The Skip Magazine

IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF 'THE SKIP'...

• A table found in a skip sells at auction for £40,000

• Volunteers in a community clean-up project are forced to return the rubbish!

• The new CIWM president talks about challenges ahead for the waste industry

• Skip hire insurance and how to deal with customer liability

• 'Skip Hunk of The Month' & 'Skip Chicks'

• Advice from industry experts

• And much more...

An antique table rescued from a skip in Welshpool, Powys, has sold at auction for £40,000!

The table was pulled from the hire skip after being dumped during a house clearance. To the untrained eye, it could easily be passed over as just another cheap example of replica Edwardian furniture. But when Jeremy Lamond, Fine Art Director at Halls Auctioneers, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, spotted it, “My heart skipped a beat,” he said – hilariously.

Instantly recognising the brass fittings on the table, Mr Lamond named it as a very rare example of work produced by 19th century architect Edward William Godwin.

Once underway, the auction was contested by three telephone bidders. Eventually, it sold to a specialist dealer in London. The family who had tried to dispose of the table are said to be delighted with the price it sold for. As is Mr Lamond, “In terms of significant discoveries during my career, this table has got to be right up there in the top 10 because it is so rare.”

Indeed, so unusual is this piece that the only other examples of its type are to be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Trust's Ellen Terry Memorial Museum at Smallhythe Place, Kent.

When asked about dumping antiques, Mr Lamond said, “People have nothing to lose and everything to gain from getting a professional valuation.”

So take heed. Check those skips before you consign them to the landfill. If you bury £40,000 worth of rare walnut loveliness, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

They say that for every winner, there has to be a loser. On one side of the coin, we have the discovery of a £40,000 table in a skip and, on the other, we have Chris Evans accidentally throwing out some very valuable artwork. Sorry, Chris, but on this occasion you’re definitely a loser.

The Radio Two DJ was packing his art collection into boxes during a recent house move when the terrible error occurred. He had decided to throw out some of his paintings, so put them in separate boxes, intended to go to a local charity shop.

However, Evans said that his ‘handy man’ had made a mix up with the boxes which led to the Damien Hirst painting being discarded.

He now believes that the work – one of Hirst’s classic dot paintings – is lying in a charity shop somewhere waiting to be snapped up at a bargain price. A similar painting by Hirst was sold at auction for £240,000 last year!

Chris Evans, 42, said “I had no idea I'd done it. We've been clearing out the house.”
He also said that he’d made a hurried effort to trace the whereabouts of the painting and buy it back. He didn’t seem to be too bothered about the whole episode, though, as he told the story in fits of laughter on his drive-time radio show.

It’s certainly not the first time art has been mistakenly discarded – last year a sculpture by Turner Prize artist, Anish Kapoor, valued at £350,000, was shockingly dumped in a skip by builders whilst in the care of a London fine arts storage company!

A piece of ‘art’ masquerading as a bag of rubbish was also thrown into a hire skip by a cleaner at The Tate Gallery a few years back.

The lost Hirst painting is now thought to be in a charity shop somewhere in Cranleigh or Godalming, Surrey. So if you’re feeling lucky it might just be worth a browse…

Worcestershire’s household rubbish could be transformed into a useful eco-fuel, if plans for a revolutionary £35 million waste processing plant go ahead.

Plans to construct the plant on a site at Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, are under consideration by Worcestershire County Council and its private waste contractor, Mercia Waste Management.

At present the council’s plans include a new plant for dealing with recyclable waste, which is due to open at Norton, near Worcester, next year. However, under these plans, all non-recyclable rubbish will still go straight to landfill.

Estech Europe is the waste company offering an alternative solution. They have been involved in negotiations with Worcestershire Council and Mercia Waste over the possibility of building a hi-tech Fibrecycle plant at Hartlebury.

The waste company are proposing to use technology that puts non-recyclable waste through a process called steam autoclaving, sterilising it with high-pressure steam and transforming it into a fibrous pulp.

