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News in brief (21/12/21)

With news on: Shore Recycling’s Perth plant recycles 5 million fridges; Grundon commits to real Living Wage; Crawley Town FC teams up with Too Good To Go; and, British ambassador to Croatia visits DS Smith’s Belišće paper mill.


Shore Recycling’s Perth plant recycles 5 million fridges

Scottish firm Shore Recycling last week celebrated recycling 5 million fridges – more than two for every household in Scotland – at its plant in Perth.

The company began recycling fridges sourced from local authorities across Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland in December 2001.

(l-r) Fridge number 5,000,001 with Shore Recycling’s operations manager, Scott Dewar, and Suzanne Westwood, finance and admin manager

Simon Howie, Shore Recycling’s chairman, said: “It was all so new – real uncharted territory. These were new regulations to protect the environment and we were all feeling our way.

“We just knew we were doing the right thing – providing a Scottish solution for Scotland’s fridges.”

Mr Howie and his colleagues bought the business back from Viridor last year, more than a decade after it was sold to the waste management giant for £23 million in 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).


Grundon commits to real Living Wage

Grundon Waste Management has been recognised by the Real Living Wage Foundation for committing to pay its employees the real Living Wage.

The real Living Wage is based on the actual cost of living and is higher than the government’s National Living Wage.

The Real Living Wage Foundation awarded Recognised Service Provider status to Grundon for the company’s commitment to the real Living Wage

All Grundon employees will receive the real Living Wage, except those whose salaries are tied to customer contracts.

Lorraine Milburn, Grundon’s head of HR, said: “This recognition underlines our passion that our employees should be paid a fair wage for a hard day’s work.

“The commitment they all show throughout every level of our organisation is second-to-none and they work tirelessly to provide a vital service.”

Across its operations in the south and south east of England, Grundon has a workforce of more than 750, including waste facility operators, drivers, chemists, engineers, and sales teams.

Grundon will voluntarily pay its ‘core’ employees aged 18 and above a rate of at least the current real Living Wage, which is £9.90 an hour.

Employees working in London will receive an hourly rate of at least the London Living Wage, £11.05.


Crawley Town FC teams up with Too Good To Go

West Sussex-based Crawley Town Football Club has teamed up with Too Good To Go to prevent surplus food from going to waste on matchdays.

Crawley Town FC is the first professional football club in England to partner with Too Good To Go on matchdays.

Too Good To Go says Crawley Town FC is the first professional football club in England it has partnered with on matchdays

To use Too Good To Go, customers download a free app and search for nearby businesses with unsold produce. They then purchase a ‘Magic Bag’ and collect it at an allotted time.

Crawley Town FC’s Magic Bags will be available for collection from the club on matchdays, starting from the match against Colchester United FC on 1 January 2022.

The Magic Bags will cost £3 each and contain items such as burgers, hotdogs, pastries, and desserts worth up to £10.

Paschalis Loucaides, UK managing director of Too Good To Go, said: “We’re delighted to have welcomed Crawley Town FC into our growing community of over 16,000 partner stores.

“This collaboration will mean that the abundance of delicious food available at their club will be enjoyed and eaten rather than wasted, and I know our local community of app users in the area are going to love their Magic Bags.”


British ambassador to Croatia visits DS Smith’s Belišće paper mill

Packaging company DS Smith recently welcomed Simon Thomas OBE, British ambassador to Croatia, to its paper mill in Belišće to showcase its latest innovations in paper making.

As part of the official visit, the ambassador undertook a guided tour of the mill and was given a presentation on the paper industry, the company, and its operations across Croatia, Europe and North America.

DS Smith recently welcomed Simon Thomas OBE, British ambassador to Croatia (second from right), to its paper mill in Belišće (picture: DS Smith)

Mr Thomas said: “It was a pleasure to visit DS Smith’s production facility in Belišće today.

“It’s great to see British companies investing and succeeding in Croatia – their recycling, paper and packaging operations employ more than 750 people across the country.

“It was also good to hear how important environmental sustainability is to their business: maximising recycling, reducing their carbon footprint and looking for cleaner sources of energy.”

DS Smith said the visit reinforced the importance of DS Smith’s operations in Croatia and highlighted the company’s commitment towards sustainability and innovation.

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