEZ wins €64m contract to build high-tech waste facility in south France
The waste management firm Suez has signed a €64.4 million (£55.8 million) deal to build a state-of-the-art household waste facility in La Farlède, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
The facility will process 35,000 tonnes of cardboard, packaging and paper every year for more than half a million residents in the region.
It will also be the first in the province to use an AI-powered robotic sorter to automatically remove unwanted waste from the conveyor belt.
The company claims this will make sorting more efficient, allowing simpler recycling guidelines for residents in line with those nationally.
Gilles Vincent, Chair of SITTOMAT, said: “For many years, SITTOMAT has wanted to have a new recycling centre in the heart of its region, and has aspired to provide an innovative service, fully suited to the needs of its community while maintaining cost efficiency. This project will also support local businesses, combining their expertise with that of an international group like SUEZ.”
The plant will take two years to build, costing an estimated €34.7 million (£30 million), and expects to have a lifespan of seven years. It was funded by various government agencies, including a brownfield regeneration fund.`
FCC Environment plant gets 5 stars for safety
A safety audit of the energy from waste (EfW) facility at north Hykeham, Lincolnshire, owned by FCC Environment, has been awarded 5 stars by the British Safety Council.
The waste and recycling firm underwent a full evaluation of its health and safety policies at the site, including interviews with employees and senior management, together with sampling of its operation practices to measure its performance against key indicators.
Paul Stokes, head of safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) said: “we are delighted that once again we have received this grading, the score reflects all of our hard work and continual improvement across our diverse business and we are very proud of this achievement.
Mike Robinson, CEO British Safety council, said: “The award of a five star grading following our occupational best practice Health and Safety Audit is an outstanding achievement and is reflective of a proactive organisation which is committed to continual improvement in its health and safety arrangements and managing risks to workers’ health, safety and wellbeing.”
Christmas tree collection cancelled as Unite workers strike
Cardiff Council has warned residents its usual Christmas tree collection won’t happen this year after refuse workers announced a four-week strike.
Members of the Unite union voted unanimously to walk out until 25th January after long-standing negotiations over pay, use of agency workers, and reports of a culture of bullying in the workplace, broke down.
In a statement a council spokesman confirmed that kerbside collection of Christmas trees will not happen and offered to provide a drop-off point to help residents dispose of their trees and avoid fly-tipping.
Most councils offer a collection scheme for residents to put out their Christmas trees with their garden and waste collections at the start of the year.
Often trees are transformed into wood chippings for parks and soil conditioner for local gardens and parks.
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