Estech Europe claims that this pulp can then be used as a clean, renewable energy source, or put to other uses such as making paper. It says its solution would cut the amount of waste Worcestershire sends to landfill by as much as 80 per cent.
Managing director of Estech, Jonathan Allen said,

"We are in discussions with Mercia Waste Management. We would like to build a plant but first we have to conclude a deal with Mercia. We would like to get the negotiations completed during the summer and then start (building) on the ground in the autumn, but we have to be patient."

The company already has the planning permission to build the plant and says it would be able to deal with more than 100,000 tonnes of black bin waste each year.

Mercia Waste Management, which is paid by the council to dispose of the county's waste, is demanding strong evidence that what it sees as unproven technology is the best long-term solution.

Mercia director Javier Periero said,

"We are looking at all the options. We have asked Estech to prove the things they say they can achieve, and we're waiting for some of the details. But there are other options."
The county has long wanted to build an incinerator to burn its non-recyclable waste, although in 2002 opposition from local residents stopped a plant being built near Kidderminster.

Earlier this year, the council's Tory leader George Lord said he was in favour of an incinerator somewhere in the two counties.

A council funded, community clean-up project has been scuppered by another section of the same council.

Over the last three years pupils from Rushden Community College have been involved in 20 major clear-up projects and have maintained gardens at 120 homes around Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and Raunds as part of the Whitefriars Church Groundbreakers project.

Recently however, the volunteer teenagers, who have cleaned up gardens for vulnerable people, have been banned from disposing of their rubbish at Northamptonshire County Council's tip in Northampton Road, Rushden. They don't have the correct paperwork to use the council waste facility and on some occasions they have even been forced to return the waste to the original gardens.

Groundbreakers’ project worker Rosie Cheetham said,

"We've been told we can only dump the waste in Wellingborough and Northampton. This isn't viable because we only have an hour at a time with the students and if we had to travel to Wellingborough or Northampton that would take up all the time. The county council funds our project, and yet another part of the authority is blocking its work – we just hope common sense prevails."

One 16-year-old volunteer said,

“We get told off for riding our BMX bikes in the town. Now we get told off just for helping people. Why should we bother?"

Among those who have benefited from the project are tenants from the Rockingham Forest Housing Association. Association chief executive Rosemarie Anderson said,
"They've helped residents including people with disabilities, single mums with young children and elderly couples. The work they've done has been fantastic. We hope this issue can be resolved."

A County Council spokesperson said,

"Reverend Evans at Whitefriars Church was advised in March, prior to the work being carried out, that a charity permit was required to dispose of waste at specific sites in the county – one a landfill site in Wellingborough one a waste transfer station in Northampton. When charity workers arrived at the Rushden Household Waste Recycling Centre they did not have the required permit and were again advised of the need for a permit. Permits cost 25p each and would have been issued in this circumstance so the waste could have been taken to the landfill sites which are set up to take such rubbish."

Your favourite magazine gets a little bit more famous after I was interviewed on Chris Evans Radio 2 show last week. Here it is:

Do you know about SkipFest yet? Head to www.SkipFest.co.uk and check it out!

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) recently held its 2008 conference, opened by new president, Hugh Hoather.

Hoather, succeeding Jeff Cooper, has over thirty years experience in the Waste Management industry, including seven years in the role of managing director for 3C Waste.

Addressing the conference, Hoather delivered a call to the Resources and Waste Management sector, urging it to approach the future in a “new, bold and creative way”.
Hoather believes that the CIWM members can become part of a solution that would make “a world of difference to the management of resources and waste”.

He also said that the institution had to be more proactive with the public to ensure that they were given positive perceptions of the industry.

“Waste industry can rightly lay claim to dynamic and fast changing business sectors and pace of change has been relentless. Saturated with legislation targets, escalation costs and a lot of competition we still have to satisfy the criteria of sustainability.”
“Never before have we been faced with the challenge of building 800 or more waste facilities in such a short time frame. If we brought on one a week for the foreseeable future it might just comply with the Landfill Directive. But more than this we need more infrastructure to manage batteries, commercial industrial waste and demolition and construction waste.

