News in brief | CIWM Commercial Partner Updates October

News updates written by CIWM’s commercial partners.

Plan B | Plan B Management Solutions joins the ESPO Framework

Plan B Management Solutions is delighted to announce that it’s been awarded a place on the ESPO framework for Consultancy Services (664).

ESPO is a public sector-owned professional buying organisation that offers a range of procurement services to help public sector bodies, schools, and academies source goods and services efficiently and compliantly. There are currently over 100 free-to-access procurement frameworks available.

Plan B Management Solutions underwent a formal tender process to provide consultancy services to the framework. It has been successful in the five lots it tendered for: Business Services, Procurement Services, Environment & Sustainability, Health & Safety and Waste & Recycling.

“We believe our inclusion on the framework will provide access to new opportunities. We hope it will help us expand the work we do with local authorities by providing opportunities with councils we don’t currently work with,” says Steve Batchelor, Director of Consultancy Services for Plan B Management Solutions.

“We also hope to support councils with upcoming changes, including implementing the requirements of Simpler Recycling, pEPR, and local government reorganisation).”

Established in 1981, today ESPO is one of the largest in the country and is owned and managed by six member authority councils: Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Warwickshire Country Councils and Peterborough City Council.

Washed Aggregates Trade Association UK | WATA appoints new Comms and Members’ Manager

The Washed Aggregates Trade Association UK (WATA) has appointed communications specialist Gayle Whittaker as its PR, Communications and Members Manager.

Gayle brings with her a wealth of experience having worked in public relations and communications for more than 30 years, the past 20 in the recycling & resource sector where her clients included the Wood Recyclers’ Association among others.

In her role at WATA Gayle will focus on communications, political advocacy and membership management.

Andy Hill, Founder and CEO of WATA, said: “I’m delighted that Gayle has joined WATA. I worked alongside her at the WRA for many years and know she brings a wealth of experience in communications and political advocacy in the waste sector.”

“She is very familiar with some of the issues we are facing within the washed aggregates industry and played a key role in supporting our members at the WRA so I know she will hit the ground running.”

“We have some exciting plans already in place to support our members and the sector going forward and I know Gayle joining the team will enhance those plans.”

Gayle said: “I am really excited to be working for WATA and alongside Andy again. WATA is a fairly new trade association and I can see there is a huge opportunity for it to make a real difference to the washed aggregates sector. I’m looking forward to getting to know our members and the industry.”

Beyondly | Beyondly analysis finds 38% of organisations yet to submit ESOS phase 3 action plan

The Environment Agency have now published a list of companies that submitted an ESOS Phase 3 Action Plan.

Action Plans are a new requirement introduced for companies that are obligated under Phase 3 of the Energy Saving Opportunities Regulations.

They outline the ESOS recommendations and energy saving measures that organisations have implemented, or plan to implement, between December 2023 and December 2027. Companies were required to submit their Action Plans to the MESOS portal by 5th March 2025.

Beyondly have carried out analysis on the published data, revealing that of the 9,489 companies that submitted a Phase 3 ESOS compliance notification, 62% subsequently submitted an ESOS Action Plan.

Of those who submitted an Action Plan, 87% stated that they planned to implement energy efficiency measures before the end of the compliance period, whilst the other 13% of companies submitted Action Plans with no proposed measures to be implemented.

Companies are now preparing for the next step of compliance in the form of an ESOS Action Plan Progress Update, due by 5th December 2025. A company’s Progress Update must outline the progress made between December 2024 and 2025 against the actions companies proposed to implement in their original Action Plan.

A timely and accurate submission of all requirements is crucial to comply with Phase 3. The Environment Agency has indicated that failure to do so may result in enforcement action.

Liz Wood, Head of Sustainability & Principal Consultant at Beyondly, shares her views on the analysis: “The introduction of action plans in Phase 3 was a big change for ESOS compliance, meaning businesses could no longer park the exercise after the compliance deadline.”

 “We’ve seen the impact of this through some of our customers who have made considerable energy savings by keeping the action plan alive, and using it as a positive tool to drive improvement and energy savings over the ESOS period, its therefore perhaps slightly disappointing than only c.62% of companies submitted an action plan in time for the deadline.”

To speak to Beyondly further about this analysis, email marketing@beyond.ly.

Nuclear Waste Services | National Youth Forum, giving young voices a say on the UK’s long-term plans for nuclear waste management

A youth engagement initiative has given young people the chance to share their views on the UK’s plans for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF), the safe, secure, and long-term solution for the most hazardous radioactive waste.

