Construction begins on Wales first food waste AD plant
The 5 million plant, once complete, will have the capacity to treat 11,000 tonnes of food waste every year and will produce enough electricity to power 700 households. The plant will be operated by AD specialist Biogen and is expected to be up and running by mid-2013. Feedstock for the plant will come from Gwynedd councils households as well as local businesses.
Funding for the plant came from the council, Biogen, equity firm Iona Capital and the Welsh Government.
Commenting on the facility, Mr Griffiths said: I am pleased to visit Llwyn Isaf to mark the start of construction of Prosiect GwyriAD – Wales first anaerobic digestion facility to treat local authority food waste Our investment in green technologies also delivers long-term economic benefits for the people of Wales. Prosiect GwyriAD will bring local jobs and opportunities to the area not only during construction, but through permanent employment once the facility begins operating next year.
Scotland launches reuse quality standard
A national quality standard for reuse organisations in Scotland has been launched by Zero Waste Scotland in a bid to raise awareness of the countrys reuse sector and increase shoppers confidence when buying previously-owned goods.
Zero Waste Scotland said the aim of the Revolve accreditation is to lead and develop change in reuse organisations, giving them advice, training and support.
Ross-shire based Blythswood Care and Fife-based Furniture Plus, are the first reuse organisations in Scotland to achieve the Revolve accredited quality status, after participating in the pilot phase of the programme. 20 other organisations are also working to become accredited under the standard.
Zero Waste Scotland has also published a report entitled Engagement with reuse and repair services in the context of local provision. The report says that 46% of the public would hesitate to buy reused goods due to concerns about quality and reliability, over 70% believe it can offer good value and is often cheaper than buying new.
Richard Lochhead, Scottish Environment Minister, said: Creating Revolve, a national quality standard for re-use organisations, is a significant step towards achieving our vision of a well-used sector of re-use stores known for high quality used goods. Seeing the Revolve quality standard will reassure shoppers that goods are high quality and reliable, and that they should expect the same service as in high street stores. I applaud the two accredited organisations so far, and look forward to others following suit soon.
Single environment body for Wales named
Welsh Environment Minister John Griffiths has announced that the single body which will replace the Environment Agency Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales and Forestry Commission Wales will be formally known as Natural Resources Wales.
The Minister also announced the appointments of the ten non-executive directors. The Welsh Government said the formal naming of the single body and announcement of its non-executive directors is another key step forward in its creation. It follows the appointment of Professor Peter Matthews as chair, and Dr Emyr Roberts as chief executive. It is hoped Natural Resources Wales will take over from April 1 2013.
John Griffiths said: Todays announcement means we are another step closer to establishing a new body that will be crucial to a sustainable future for the people, environment and economy of Wales. Not only will the new body result in a more streamlined way of working for the benefit of its customers, it will also ensure more effective delivery, improved value for money and better outcomes for the people of Wales.
Kronospan fire does not hinder wood recycling
Chipboard manufacturer Kronospan has confirmed that a fire at its wood products factory in Chirk, near Wrexham will not affect its recycling operations.
Fire crews were called to the site, close to the border between Wales and England, at around 5pm on Monday (October 22) to tackle a small blaze that had broken out.
Following the incident, a spokeswoman for the company told letsrecycle.com: It was a very minor incident with no impact whatsoever on the recycling operations.
Kronospan uses around 350,000 tonnes of recycled wood chip in its production process at the Chirk plant each year. The site, which employs around 600 staff was hit by three fires throughout June and July.
Waste firm to pay 10,000 after two incidents at site
South Yorkshire waste management firm RG Wastecare has been ordered to pay 10,000 following separate incidents at its Barnsley site which saw two employees injured.
The firm was prosecuted at Barnsley Magistrates Court last week (October 18) following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which found serious safety failings. RG Wastecare Ltd was fined 5,000 and ordered to pay 5,000 in costs.
The first incident, which happened on February 25 2011, saw worker Ian Ardron suffer fractures to his foot and skin and nerve damage where the bone fragments shattered after he was dropped ten feet into an empty skip from a moving conveyor belt.
The second incident, on March 3 2011, saw John Clifford working on a jaw crusher machine when it suddenly restarted. Mr Clifford was pulled into the rollers on the machine where he sustained crush injuries to his forearm.
The HSE said that RG Wastecare had failed to implement simple measures that would have prevented both incidents and had ignored earlier warnings from both HSE and an external consultant in 2009 about the lack of a safe system of work.
HSE inspector Mark Welsh, said: Both men have suffered needless injuries owing to RG Wastecare’s disregard for vital safeguards for its workforce in what is a notoriously high- risk environment.
When contacted by letsrecycle.com RG Wastecare said it did not wish to comment.
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