“Time lags between policy demands and institutional responses are lengthening and institutions charged with these policies need to change now to keep up with the process.”

“Never before has there been so much uncertainty over whether the planning system will facilitate the substantial infrastructure development needed for these waste diversion targets to be met.”

“The planning system is stretched to the limit and although much has been done to simplify the process the truth is that it’s not delivering at the speed it should be.”
Hoather concluded:

“One of my priorities for the year is to help the institution to strengthen its position as the leading professional body for waste and resource management, both nationally and internationally.”

State-of-the-art camera technology is to be used to catch fly-tippers in the Loughborough area.

Charnwood Borough Council plans to use covert and overt cameras in an attempt to catch offenders red handed. The cameras can also be moved to fly-tipping hotspots.
Chris Cary, Charnwood Borough Council’s Senior Enforcement Officer, said:

“We are very pro-active in investigating fly-tips – and these cameras will help us track down the people dumping rubbish and putting a blot on the landscape.”

“Cleaning up fly-tips costs Councils £76m a year nationally. Using these cameras will hopefully act as a deterrent and the evidence gained lead to more successful prosecutions with those responsible punished and paying the price.”

Alongside the arrival of this new technology, local householders are being warned to ensure that they employ only registered waste disposal firms or risk being held responsible if the rubbish is illegally dumped.

Under the 1990 Environment Protection Act, residents could find themselves charged with a Duty of Care offence if waste, which is fly-tipped, can be traced back to them.

Mark Attwood, our very own Publisher and Managing Editor at The Skip, has been unveiled as one of the Crain’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2008 - an annual list of 40 people who have achieved success in business before turning 40.

For those of us who have seen the passion and dedication that Mark has put into TopSkips from day one, and every day since, it’s a genuine pleasure to see his remarkable achievement recognised in this way. (I could go on about what a great bloke Mark is, here, and the countless other things he deserves awards for, but you’d just think I was sucking up to the boss and he’d just get embarrassed!)

Mark said: “It’s a great honour for everyone involved with TopSkips to be recognised in this way. The award is as much for my partners Katy Attwood and Kenny Goodman, and our fantastic team, including Louise Malpas and Steve Wild, as it is for me – especially as most of them went to the dinner to collect it as we were on holiday!”

“We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved in skip hire over the past five years, and really excited about what we’re going to achieve in skip hire, total waste management, container hire, toilet hire, plant hire and many other projects not yet released to the public in the future!”

Viridor Waste Management has launched a scheme with the Probation Service to help ex-offenders gain employment.

Project XL aims to support 850 people in gaining sustainable employment, or furthering
their education, across Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the west of England.

A Viridor spokesperson said:

“Interest in working with the Probation Service comes right from the top at Viridor. The resource management sector is expected to be short of human resources in the next few years, and is in need of a good, sustainable source of employees.”

The scheme’s first employee, Jamie Lye, has been taken on at Viridor’s recycling and waste transfer station based at Filton. Lye is employed as a full-time recycling operative after serving time in prison for drug-related offences.

Lye said:

“Viridor has given me the opportunity to get back into work and learn new skills that will allow me to move my life forward towards a positive future. Ex-offenders can experience discrimination during the interview process and this scheme puts us on equal footing with others, offering us a clean slate and training opportunities.”

Project XL ends in Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire at the end of July but will continue in Devon and Cornwall.

Look out, this month’s Skip Chick is a bit of a firey, moody sort. Mind you, who wouldn’t enjoy a good telling off from Sophie the skip temptress?? She keeps things in order at Brunswick Skip Hire, in Merseyside.

Q. Hi Sophie, please can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do for the company?

A. Well I’m 25 and in my long life I’ve flirted with several different careers - namely a stint as Mark Lawrenson’s moustache, which is actually what led me to the skip hire business. I’m sure you’re all aware that Mark is quite the skip collector - you should see his 10 yard! I’m generally involved in the company with selling our great quality skips to the wonderful citizens of the UK, and I’m also responsible for keeping all the boys in line at the yard!