This has been vital in sparking lively and constructive discussions about the country’s long-term approach to managing nuclear waste. Constructing a GDF will provide an internationally recognised safe and permanent disposal solution for the UK’s most hazardous radioactive waste.  

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), working in partnership with Arup and The Young Foundation, established the National Youth Forum on Geological Disposal to bring fresh perspectives to this complex issue. By involving young people and increasing their understanding of GDF, NWS will listen and learn from their valuable insight and views.

Over the past year, the partnership has worked with a group of 12 young people who formed the first National Youth Forum.

Ali Beard, NWS Siting and Communities Project Manager, who led the Forum said: “It’s been a pleasure to support our first Youth Forum. Bringing young people into the project to hear their views and inform our approach is invaluable to us and supports the development and skills of these talented young people.”

“For them to have gone from knowing nothing about geological disposal to being able to present to an international audience of industry professionals is exceptional.”

The forum began by asking a simple but important question: “What do young people know, and what questions do they have, about nuclear waste and GDF?” From there, participants explored different perspectives; from the sceptical community member to the future resident living near a facility. This approach opened valuable conversations about engagement, future-proofing, and contingency planning.

Activities over the course of the forum were wide-ranging. Highlights included a presentation to international stakeholders, including representatives from Japan, as part of a Nuclear Energy Agency webinar on youth engagement in GDF siting processes worldwide.

Anton Schultz, Social Value Delivery Manager at Arup, said: “This pilot marks an important step toward building inclusive, representative approaches to youth engagement and bringing future generations’ perspectives into the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility programme. Arup is proud to collaborate with NWS, The Young Foundation, and the young people themselves in shaping the National Youth Forum. We’re excited to continue supporting its evolution.”

Siân Whyte, Interim Co-Director of Research at The Young Foundation, said: “We know that the way to navigate complex, long-term challenges is to be more open, transparent and involving of the people for whom those challenges do – or will – directly affect. The rising engagement and involvement of young people in this issue through the National Youth Forum is an important step in building a more participatory approach to a critical national issue.” 

The ideas generated by the National Youth Forum will continue to play an important role in shaping the development of the GDF and ensuring that future generations have a voice in decisions that affect them.

Wood Recyclers’ Association | WRA welcomes findings of Greenhouse Gas Removals Review

The Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA) has today (October 23) welcomed the findings of an independent review commissioned by the government on Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR), and in particular, its clear recommendation that the government should extend support for waste wood-powered biomass plants that have potential to deliver GGRs.

Led by former minister, Dr Alan Whitehead CBE, the review considers how options for GGRs, including large scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), can assist the UK in meeting its net zero targets and sets out recommendations for the government.

Importantly, the review calls for ‘urgent’ consideration of extending support for the waste wood biomass sector following the expiry of the ROCs subsidy scheme from 2027, due to their important role in managing waste and their potential to transition to GGRs.

Notably, the review advocates (P173) the ‘extension of unabated electricity generation support to cover a sufficient period that would enable the switch to power BECCS.’

The review also highlights the urgent need for ‘improved collaboration between government departments’ at Defra and DESNZ and calls for Defra to take a lead in determining the future of these plants, due to its responsibility for waste management.

Richard Coulson, Chair of the WRA’s biomass advocacy group, said: “We welcome this landmark review and all the hard work put in by Dr Alan Whitehead, David Joffe and their team.

“The message in the review is clear – if the government is serious about greenhouse gas removals and effective waste management, then it must look at providing transitional support for the waste wood biomass sector and fast-track non pipeline transport solutions.”

“These plants have the potential to save 3.6 million tonnes a year of CO2 if retrofitted with GGRs, making a vital contribution to net zero, in addition to delivering renewable, baseload energy and providing an important environmental service.

“But this potential can only be unlocked if the government supports the sector to transition to BECCS before it is too late, and these valuable assets are lost.”

“We look forward to the government’s response and hope these recommendations are reflected in urgent and supportive policy for our sector.”

EPIC Media | EPIC Media supports Winchester City Council’s district-wide food waste rollout

EPIC Media Group has proudly supplied the vehicle wraps for Winchester City Council’s new fleet of food waste collection vehicles, operated by Biffa, as the council launches its district-wide food waste recycling service.

