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Women – your industry needs you!

Posted on: May 11th, 2013 by Louise No Comments

Veolia Environmental Services chief executive Estelle Brachlianoff has spoken out about the need for a greater diversity of talent in the waste sector in order to drive the industry forward.
Brachlianoff was appointed the chief executive of Veolia ES in August 2012 – the first female in this position in the company’s history.

Estelle Brachlianoff: waste industry needs to attract more women

However, the industry is still needs to attract to be “more innovative” and to “think outside the box” in order to encourage innovation and improve technology.
Key to this, she said, was attracting younger, more diverse talent through better communication and showing that “waste is not a rubbish job”.
“The truth is that the environmental sector is now the most innovative and cutting edge for new technology, so we need to attract youth and more women,” she said. “If we want to attract all the best staff with all the best skills, then let’s think about how we can communicate our message.
Ms Brachlianoff spoke at the ‘Energy from Waste 2013 – Key Lessons Learnt; Driving Industry Forward’ conference in London on March 21, organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
Although diversity in the waste industry had changed a lot in the last 20 years, she said, more work was still needed. “The more women we can attract to the sector the better we can be.”
She said: “I am talking about the next generation and the people we are going to attract. Personally, I believe that we need to be willing to change our mindset and be part of an industry that attracts youth and innovative graduates. We need to show that waste is not a rubbish job.”
Comparing the industry to a recipe, Ms Brachlianoff, who moved her family to London from France to take up her role at Veolia ES, said that it needed “a little something that will make it taste a little bit different.”
“I think that in the industry as a whole we need a change of perception, but it is not just a female thing, it is a diversity thing. Let’s be more innovative and think outside the box. The waste industry should look like the London Tube in terms of diversity but it does not at the moment.”

Whitby Skip Boss: “Hands are Tied” Over Mounting Waste

Posted on: May 10th, 2013 by Louise 1 Comment

A skip yard has been dubbed the Mumbai of Whitby after mounting rubbish has built up at the tipping site.
Wharton Skip Hire have leased the land for three years. They put in an application for a trommel to help with waste last year, at a cost of £6000 which was not granted.
This has been the main reason for the mounting waste.
Deputy mayor of Whitby, Heather Coughlan compared the site to a third world city in India.
“I think we should change its name from California to Mumbai,” she said.
Coun Dennis Collins said: The problem is it’s a danger. I propose we get in touch with the Health and Safety Executive and have it stopped and secure that site.
“There’s going to be an accident.”
Coun Phil Trumper added: “It’s a disgrace this situation has been allowed to happen in the first place.
“There seems to be complete inaction from the authorities regarding this.”
Whitby Mayor John Freeman branded the site a “nightmare.”
James Wharton, who owns Wharton Skip Hire, which has been trading for the past five years, said the situation was regrettable and but his hands were “tied.”
“I feel embarrassed about it and I can appreciate people are upset about it,” he said.
“We realised we needed the permission but we didn’t realise how long it would take.
“I am apologetic to the people of Whitby.
“The initial licence we had was to sort waste and the retrospective license we have applied for allows us to treat waste. It’s stupid because we are not treating it, we are putting it through the machine.
“We have two lads from Whitby that work for us part-time. We should be employing more and we can’t.”
Mr Wharton said there was no hazardous waste on the site as it is domestic waste and they are not polluting Calla Beck.
He added they will be using another machine, which they are allowed to use, with the aim of reducing the height of the mound and in the coming week improvements will be visible.

UK’s recycling rate ‘fastest in Europe’ over past decade

Posted on: May 8th, 2013 by Louise No Comments

Official statistics recently show that recycling rates in the UK rose faster in the first decade of the millennium than any other country in Europe.
Although, it didn’t have the most auspicious starts, with recycling rates at a lowly 12% in 2001, the increase in 2010 to 39% was the greatest amount out of all EU countries.
But the European Environment Agency, which released the figures, warned that many countries will fail to meet a European directive of recycling 50% of waste by 2020. Some countries, such as Germany, Austria and Belgium, already recycle more than half of their waste.
Others, in particular those in south-eastern Europe, are straggling far behind: Greece only recycles 18%, up from 9% in 2001, while Romania recycles just 1%. In a few cases, countries have gone backwards, with Norway’s rates falling from 44% to 42%, and Finland’s dropping from 34% to 33%.
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director, said: “In a relatively short time, some countries have successfully encouraged a culture of recycling, with infrastructure, incentives and public awareness campaigns. But others are still lagging behind, wasting huge volumes of resources. The current intense demand for some materials should alert countries to the clear economic opportunities in recycling.”
The EEA said in a statement that “Europe is still wasting vast quantities of valuable resources by sending them to landfill”, echoing earlier warnings from Janez Potočnik, the EU commissioner for the environment, that failure to use resources wisely could trigger a fresh economic crisis.
Despite the UK’s rapid improvement, the EEA’s David Watson cautioned “that [its] growth in … recycling slowed down significantly towards the end of the last decade.” The UK is expected to meet the EU target of recycling 50% of waste by around 2017, the EEA noted. Wales has pulled well ahead of England and Scotland on recycling in recent years, recording average rates of 54% last month.
A Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “Household recycling has risen from just 11% in 2001 to 43% this year and over half of business waste is now recycled. Government, local authorities and businesses have all worked with the public to achieve this and will continue to do so to meet challenging new targets.”

Skip Hire Company in waste row after blaze

Posted on: May 7th, 2013 by Louise No Comments

Skip hire company A Lewis and Co are recovering from a waste fire at the yard that continued for TEN days.

The skip hire firm, based in Nantyglo, south Wales, believe the fire was arson.

Although a £70,000 clean-up operation has begun, the skip hire company say they are not responsible for the waste as it has moved.
The waste was moved to a nearby council site.

However, the Environment Agency says it may use its powers to recover the cost to the public purse.

Local residents had voiced concerns about the remaining waste causing problems with rats and creating a bad smell.

The Environment Agency says responsibility for removing the waste still lies with the operator of the facility.

But because this has not been done, it is stepping in to prevent any further risk to local people or the environment, and to prevent further fire risk.

Skip co-owner pays £67,000 after court case

Posted on: May 6th, 2013 by Louise No Comments

A skip company owner has been ordered to pay more than £67,000 after admitting to eight charges of illegally dumping waste on farm land in North Wales.

John Albert Gizzi, 65, of North Wales Skip Hire based in Denbighshire also admitted to not storing to treating waste properly.
He appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court for sentence after a detailed investigation into his financial affairs had been carried out.

His co-defendant Dewi Lloyd Jones, 67, of Tanyfron Road, Abergele, admitted two counts of permitting the deposition of controlled waste, contrary to The Environmental Protection Act.

He was ordered to pay fines, costs and compensation totalling £23,750.

Sentencing Judge Niclas Parry said: “You operate in a world that is heavily regulated. It is regulated for a reason – to protect our environment and public health.

“You have abdicated, for a time, your responsibility. You have betrayed your community and the people who live in it.”
He added it was clear from the outset confiscation proceedings were likely and he was satisfied the public could properly be served by imposing financial penalties.

Gizzi was fined £1,500 on each charge, coming to a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 towards costs.
He was also ordered to pay £35,000 in respect of financial benefit for his offences.

Jones was fined £2,000, ordered to pay £7,000 costs and £14,751 in compensation.

The court heard Environment Agency officials had found waste materials being dumped on land belonging to Jones. They set up covert cameras which filmed skips belonging to Gizzi’s firm arriving at the land and depositing a variety of waste.

Unauthorised dumping was also found on land owned by Gizzi near Abergele.