Q. I bet they’re on their best behaviour when you’re around, not to mention Lawro! So what do you like best about working for the company?

A. 10 yards!

Q. Okay, we won’t ask you to elaborate on that - probably best left to interpretation. What do you get up to when you're not working, then?

A. I like to watch the Everton with a nice can of Red Stripe and my boyfriend on my lap. During the inevitable summer footy drought I sit and wait patiently for the new season.

Q. Beer and footy? What a dream girlfriend! What's the best thing you've ever seen in a skip then, Sophie?

A. Burt Reynolds

Q. Brilliant! Thanks for being our July Skip Chick. Finally, is there anything else you want to say to our readers before you go?

A. Big ups to you all and thanks for stopping by!

I got dragged along to an Ambassador’s reception recently, as you do when you work in the waste industry. It was pretty boring, to tell you the truth, so I whipped out some of my ‘special interest’ Polaroids that I carry discretely in my top pocket and started showing them around to spice things up a bit. They soon became the focus of the whole evening and, at one point, the Ambassador was actually heard to say “Monsieur, with these tremendously overloaded skip photographs you are spoiling us!” (What? You didn’t think I’d pull out those photos did you!)

So, you see, your fantastic overloaded skip photos are not merely serving the purpose of giving us all a good chuckle each month. They are actually a vital tool in my quest for social acceptance. In fact, they may well have saved my life too, for all I know, when some skinheads tried to mug me at a railway station in south London last February. I was pinned against a fence by two of them, while the third mugger went through my pockets. Luckily, the first thing the little scally found was one of my aforementioned Polaroid collections, and they were all so busy laughing at them that I managed to slip their clutches and do a runner amid the distraction. The loss of some particularly exquisite pictures did take me a while to come to terms with, but I managed to retain all my body parts, so it was a fair trade-off in the end.

Anyway, let’s have a good look at these latest fine specimens to be added to
the collection. The skip above was sent to us by D K Rowe Skip Hire, of London. It’s another victim of pruning madness and is definitely in need of an extreme hair cut before it stands much chance of going anywhere.

Here we have an artfully overpiled collection of household fittings and rubble that was snapped by Sam at Dunmow Skips Ltd. And yes, it’s even got the kitchen sink in there!

My favourite overloaded skip fix this month, however, comes courtesy of Triple C Skips, of Accrington. It’s positively haemorrhaging lounge furniture in all directions! You can bet that the inevitable sofas teetering on the top were not dumped in there by the person who actually hired the skip too (I think that’s pretty much an unwritten rule, nowadays isn’t it?)

Right, I’m off to a speed dating evening now - where the pictures never fail to make an instant impression. Please help me to continue having a social life by sending more great overloaded skip pics to pr@theskip.net or post them to - The Skip, Baxall Business Centre, Adswood Road, Stockport, SK3 8LF.

When you’ve seen one skip, you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong! The skip hire industry boasts some highly creative individuals, and the chances are that someone, somewhere is coming up with the latest whacky twist on the conventional skip right now!

This unlikely incarnation of a skip was dreamed up by John Gratton-Fisher, of Grove Skip Hire in Nottingham.

John regards the humble skip as his trusty business associate, and so commissioned Crazy Coffins to create this very special resting place.

On his final journey, John says he will feel privileged to be put in a skip and go out with the rubbish! Although he’s in no hurry to road test it, as John told The Skip “I’m not planning on using it for a while yet!”

WALLER SKATES?

You’d be forgiven for thinking that these skips were actually a pair of roller skates for brief celebrity fat man, Rik Waller.

However, these cute little wagons are genuine, operational skips, and are the property of Heanor Mini Skip Hire in Derbyshire.

It seems an odd concept at first but when you consider the places these skips can access it makes good sense - not to mention the environmental and economical benefits of running these significantly smaller trucks.

