News in Brief 28/10/2013
1. Novelis invests in aluminium production
Aluminium rolling and recycling company Novelis, has expanded its aluminium rolling operations in North America.
The $200 million (£123 million) commission will expand the existing capacity at the Oswego facility by five times, and increase its production of aluminium sheeting by 240,000 tonnes.
"Today's commissioning marks an important milestone in Novelis' ongoing commitment to serving the automotive industry", said Marco Palmieri, Senior Vice President and President, Novelis North America.
"Intensive use of aluminum in vehicles is growing more than 25 percent a year. Not only does this expansion allow us to respond to the rapidly increasing demand for aluminum automotive sheet, it also plays a key role in our ongoing recycling efforts to further improve the sustainability of aluminum in vehicles."
Read more about Novelis.
2. Devon unveils potential sites for new energy-from-waste plants
Devon County Council has revealed its shortlist for the siting of new waste recovery plants. While the specific facilities under consideration are currently unknown, the plants could process up to 80,000 tonnes of waste each year.
The proposed sites are at Brynsworthy (Barnstaple), Tiverton, Hill Barton (Farringdon), Greendale Barton, and Heathfield (Kingsteignton).
The construction of new waste processing facilities is part of a 20-year plan by the council ‘which is facing rising landfill costs and a shortage of tips’.
The shortlist was discussed by the council at a meeting on Wednesday (23 October) but the outcome is yet to be announced.
Read more about the proposal or see the committee’s agenda.
3. AMEC hires Covanta Energy employees for waste consultancy team
(L-R): New AMEC Technical Directors David Chance and Geoff Price
AMEC has announced the appointment of two new Technical Directors in its Environment & Infrastructure Europe business. Geoff Price and David Chance have moved to the engineering and project management company from the waste and renewable energy business, Covanta Energy.
The appointments have been made to ‘help grow AMEC’s waste infrastructure engineering capability’. Price is a mechanical engineer while Chance is a chemical engineer. They will both work on Viridor’s energy from waste plant in Exeter, for which AMEC is providing engineering and health & safety expertise.
“I am delighted to welcome David and Geoff to the business,” said Rob Brown, Managing Director of AMEC’s Environment & Infrastructure business in Europe. “They have a proven track record in waste infrastructure projects and significantly strengthen our offering in energy from waste, a sector that offers a substantial opportunity for growth. We have ambitions to grow our waste business and look forward to making further appointments in the near future.”
Read more about AMEC.
4. Oxford to host reuse, repair and upcycling event
Oxford residents will have the opportunity to have their broken household items repaired by experts at the ‘Big Oxford Swap and Fix’ next week.
Organised by Oxfordshire Waste Partnership, Oxford City Council, and the Community Action Group Project, the event will take place at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday (29 October) from 10am until 2pm. It is hoped the event will help limit the amount of waste produced in the area.
Councillor David Dodds, Chair of Oxfordshire Waste Partnership said: “Oxfordshire has an excellent recycling rate but we are keen to encourage people to think of ways they can reduce the amount of things they throw away – and events like the Big Oxford Swap and Fix are a great way of promoting this.”
Read more about the event or about waste in Oxford.
5. Leafield launches new ‘Anti-Microbial’ Envirobin
A new anti-microbial bin has been launched by Leafield Environmental.
The Envirobin is a pedal-operated container that has an anti-microbial additive to ‘minimise the spread of infection’. It is currently being rolled out across the NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian estates in response to ‘the strict cleanliness and infection control regulations of the health industry’.
Leafield’s Managing Director Phil Maddox said: “The health industry has struggled to get recycling programmes off the ground in the past because of the lack of suitable products available. Leafield’s design team stepped up to the challenge, working closely with MITIE, to build the Anti-Microbial Envirobin that is ideal for their client’s needs.”
Read more about the Envirobin.
6. UK product makes award shortlist
A product from UK manufacturer, Green Warehouse, is in contention for the 2013 European Best Recycled Plastic Product award.
The 100 per cent post-consumer plastic bin, the uBin, has been designed ‘to encourage responsible recycling of rubbish in offices, schools, universities, hospitals and other typical working environments’. The product will compete against a sustainable façade profile (VinyPlus) and a recycled polyester fibre (Eco-core).
Will Hayes, manufacturing engineer at Green Warehouse, said: “A lot of effort behind the scenes has led to this product being developed so it is great to be given recognition for our work. We hope that demand for the product will help drive the value through the supply chain and enable more post-consumer plastic to be collected and recycled.”
The competition is run by the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations (EPRO). The winner will be announced on 28 November.
Read more about Green Warehouse or find out more about the awards.
