Catch up on news from the resource and waste industry through CIWM’s business partner update.
- ISB Global thanks industry for survey input
- WasteRecruit awarded tender to deliver recruitment services for Sherbourne Recycling
- TOMRA plays a key role in establishing the UK’s first picker-less C&I MRF
- Fiveways sponsors National Recycling Awards
- Re-Gen recycling director welcomes the single-use plastics consultation outcome
ISB Global thanks industry for survey input
CIWM and ISB Global extend their thanks to those who took part in the UK Waste Industry Software Review & Alignment Research Project, of which the first phase the “CIWM Focus Group” was completed successfully on November 22nd 2022.
Although the Focus Group sample was small, ISB Global says it thought that the group reflected the UK industry well. The output from both the preceding questionnaire and the focus group session discussion was hugely beneficial in driving software vendor relationships and waste industry alignment forward, ISB Global says.
Questionnaire Closed
ISB Global has now formally closed the questionnaire. However, anyone in the industry can still complete the questionnaire here.
Intelligence & Results
The team received some “excellent information” from the questionnaire and the focus group session, ISB Global says. One of the key themes in the answers and discussions from the sample is that the industry wants to engage and understand software technologies in greater depth to drive efficiencies.
Working Together
ISB Global says it would like the opportunity to find out more about what industry professionals thought and to engage with them on an individual level to understand their challenges.
The organisation says it is in the process of analysing a lot of results and intends to look at individual answers to understand any patterns between certain industries and the challenges answered and discussed.
Next Steps – Webinar
ISB Global says it is also pleased to announce that the next phase of the research project should begin mid -February (TBC). This will be in the form of a webinar where the organisation takes details from the questionnaire and focus group and present them to a wider audience for more feedback based on a further hypothesis developed.
After this, ISB Global says it should be ready to draft and release the report and implement changes that will drive the industry forward and create those digital efficiencies that were discussed.
WasteRecruit awarded tender to deliver recruitment services for Sherbourne Recycling
WasteRecruit awarded the tender to deliver recruitment services for the newly formed Sherbourne Recycling Ltd.
Sherbourne Recycling was created in 2021 to develop and operate a new state-of-the-art recycling facility on behalf of eight local authorities.
The local authorities are Coventry City Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Council and Warwick District Council.
WasteRecruit says this will be the most advanced recycling facility in the UK and utilise AI and robots to create a flexible recyclate management solution able to adapt and flex to changing waste composition and legislation, producing high-quality valuable recycled materials and opening new markets.
WasteRecruit describes this as “hugely exciting” and says it will be creating an “extremely attractive” place to both learn and work.
However, WasteRecruit says it’s more important for the organisation to build a workforce from the communities it will be serving.
As a result, for the majority of the roles, WasteRecruit says it won’t need any previous experience. The organisation continues that it will be training and developing the skills needed, which it says will allow it to recruit from the widest possible talent pool.
WasteRecruit says it has designed a recruitment programme which enables Sherbourne Recycling to recruit people who are inquisitive, open to learning and who are excited by the prospect of working in the most “advanced facility” in the UK.
TOMRA plays a key role in establishing the UK’s first picker-less C&I MRF
Essex-based waste management and recycling solutions provider, Green Recycling says it has achieved its goal of becoming the UK’s first picker-less C&I MRF thanks to investment in sensor-based sorting equipment from TOMRA Recycling Sorting.
TOMRA designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting technologies for the global recycling and waste management industry.
TOMRA says Green Recycling initially installed one of its AUTOSORT® units at its C&I MRF in Maldon, Essex, in November 2021 to recover fibre from the end of its process line.
This not only doubled the plant’s paper and cardboard production from c.50 tonnes to 100 tonnes per week but also enabled the company to redeploy four employees – who had previously been manually picking paper and cardboard – into new, more technically-skilled and appealing roles in the plant, TOMRA says.
In July 2022, TOMRA says Green Recycling shut down the plant to enable the installation of four additional AUTOSORT® units, with the full optimisation of all five units taking place at the start of August.
The COVID-19 pandemic made us realise that we needed to change the business model.
The additional units are programmed to automatically recover plastic film, cardboard, wood, bottles and other rigid plastics, while the original AUTOSORT® unit has switched to recover mixed office paper.
Commenting on the announcement, Jamie Smith, Operations Director at Green Recycling, said: “The four additional AUTOSORT® units from TOMRA were the final piece in the jigsaw for our picker-less MRF project.
“The COVID-19 pandemic made us realise that we needed to change the business model and move away from our reliance on manual picking.
“We have always had a keen interest in automation and artificial intelligence, so over the past 18 months, we have invested heavily in automation to enhance our screening, sizing and separation operations, including ballistic separators, automated magnets and eddy current separators.
“Thanks to this investment, and the addition of the additional four latest generation AUTOSORT® units, we can safely say that we are now operating a picker-less MRF and all our former picking staff have been redeployed into other roles within the business.”
Fiveways sponsors National Recycling Awards
Vehicle leasing specialist, Fiveways, says it was proud to be the headline sponsor for this year’s National Recycling Awards which took place on the 6th of December at the Westminster Park Plaza hotel.
Fireways says that, as always, the standard of the entries was incredibly high and reflected the innovation and excellence demonstrated by the UK waste, recycling and resource management sector daily.
In addition to being the Headline Sponsor, Fiveways also sponsored the Rising Star and Local Authority Success awards which were won by Raymond Onovwigun from Romco Group and Birmingham City Council for their Mobile Household Recycling Centres.
Fiveways would like to thank everyone who took part in this year’s National Recycling Awards.
Other winners on the night included Durham City Council, Belfast Council and London Borough of Hackney.
Commenting on the awards, Fiveways Head of Development, Emma Cheesman, said: “Fiveways would like to thank everyone who took part in this year’s National Recycling Awards.
“The whole industry should be rightly proud of the work that’s undertaken to sustainably manage our precious and finite resources while supporting the UK in meeting its net zero and circular economy ambitions. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone involved, keep up the great work!”
Re-Gen recycling director welcomes the single-use plastics consultation outcome
Joseph Doherty, Managing Director of Re-Gen Waste in Newry and member of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Advisory Committee on Packaging, has welcomed the results of Defra Consultation for the reduction of single-use plastic beverage cups and food containers.
Doherty says it was pleased to participate in the consultation on three policy options which will assist DAERA. The options available were a voluntary scheme, a levy and a ban. The consultation will go far in providing direction to promote the reduction of single-use plastic cups and food containers to increase recycling, improve reuse and reduce litter, Doherty says.
Doherty says plastic single-use cups, card single-use cups lined with plastic and takeaway food containers should be included in the scope of the proposed policy.
The organisation says it doesn’t believe it’s “practicable” to include pre-filled, plastic-lined food containers in the future policy. An individual at the shop or takeaway makes an informed decision to use a single-use plastic container or cup, whereas a person using pre-filled containers does not have the choice, Doherty says.
Doherty says a ban on single-use plastics is not realistic given how embedded they are in many people’s lives. It continues that it is not supportive of a levy due to the economic impact on householders in particular but also the Government and businesses.
Doherty says he doesn’t support a ban on single-use plastics as they have become an integrated element in the food, hospitality and retail industries. They are lightweight and offer convenience to consumers but society can be pushing their reduction, reuse and recycling capability, Doherty says. Instead, Doherty argues that the focus needs to be on reuse.
However, a total ban is the bluntest instrument which will impact the packaging industry immensely, Doherty argues, saying it is inevitable that it will damage the industry as there are no other solutions.