Have you spotted any quirky skips out there? Maybe you even own some of your own? Send your pictures in to us at pr@theskip.net

Here is some footage from the episode of "Have I Got News For You" in which The Skip Magazine was featured as the guest publication in the "missing words" round. (The Skip pops up about 3:15 in if you don't want to watch the whole clip)

Just when you thought it was safe to pick up that skip, along comes yet another change in the legislation which is badged as an additional effort to tackle waste crime. Yes, more red tape, which at first reading will not have much effect on illegal activities, which continue in spite of all current systems of licensing and registration. Fly tippers and operators involved in serious offences do not normally follow the paperwork trail that reputable operators are burdened with.

There is mounting evidence that the landfill tax is a contributing factor as our legislative drive to reduce waste going to landfill conflicts with its aims and objectives. Prohibiting waste from landfill is a sensible aim but we need somewhere for the segregated wastes that cannot be recycled, especially inert wastes and fines, to be deposited. This problem is significant for all waste operations and is regularly reported in the numerous journals, including The Skip. The ENDS Report May 2008 edition again noted several landfill avoidance prosecutions, such as depositing non-inert fines from a transfer operation to inert only exempt sites, fly tipping construction and demolition wastes and operating ‘exempt’ sites illegally.

One operation reported on the Environment Agency’s web site on 11 June 2008 was successfully prosecuted with the two defendants receiving custodial sentences of 14 and 22 months. The case is worth noting (http:www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/2062931) as the defendants went to great lengths to appear legitimate, which has implications for carriers using such sites. How do you know the site you are using has a valid exemption? Traditionally, obtaining a copy of someone’s licence or exemption is sufficient proof that they have an approved operation. Not so anymore! Even if a site does have a licence or exemption the Agency are now chasing carriers that have legitimately used sites that have later been found to be non-compliant. How far should duty of care checks go? Should we be doing the Agency’s job for them? The simple answer is a resounding NO! Most waste operators are not qualified to audit waste sites and it is the job of the regulator that charges for the issue of permits and exemptions to do that job. Come on Defra, if you want to reduce so called environmental crime put some more resources into tackling it where it is most needed - i.e. on the ground.

The current system of using landfill or increasingly rare Paragraph 9 and 19 exemptions has to be addressed before any serious review of carrier registration or the duty of care takes place. The exemption review is well underway and I hope that Defra take on board the industry’s comments and also take a proportionate approach on inert landfill which would reduce the over reliance on exemptions that often stretch the boundaries of the legislation.

Now that rant is out of the way I shall concentrate on the title subject at hand. On 13 June 2008 Defra announced its second consultation on the controls on the handling, transfer and transport of waste, in the form of The Waste Controls (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 which if all goes according to plan will come into force in April 2009. The previous consultation closed on 6 march 2007 and the current one concentrates and consolidates the responses from the first one. The proposed regulations are the first major review of the Duty of Care and Carrier Registration since it came in to force over 16 years ago. Precisely what effect it will have on the legitimate waste industry is debatable as the main focus is on illegal operators, thereby increasing costs for the legitimate ones.

I shall concentrate on the effect on carriers this month and look at the duty of care in detail next month. The new regulations themselves are not very detailed and much will be left to guidance, which can be revised more easily than the legislation. The main proposals discussed are as follows:

1. Revoke existing regulations for carrier registration and the duty of care.

2. Impose a new duty for the Agency to make periodic inspections of all registered carriers of, and dealers and brokers in controlled waste.

3. Registration will be for one year rather than three, with various options proposed for renewal, such as a ‘tax disc’ based system which could be renewed easily and displayed on each vehicle. This will be an additional burden for larger waste operators with many vehicles or service companies with hundreds of vans but would enable carrier registrations to be checked instantly. The discs will be non-transferable i.e. new vehicle = new disc (at a cost of <£5 each).

4 Splitting carriers into lower and upper tiers, with the cost of registration for lower tier carriers (charities, farmers, waste producers etc.) at a one off £30 charge. Most waste carriers will face a £60 application fee and annual renewal of £45, which is not significantly greater but the process must be robust enough to ensure registrations do not accidentally lapse, which is addressed in the consultation document.

