Contamination rate halved in Harrow
The London borough of Harrow council has announced it has halved the amount of contamination in its dry recycling from 26% to 13%.
The figures were released by the council over the weekend for the six months between April- September 2023 where contamination has been down against the six months before that.
The council says that top sources of contamination include food residue, textiles, black sacks, and nappies which can lead to significant costs—around £300,000 —to dispose of tainted waste.
Cllr Stephen Greek cabinet member for performance, communications & customer experience said: “This is positive news, recycling is great for the environment and helps save money. I know there is still more we can do to increase our recycling and reduce contamination in our recycled waste. This is a common issue across London which affects costs, recycling performance and the quality of recycling.
“It’s so important to put the right thing in the right bin. There is plenty of information on our website about what we accept– and of course you have our recycling centre, free for Harrow residents to use.
Puma introduce new football kit using chemically recycled textiles
Puma has announced that a string of new shirts it are making for sports teams this year will be made using recycled fibre.
The sportswear firm said that using its ‘RE:Fibre’ technology, it will use recycled content for Switzerland and Morocco replicas for the Women’s World Cup as well as Girona’s 2023/24 season third kit.
The RE:FIBRE process repurposes polyester materials—ranging from factory remnants to cherished garments—to fashion new clothing. This four-step method starts with the collection and sorting of textile waste and previously discarded materials, ensuring comprehensive utilisation.
Subsequent stages involve shredding and blending these materials. Through a chemical recycling process, the shredded polyester undergoes melting, filtration, and purification, eradicating previous dyes and preparing it for the subsequent phase. Refined polymers emerge ready to be melted, spun into RE:FIBRE fabric.
Anne-Laure Descours, chief sourcing officer said: “Our wish is to have 100% of product polyester coming from textile waste. Textile waste build-up in landfills is an environmental risk. Rethinking the way we produce and moving towards a more circular business model is one of the main priorities of our sustainability strategy.”
Agency outlines guidance for carrying out trials without a environmental permit
The Environment Agency has outlined guidance for carrying out research or trials with waste without a permit.
This guidance explains when enforcement action will not be taken if a permit is not held for research. Research covered by the guidance includes
- involve the development of new ideas, techniques and processes to recover waste
- are not repeating information and research available elsewhere, such as previous trials carried out in the UK or abroad
- should not continue for more than 6 months
- are not part of multiple or repeat trials
- will not distort the market
The Environment Agency also state that all research must be approved or a local enforcement position or regulatory position statement is created.
Grundon renews deal with cricket club
Grundon has announced that it has renewed its waste management deal with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club by a further three years.
The company said that in the last two years, it has helped the club grow its recycling rate from 28% in 2021 to 43.8% this year.
The improved rates are down to better provision for spectators on matchdays – more bins on site, in more locations, with clearer instructions on usage, Grundon said.
Daniel Peacey, regional sales manager for Grundon in Bristol, said: “For a venue which is so heavily reliant on public engagement, anything above 40 per cent of recycling is a really good figure. We’re proud of exceeding that target in our work with Gloucestershire CCC so far and we’re looking forward to helping them achieve even better results over the next three years.
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