Industry

Business in Brief – 11/07/19

Geminor signs waste wood contract in Denmark

International resource management company Geminor has secured a long-term export contract with Denmark’s largest waste recovery company, Vestforbrænding.

Piles of waste wood at Geminor recycling site

The contract, which has a duration of four years, will see Geminor export a total of 100,000 tonnes of waste wood produced at Vestforbrænding, with the first export commencing on 1 October this year.

Geminor will export recycled waste wood, type A2, to off-takers in both Sweden and Latvia, where it will be utilised in the production of furniture.

Vestforbrænding is Denmark’s largest waste recovery company, offering solutions within the collection and treatment of waste and the supply of district heating and electricity.

Commenting on the new contract, Kasper Houmark Thomsen, Country Manager for Geminor in Denmark, said: “Securing this contract in the Danish waste market is a very satisfying milestone for Geminor.

“This is an important and natural step for us, since we want to be able to work both up and downstream as a full-scale provider of services.”

You can find out more about Geminor on the company’s website.


Reconomy lanches latest Sustainability Report with support from MP

Reconomy, a  UK provider of outsourced waste management and resource-led services, has launched its latest Sustainability Report.

Telford MP Lucy Allan with Reconomy employees at the launch of the Sustainability Report

The report, which covers the 2018/19 financial year, outlines Reconomy’s major achievements over the past year. Measuring and detailing Reconomy’s progress against its Social, Environmental and Business Value sustainability goals, the report outlines that Reconomy’s head office used 100 per cent renewable energy, and that zero waste to landfill had been achieved for over 80 per cent of Reconomy’s Business and Industry (B&I) customers.

The report also highlights the company’s commitment to reinvest one per cent of profit before tax (PBT) into Reconomy’s Social Value Programme (RSVP). This programme addresses the company’s commitment to increasing its contribution to society by building community relationships, addressing the waste industry skills gap and helping those in need to overcome barriers to employment, through providing support for care-leavers and ex-offenders.

Lucy Allan, MP for Telford, joined employees at the Telford-based business for the launch of the Sustainability Report, and said: “I am in huge admiration of the work Reconomy are seeking to do in offering internships for care leavers and rehabilitating ex-offenders through work, this company has a clear commitment to social and corporate responsibility which is to be applauded.”

Commenting on the report, Reconomy’s Chief Executive, Paul Cox, said: “Placing sustainability at the heart of everything we do benefits us, our customers, our suppliers, and the wider community. I firmly believe that the time is right for us to increase our investment in sustainability with a particular focus on creating further social value through our RSVP programme.

“I am delighted that our local MP, Lucy Allan, has taken the time from her busy schedule to join us for the launch of our latest Sustainability Report. Our growth as a business is underpinned by our Sustainability Strategy, which has become integral to the way we operate.”

You can read Reconomy’s Sustainability Report on the company’s website.



Stantec appoints Paul Rutter as Principle Consultant

Principle Consultant Paul Rutter has joined Stantec’s business consultancy team in the UK.

Based in the company’s High Wycombe office, Rutter will lead innovation and develop digital services for Stantec’s clients.

Rutter joins Stantec from Thames Water, where he led the innovation team, with expertise within leakage reduction, smart water networks, data-led decision-making, water treatment, wastewater reuse and water efficiency. He will bring to Stantec his depth of understanding of the strategic and operational issues facing water companies today.

Commenting on his appointment, Paul Rutter said: “I am delighted to join Stantec at this exciting time in the water industry.

“Effective innovation combining data and knowledge is key to delivering improved performance at a lower cost. I am impressed by Stantec’s depth and breadth of knowledge in the rapidly growing insight market.”

Ken Gedman, Business Consulting Director for Stantec UK, said: “Paul is a great addition to our team as we work with our water company clients to address their key performance and efficiency challenges in the run up to AMP7.”

You can find out more about Stantec on the company’s website.


Recycling Technologies collects waste plastics at London festival

Plastic feedstock recycling company Recycling Technologies teamed up with Barclays this week to install 25 unique recycling bins at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park to collect and recycle the previously unrecyclable plastic that was brought on site by the public. 

The recycling bins were accessible from 8-11 July, to help festival-goers recycle plastics like bags, crisp packets, pouches and food wrappers. The plastics will be brought to RecyclingTechnologies’ plant in Swindon to be recycled back into an oil, Plaxx® – a feedstock for petrochemical companies to use in processes to make new, virgin-quality plastic with recycled content.

The campaign is designed to help the public recycle many more plastics at the festival, saving it from ending up in landfill, being incinerated or exported overseas and to show there are solutions to recover previously unrecyclable plastic.

Recycling Technologies is currently working with stakeholders such as Barclays and Tesco on trials to demonstrate the viability and scalability of its recycling technology and address consumers’ wishes to do more.

Commenting on the initiative, Elena Parisi, Sales & Marketing Director at Recycling Technologies, said: “Our plastics recycling machine turns plastic waste into feedstock for use in manufacturing, which means it stays in the system and out of landfill and the environment. Some plastics are vital to the war on carbon, for keeping food fresh and making transport fuel efficient, so our aim is to help ensure that this needed plastic is recycled.

“With the right support from companies such as Barclays, we can help plastic all across the UK get a second, third, fourth chance at life. We thank everyone who visited the festival site this week for recycling the plastic they brought with them – and doing their part to make waste plastic a thing of the past.”

You can find out more about Recycling Technologies on the company’s website.