5. Waste producers may also have to register if they carry their own waste normally and regularly, although no detailed definitions of ‘normally and regularly’ have been proposed.

6. Change to revocation powers to enable more prosecutions to be taken into account when revoking a carrier’s registration. The increase in the list of prescribed offences could be done via guidance rather than legislation.

7. Proof of non-corporate carrier identity may be required i.e. copy of passport, driving licence, utility bill, bank statement etc. before a registration certificate or disc can be issued.

8. Possibility of new offence of failing to display proof of registration and issue of fixed penalty notices for more offences.

9. Raising the maximum level of fines for carrier offences to reflect the maximum for other offences (£50,000 in the magistrates court and unlimited in the Crown Court).

10. New proposals for seizure and disposal of vehicles.

In summary, the carrier registration changes will probably make the system more manageable for the industry as long as the Agency’s IT system can cope and enforcers take a proportionate approach to offences. Responses to the consultation should be sent by 8 September 2008 and I will be making a response on behalf of many colleagues in the industry, so if you have any comments to add please feel free to e-mail me or respond directly. The consultation can be viewed at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/waste controls/index.htm.

Marco Muia BSc (Hons) MSc MCIWM is the Director of Oaktree Environmental Limited. He specialises in all aspects of waste planning and regulation consultancy. He also holds the level 4 COTCs for Hazardous Waste Treatment and Transfer. You can contact Marco on 01606 558833 if you have any questions about this article or e-mail him at enviroman@theskip.net

WHERE'S MY TAX BREAK?

TIP 1. WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT CARBON OFFSETTING...

I believe that all of us in the recycling sector should be writing to our MPs and complaining about the lack of incentives we get for our recycling efforts.

Take my document shredding company, A2 Shred Ltd, for example. We recycled fifty tonnes of office paper which we then sold on to a paper merchant. At the same time, my 2.7 litre diesel car is taxed at 189gm per kilometer!

Surely we recyclers should get a vehicle tax break on wagons and cars which are actually being used to contribute towards the greening of our country and planet! Many other industry sectors receive tax breaks as an incentive to act in an environmentally responsible manner. Isn’t it time that industries like ours were all given a bit of relief in recognition of the work we’re actually doing? Why should a skip lorry on it’s way to a transfer station, where most of its contents will be recycled and saved from landfill, pay the same tax as the lorry in front which is taking over-packaged, unnecessary items to an unethical company, adding to the global problem rather than working to improve it like us?

Enough is enough, I say. Time to make a noise about it. If enough of us write to our MPs, we just might get a result. Let’s make those politicians work for their money... OUR money!

TIP 2. Nifty thrifty home made sprinkler systems

Waste Transfer Stations can get incredibly dusty in no time at all, so why not consider fitting a home made sprinkler system?

You can make your own recycled sprinkler system by using reclaimed, redundant fire sprinkler pipework, which is readily available from demolition jobs.

Carl Belford from Belford Brothers Skip Hire, Stoke-on-Trent, has recently done this very successfully.

You can reach Carl on 01782 544 868.

TIP 3. Cash in on electrical waste

When getting rid of IT Waste, WEEEE or old computers etc, check out this web site: www.recycle.co.uk. There could be a market for that pile of old computers that is ££££££s more than the scrap value.

TIP 4. Keep the noise down!

My ears are still banging from when I was playing in a rock band many years ago...
If you have a transfer station, be sure your staff have adequate hearing protection in picking stations or when working with trommels or vibrating screens.

TIP 5. Free Training

Level 2 Waste Management courses are grant-aided in some regions. Liverpool, Wigan and other UK districts are earmarked for training money from the Government. Contact me for more information...

TIP 6. Protect your fuel supplies

The price of diesel is going to go through the roof shortly. This will make it an even bigger target for thieves - both external and internal!

A good way to prevent theft is to contact www.johnhoggtechnicalservices.co.uk, as they can supply an invisible or visible dye. Staff can then be ‘advised of it’s presence’. Prevention is often cheaper than cure!