The new collection service represents a major milestone in Winchester City Council’s commitment to improving recycling rates and reducing general waste. Food waste currently accounts for around 30% of black bin rubbish, but when collected separately, it can be recycled into renewable energy and nutrient-rich soil improver, helping to close the loop on waste and support a circular economy.

EPIC Media’s durable, high-impact vehicle wraps feature Winchester City Council’s striking new design, spreading the message of sustainability throughout the district. The fleet runs on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, offering a low-carbon alternative to diesel and reinforcing the council’s green ambitions.

“We’re proud to play a part in helping Winchester City Council and Biffa communicate this important sustainability initiative,” said Nicola Welfare, General Manager at EPIC Media Group. “Vehicle graphics are one of the most powerful tools councils and contractors have to engage residents. They turn every collection round into a moving campaign for positive change.”

EPIC Media has long partnered with local authorities and waste contractors nationwide, delivering high-quality, long-lasting fleet graphics that help communicate recycling messages and community initiatives.

For more information about EPIC Media’s work in supporting local authorities and contractors through innovative fleet graphics, visit www.epicmediagroup.co.uk or contact info@epicmediagroup.co.uk.

Southend-on-Sea City Council introduces new fleet of Dennis Eagle RCVs delivered by SUEZ

A fleet of 30 Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) has been introduced as part of Southend-on-Sea City Council’s new enhanced waste and recycling service, delivered by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK.

The vehicles will strengthen essential cleanup operations across the city’s seafront and residential neighbourhoods, helping to reduce environmental impact, improve recycling rates, and ensure cleaner streets for everyone.

The SUEZ-branded fleet consists of one Olympus 13 body on an Elite+ chassis, 11 Olympus 21 bodies on rear-steer Elite+ chassis with OmniDEL electric bin lifts, and a further 18 Olympus 22 Twin Pack bodies with OmniDEL triple electric bin lifts.

These RCVs will serve 85,500 households citywide, supporting alternate weekly collections designed to cut carbon emissions and help the council meet its statutory recycling target of 65% by 2030.

“Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do at SUEZ,” said Penny Fletcher, Communications Manager for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK.

“As well as our commitment to helping the council achieve its carbon neutral aspirations by 2030, we want to ensure the inspiring sense of civic pride present throughout the city is maintained.”

“That’s why we’re focusing our efforts on cleaning up the beachfront as part of the new waste collection scheme, while also helping to deliver broader benefits for residents, from cleaner streets to improved recycling and a lower environmental footprint. I’ve worked with Dennis Eagle for many years, and I know their technology is ideal for Southend’s diverse needs.”

“Our long history of working with SUEZ extends over almost 30 years, but it’s really over the past four years or so that this has developed even more substantially,” said Ben Hoadley, General Manager, Dennis Eagle. “This extensive experience means we are best placed to support SUEZ recycling and recovery UK’s unique requirements, ensuring a smooth transition to our vehicles as the city’s new waste collection scheme is implemented.”

Dennis Eagle will also be sharing its ‘Dennis to the Rescue’ mobile classroom between SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and the council early next year to raise awareness of the environmental impact of waste across Southend’s communities.

Vision Techniques | Vision Techniques introduce new product helping fleet managers access CCTV footage

Commercial Vehicle Safety and Security specialists, Vision Techniques, introduced their new product VT Record Six this month.

The long established company brought a new system to the market designed to be your eyes while you are not there, allowing you to stream and download real-time and historical footage from anywhere.

The system has the potential to lower insurance costs, protect assets and employees providing you with proactive alerts for you to monitor your fleet while they are in operation in real-time or retrospectively.

It can be integrated with VT Connect so fleet managers have the ability to track everything from driver behaviour to vehicle location.

It comes with a host of features including priority 4G M2M SIM connectivity, H265 video compression for more efficient storage usage and reduced bandwidth consumption and a levitating SSD cradle to minimise impact and vibration related issues.

VT Record Six allows for up to eight camera inputs, has scope for integrated AI functionality and is more secure with AES-256 encryption options.

There are a wide range of features and benefits for the system but the main one is to help protect vulnerable road users and drivers too.

Speaking about why Vision Techniques brought it to the market, Technical Specialist Mikaeel Koornhof said: “VT Record Six represents a major step forward – more efficient, more robust and designed for the next generation of intelligent vehicle safety.

“With improved compression, stronger data protection, better data retention and AI-ready capability, it delivers better performance and peace of mind for our valued customers and partners.”

