Agency extends two waste collection RPS
The Environment Agency has announced the extension of two regulatory position statements (RPS) relating to waste collection authorities or their contractors.
Both RPS 079 and RPS 223 have been extended until 31 January 2026, while the Environment Agency reviews both positions.
RPS 079 was published in June 2017 and relates to those operating additional temporary collection sites for a waste operation during a period of disruption to normal services, such as strike action or adverse weather.
It dictates that such sites must not accept asbestos, place waste directly into containers or vehicles designed to carry waste and not store it on the ground. The site must also be secure.
RPS 223
RPS 223 was published in May 2019 and relates to scenarios where skips or suitable containers for waste collection are put into the community to reduce fly-tipping or target specific types of waste.
This dictates that each collection point must only store up to 30 cubic metres of waste electrical and electronic equipment, 100 cubic metres of non-hazardous waste that is not WEEE that will be recovered elsewhere and 5 cubic metres of any other waste.
Collection points must also be supervised.
The document added: “You must only store waste in secure containers or vehicles intended to carry waste.”
Use of either RPS requires permission from the Agency and records must be kept for two years.
Staffordshire awards HWRC repair contract to three suppliers
Staffordshire county council has awarded a £360,000 contract for welding and fabrication repairs across its 14 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) and one waste transfer station.
The contract has been awarded to three suppliers, including Cooper Group UK, Sword Engineering Ltd, and UK Container Maintenance Ltd.
The contract will be in effect from 3 April 2023 to 2 April 2027. The council sought to appoint multiple suppliers to ensure a wide range of repairs and fabrication services were available across its network.
Staffordshire explained that the HWRCs are the public face of the council’s waste management service, receiving over 1.6 million visits each year and managing 84,306 tonnes of waste in 2021/22.
The council required a “robust welding and fabrication service” to maintain and repair its HWRC infrastructure, including gates, railings, ramps, containers, fencing, and height barriers.
Staffordshire County Council is a waste disposal authority that provides HWRCs for residents to recycle and dispose of their household waste. HWRCs are managed by Amey, which was appointed in 2020 after FCC pulled out (see letsrecycle.com story).
Willshee’s announces two contract renewals
Willshee’s Waste & Recycling has secured two contract renewals with Hobbycraft and Brunel Healthcare.
Willshees, based in Burton-on-Trent, said the deals will help both companies achieve zero waste to landfill through “increased efficiencies and environmentally focused innovations”.
Hobbycraft has reappointed Willshee’s as their sole waste and recycling partner after a successful first term, with the installation of a “bespoke onsite baler improving operational handling and safety”.
Brunel Healthcare has also reappointed Willshee’s to provide total waste management across all four sites, including the supply of onsite compactors and balers, resulting in effective and cost-efficient recycling.
Willshee’s managing director, Dean Willshee, added: “We are delighted to have been reappointed by Hobbycraft and Brunel Healthcare. These prestigious contract renewals show that we really do deliver in terms of helping our customers to remove, reuse and recycle more, while often bringing savings at the same time.”
Sainsbury’s rolls out fruit boxes to cut food waste
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is introducing fruit and vegetable boxes priced at £2 in over 200 of its stores across the UK to help customers access surplus produce at a reduced price.
The initiative is part of the retailer’s ongoing commitment to halving its food waste by 2030, while ensuring that customers can still “access healthy and sustainable food at an affordable price”.
The ‘Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me’ boxes contain a range of fresh fruit and vegetables that are still in good condition, and will be sold at a lower price point to make them more accessible.
Richard Crampton, director of fresh food at Sainsbury’s, said: “We believe that everyone deserves to eat well at an affordable price, and we hope this additional support will ensure that good quality food doesn’t go to waste.”
The boxes can be found in Sainsbury’s fresh produce aisles and have been carefully selected to ensure that they are still fresh.
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