One of the most experienced providers of waste management services across West Yorkshire, Skelton Ltd, have proudly unveiled their new waste treatment and transfer facility, which is now fully operational and open to private and business users.

Based in Leeds, Skelton Ltd has been providing a range of skip hire and waste recycling services for over 30 years.

“Skelton’s new treatment facility is a significant investment for the business and marks an exciting new era for the company as we continue to offer more services to the private and commercial customer,” comments Dean Langton, Director at Skelton Ltd.
The new 87,000 sq ft recycling centre is one of the largest in the area and enables Skelton to recycle at least 80% of all materials collected and delivered, which will ultimately enable a reduction in the amount of waste materials destined for landfill.
The facility is fully equipped with the latest recycling and treatment machinery including two product feed lines, a six bay pre-sort purpose built cabin, a state-of-the-art trommel used for separating fine material from construction and demolition waste, a light separation unit to remove contaminates (such as plastic and paper) from hardcore, overband magnets for ferrous materials, together with a fully integrated conveyor system for the quick and efficient transportation of all materials through the processing plant, and a two bay quality control cabin for final inspection.

Skelton Ltd approached Carmac Waste Handling Systems Ltd to design, manufacture and install the waste processing equipment.

“Having made the decision to invest in our waste treatment and transfer facility, we needed a supplier who was experienced in waste handling systems and could also provide a high quality of processing machinery,” Dean continues.

“Carmac listened to our requirements and their knowledge and expertise of the recycling industry made them the ideal partner for this project.”

The new facility has been supported by WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme), an initiative to encourage and enable businesses and consumers to be more efficient in their use of materials and recycle more things more often, with the ultimate goal of minimising landfill, reducing carbon emissions and improving the environment.

“As part of the site’s commissioning phase, we have also been testing the capabilities of the site by trialling it with selected customers. Initially they have had daily access from 7am until 2am but we are confident that our objective of having a 24/7, 364 day operation will become a reality in the near future,” Dean concludes.

In addition to local businesses using the facility, Skelton Ltd also welcomes trade waste from national companies who are currently working on construction projects across the Yorkshire region and need to dispose of their waste in a quick, efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

H. Brown and Son Recycling Ltd have already put their four first-ever Volvo trucks into service with their 22-strong fleet, operating out of the company’s base in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. The order comprised one FM-410 eight-wheeler, which is used on bulk waste collection and three FL-240 skip-loaders for more local work.

According to H Brown and Son Managing Director, Rod Brown, the decision to purchase the company’s first-ever Volvo’s was taken after seeking referrals from other operators, together with the firm’s drivers trialling a vehicle. “It’s the first time I’ve ever bought Volvo, so I spoke with friends in the industry who run them and everyone using them gave a good report. We trialled one and the drivers were pleased with it. Specifically, they liked the image, the driving position, the access, the good steering lock, manoeuvrability and the overall driving experience.”

However, Volvo’s reputation for good in-service back-up is key to H Brown and Son’s purchase decision. “From the operational point of view, we need trucks back on the road quickly after services and when things need fixing. The local Volvo Dealer, Hartshorne, has a good reputation and the trucks are reliable,” says Rod.

The trucks were supplied by Hartshorne (Potteries) Ltd. based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, only a few miles away. Rod continued, “Everything so far has been very good. As well as specifying, supplying and warranting vehicles, Hartshorne’s Hy-Parts service caters for the supply, service and repair of PTO’s and hydraulic systems which is an added bonus.”

Download file

Just download the PDF, tell us where you want to be and fax it back to 0844 560 1082 before Tuesday 26th August at 4pm.

Devon Contract Waste has recently installed a Randalls Simpak 1800 compactor at its Exeter site and, already, transport costs have halved.

The compactor is used to compact wastes which cannot be used by any of the company’s extensive recycling services. The Simpak 1800 at Devon Contract Waste, the largest in the Randalls range, is currently processing 40-50 tonnes per week, producing a major saving compared with the transport and labour costs incurred in handling uncompacted waste.