As road safety and visibility continues to grow in importance, so too does Vision Techniques’ role in shaping the future of fleet safety.

To find out more about the new system, go to: https://www.vision-techniques.com/product/vt-record-six/, or to find out more about Vision Techniques, read more here: https://www.vision-techniques.com/

Contel | Contel launches “Contel AI”: a new era in intelligent fleet safety and compliance

AI-powered video and telematics platform helps UK fleets cut costs, reduce risk and automate compliance.

Contel has launched Contel AI, an advanced safety and compliance platform designed to help UK fleets tackle rising insurance costs, stricter safety standards and growing administrative burdens.

The new system uses AI-powered video analytics and telematics to identify risks in real time and deliver faster access to incident evidence.

“Contel AI is an intelligent safety and compliance platform that uses AI-powered video and telematics to reduce risk and cut costs. We’ve launched it now because our customers are facing real pressures, from safety expectations to insurance premiums, and we want to provide technology that actively helps them stay ahead.” – Andy Kelly, Co-CEO and Founder of Contel Ltd

Tackling real-world challenges

Initially focused on the waste collection industry, Contel AI can already detect and analyse key operational events such as:

• the number of bins collected per round;
• whether loaders are standing in safe working positions;
• if the correct PPE is being worn.

Video recordings from vehicle-mounted cameras are automatically uploaded to the Contel AI cloud platform, where the AI analyses footage and flags only relevant events. By filtering out noise, the platform prevents “alarm fatigue” and ensures operators receive only actionable insights.

Built for safety, compliance, and privacy

Contel AI has been designed with GDPR compliance and data ethics at its core. All footage is anonymised using automatic face blurring, and vehicles display appropriate signage to notify the public. Evidence is stored securely with role-based access controls, full audit trails and customisable retention policies to meet regulatory and customer needs.

Flexible, future-ready technology

Fleets don’t need to start from scratch to use Contel AI. The system can overlay AI analytics onto many existing camera infrastructures, depending on quality and configuration, allowing operators to upgrade their safety capabilities without replacing equipment.

Contel provides comprehensive onboarding, training and lifetime support, including customer success managers, online training modules and proactive system monitors.

“We’re not just supplying technology; we’re providing partnership and expertise” says Kelly. “Customers can train their own teams to create new AI cases or rely on our managed data analysis service. Either way, we stay with them for the long term.”

Looking ahead

The launch of Contel AI marks a new strategic phase for the company as it expands from hardware and video safety solutions into a proactive software as a service provider (SaaS). Over the next 12–24 months, Contel plans to collaborate closely with customers to develop new AI applications tailored to specific fleet challenges, from verifying safe reversing practices to ensuring loads are properly secured.

WasteRecruit | Getting to 40 000

The UK government recently announced investment in renewables sector aimed at generating 40 000 jobs in the next 5 years. 31 priority occupations, 5 new technical colleges, £2.5 million in skills pilots.

Big promises with seemingly a plan of how to get there. It ticks the boxes of gaining public support for renewable projects. It also addresses possible concerns: If the UK is to shift away from fossil fuels, will people with years of experience be out of work?

The plan outlines the aim of reskilling workers that operate in the fossil fuel industry as well as youth entering the job market and people who are currently unemployed. Jobs not lost, but reinvented and created.

The question remains: how does industry connect the opportunity being brought by the creation of 40 000 jobs in the next 5 years to the skills people need to fulfil that? How will skills be developed and is anyone defining what proficiency looks like?

Green skills focus

Certain trades have been identified to be part of the programme. Welders and electricians for example. But could people working in operations also benefit? If past experience is less of a job requirement, could the pool of potential candidates be broadened by focusing instead on the skills needed?

The generation of 40 000 new jobs is that ideal opportunity to develop green skills and define what competency in specific roles looks like. There’s the physical ability to do the job, but there’s also aptitude for learning and behaviour in the working environment that have a major influence on success. Take a plant operator for example:

Their primary role may be overseeing machinery. That takes more than pressing the start button. Success requires synergy – the ability to work with other team members, understanding what they need and how roles interface.

Operations also require a strong health and safety awareness and communication skills. These combine to reduce the risk of accidents and the costs associated with them. Being adaptable and paying attention to the details, having the ability to assess risks and make good decisions, all these skills contribute to productivity, efficiency and profitability.  