Manufactured from premium grade materials, the Simpak 1800 has a 1.7 cubic metre charge box and 7.5 kW motor driving up to a nominal 130 cubic metres an hour, at a compaction force of approximately 28,000 Kgf. Cycle time is 45 seconds. The main control panel and isolator are located inside the rear of the machine and a separate panel close to the loading area is fitted with warning indicators.

Devon Contract Waste was established in 1989 to provide a waste collection and recycling service for both domestic and business clients. It is now the largest independent waste management company in the area.

Approved to ISO 9001:2000, the Skip Units Group is the largest manufacturer of steel containers, skips and equipment for the waste industry in the UK. Apart from Randalls, the other members of the group are Castle Containers of Chesterfield, Waste Equipment Rentals of Stockport, specialists in compactor hire and the Northwich-based Truck Specialists Ltd. which supplies hook lifts and telescopic arm skiploaders.

Post-consumer PVC-U windows and doors should be seen more as a recyclable resource, rather than rubbish to be buried in the ground, says a Derbyshire-based plastic recycler.

Too many frames are still going to landfill instead of being re-used in the manufacture
of new building products, representing an “incredible waste of precious resources”,
claims Simon Readman, Managing Director of Merritt Plastics.

As a PVC recycler and high volume trade extrusion company, Merritt processes up to 400 tonnes per month at its 60,000 sq ft Ilkeston facility, manufacturing new plastic building products from old frames and post-production offcuts all under one roof.

It takes material collected at waste transfer stations, as well as direct from construction, demolition and window companies. Payment is made against the Merritt’s weighbridge ticket for clean, de-glazed PVC-U frames, diverting a highly-recyclable material from landfill and saving on disposal costs of between £40 and £100 a tonne.

Expressing concern at recent industry figures that suggest up to 300,000 end-of-life PVC-U window and door frames per year are still being landfilled, Simon warns that attitudes in the construction and recycling industries need to change if valuable resources are to be preserved.

“Although there has been great progress in diverting frames from landfill, I feel underlying perceptions have to change if we are to maintain this momentum. Volumes of waste PVC-U are growing as more ‘early generation’ windows are replaced and the material should be regarded as a valuable and very recyclable resource, rather than rubbish to be uselessly thrown away,” he said.

Following major investment in the recycling infrastructure to handle waste PVC-U, it is now easier than ever for companies to find a sustainable and cost-effective disposal route for the waste plastic arising from refurbishment or demolition projects.

In recent months Merritt Plastics has invested more than £500,000 in new plant and equipment to boost its recycling capacity, including a second shredder and new weighbridge. It also works with manufacturers to develop ideas for new products made from recycled PVC-U.

Simon adds: “Because of the escalating price of virgin material, there is demand for replacing this with recycled PVC-U wherever possible. Hence we have invested heavily in new plant and equipment to supply this growing market.

“With environmental and sustainable issues at the top of the agenda, changing our perception of waste and re-using what we’ve got should be top priority. In twenty years time we won’t see plastic pop bottles lying around; they’ll be a resource for recycling. It should be the same for waste building plastics.”

Firstgrade Recycling Systems of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, have just commissioned their first waste screening system in Spain.

The recycling plant was supplied to a client in the La Rioca region of northern Spain, where some of the finest Spanish wines are produced, said Mr Valentine of Firstgrade.

Designed specifically for construction and demolition waste, the system supplied includes a vibrating feeder, trommel screen, air knife, picking station and overband magnet.

All of the equipment was designed and built here in Suffolk, and shipped to Spain on two flat bed Artics. The groundwork was completed by the client to Firstgrade’s specification, and installation was carried out by Firstgrade’s local agent Macarsan.

For more information call 0844 560 7706 and quote “Viva First Grade TS36”.

You've heard of 'skinny dipping', but 'skippy dipping' is a rather more rare pastime. Watch this speedy recovery by SRE Recovery, Croydon, of a skip lorry which crashed into Carshalton Ponds last month.