They’re vital green skills, yet they’re rarely labelled as such. They’re also rarely assessed when recruiting candidates because the default is usually to evaluate suitability by reviewing a CV. With so much at stake, would it not be better to assess capability and effectiveness?

No margin for error

The investment being made in creating these 40 000 jobs brings with it, not only a responsibility to develop the skills that’ll contribute to project success, but also to identify which skills are most critical for specific roles.

As highlighted in the plant operator example above, the skills that contribute to success are not always obvious. Also, behaviour and attitude have a big impact. Almost anyone can obtain a health and safety certificate, but do they care enough to apply what they’ve learnt on the job? More importantly for companies – how do you assess how a candidate applies their knowledge?

Increasingly skills-based assessments are identifying which candidates are most likely to contribute to operational success, regardless of their previous work experience or qualifications. This is because skills-based assessments look at how people approach work tasks, apply their knowledge, engage with co-workers.

Working through situation judgement tests, highlights an individual’s strengths, and more specifically their attitude and behaviour in different work situations. This includes the ability to trouble shoot, analyse risks and make sound decisions – critical skills for any operations role.  

“The key here is that all of these new roles will involve some training of some sort. If you can identify the right skills at the front end, then you can train the new job. Skills are absolutely transferable. Skills based assessments can easily filter in the right people who will benefit from training and be an asset to operational or management teams.” – Nick Eva – MD WasteRecruit

If the UK is to maximise the impact that can be generate from 40 000 jobs in clean energy, for the benefit of communities and the environment, assessing skills is vital part of the process.  

For queries contact Nick Eva, MD at WasteRecruit on phone: 01252 353 080 or email: nick@wasterecruit.com. WasteRecruit is a trusted partner, recruiting green skills for the renewables and resource sectors since 2003. Skills and personality-based assessment were developed by WasteRecruit to meet the hiring needs of these rapidly changing sectors.

Greyparrot | Greyparrot puts AI on the agenda at the world’s first Global Zero Waste Forum

World leaders learned about AI’s growing impact on resource recovery at this month’s Global Zero Waste Forum, with Greyparrot’s leadership team traveling to Istanbul to advocate for a more data-driven recycling system.

Hosted by the Zero Waste Foundation, the UN-sponsored forum gathered representatives from 108 countries to discuss ambitious zero-waste targets, and the systems needed to reach them. UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the two-day event with a cohort of waste innovators, NGOs and academics, shining an influential spotlight on waste’s role in the circular transition.

AI waste analytics emerged as a key accelerator of that transition, cementing waste intelligence as a pillar of zero waste strategy at the landmark summit.

Sharing AI’s impact on waste with world leaders

Greyparrot co-founder Ambarish Mitra joined a headline session to explain how the company’s waste intelligence technology is boosting recycling’s profitability, and encouraging producers to design more circular products.

With more than 170 Greyparrot Analyzer units now active in facilities across 20 countries, Mitra revealed that the company expects to detect over 100 billion waste objects by the end of 2025. With the recent launch of Deepnest, the company’s packaging waste intelligence platform, the same datasets are now guiding more circular product design for some of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods brands.

Through initiatives like Deepnest, Mitra explained that waste data has potential to impact wider zero-waste initiatives – not just recovery rates. Together with food waste recognition pioneers from Winnow, he made the case for deploying AI waste analytics systems at an even larger scale.

“We’re unlocking new value from every piece of waste”, said Mitra. “In the process, we’re building an intelligent circular economy where data drives action, and waste fuels both economic growth and environmental regeneration.”

AI waste analytics arrives in Turkey

After leading the call for global AI waste analytics deployment, Mitra and the Greyparrot team announced their official entry into the Turkish market. One of the country’s largest materials recovery facilities has adopted the Greyparrot Analyzer system, bringing the company’s global coverage to more than 20 countries.

Greyparrot has said that its technology will support the country’s ambitious circularity targets: Türkiye aims to reach a 60% recycling rate by 2035, and continue to lead the UN’s Zero Waste Programme.

“I witnessed firsthand Türkiye’s determination to make real progress at the UN Global Zero Waste Forum”, said Mitra, announcing the deployment. “We’re proud to support that mission with AI waste analytics, helping the nation’s recyclers turn ambition into measurable action.”

Greyparrot plans to share further details about its entry to the Turkish market in the coming weeks. The company has shared footage from the AI panel at the Global Zero Waste Forum ahead of their full announcement:

Watch the Global Zero Waste Forum recap here.