LAWR

July 2014 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 25 PRODUCTS & SERVICES info@macrete.com AMETEK unveils blowers to handle methane extraction and flaring AMETEK Precision Motion Control has unveiled its ROTRON Chem- Tough regenerative (side channel) blowers for applications that "require the safe and efficient handling of corrosive and/or potentially explosive gases such as methane gas extraction". The company says that its ROTRON regenerative blowers can be used by landfill operators. In a statement, AMETEK says that the blowers employ regenerative air technology to develop proper air pressures and vacuums. It adds: "This is accomplished without the higher energy and maintenance costs associated with larger multi-stage or positive displacement blowers and compressors. An extensive product range allows users to achieve ideal flows, pressures, and vacuums. Permanent salt spray resistance also makes them ideal for aquaculture." www.ametektip.com Jarshire introduces new scrap metal baler range Waste management specialist Jarshire has introduced new and refurbished scrap recycling balers into its product range. Engineered by the Italian company SASCO, Jarshire says that the machines are of "exceptional quality" with the added advantage of "refurbished machines providing all the benefits of a new baler at a fraction of the cost". The range, that does not require foundations, comprises Vanguard shear balers with starting power of 110kW; Biblo shear balers offering 120kW power; and Diablo shear balers with power of 250 – 350kW. Jarshire says that all of its machines will be installed by fully-trained Jarshire engineers and a full stock of spare parts will be held at Jarshire's main location in Slough. www.jarshire.co.uk New range of SweepEx push brooms to cater for waste industry Wessex International, a manufacturer of equipment for the professional groundcare, agriculture and industrial sectors, is promoting its range of SweepEx push brooms for the waste management industry. The company says that its Sweep-Ex push brooms are designed to make it much simpler to effectively maintain a clean, safe and tidy site or premises. They can be attached to a telehandler or fork lift truck. According to the firm, it is easy to attach Sweep-Ex to the host vehicle and it can tackle virtually any material. The firm says that MegaMax C-broom range will benefit the waste industry as it takes the concept of the push broom and adds side retainers which will hold bulk volumes of material in front of the brush without spillage. The firm claims that all SweepEx brooms dramatically reduce sweeping times and eliminates spill lines. It adds: "You can sweep up to 450 miles before changing bristles. Such is the versatility that SweepEx brooms will sweep small rocks, mud and snow as well as cleaning up in the warehouse and store." www.wessexintl.com Leafield Environmental develops new bin lid Leafield Environmental has developed a new lid for its Envirobin range. The lid is designed to help reduce food waste mess in canteens and kitchens. A built in magnet is fitted at the base to keep the lid up so waste can be scrapped or dropped directly into the bin using both fee hands. Leafield business development manager Gary Mills says: "The idea was developed because of feedback from Loughborough University's catering team. Together we developed the idea for a magnetised lid which would stay open making it easier to dispose of food cleanly and safely." www.leafielddirect.com CSG awarded Stonehenge contract English Heritage has awarded Cleansing Service Group (CSG) a contract to collect and process sewage sludge generated by the new visitor centre at Stonehenge. To ensure minimal environmental impact all sewage and waste water is treated in a bioreactor which breaks down the sewage. The remaining sludge is being collected by a CSG specialist tanker for further treatment and safe disposal. The visitor centre is the first phase of English Heritage's £27m project to transform the visitor experience to one of the UK's most iconic sites. www.csg.co.uk TEEP A race against time: Six-month countdown to meet TEEP requirements The issue of TEEP compliance is particularly problematic for councils that collect commingled materials. LRS' Dee Moloney unpicks this issue. y now, local authorities in England and Wales with collection respon- sibilities should all be aware that they have only six months until they will be under a duty to demonstrate that their collec- tion services comply with the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 as amended by the Waste (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2012. From 1 January 2015, waste collection authorities must collect waste paper, metal, plastic and glass separately. The duty applies to materials classified as waste from households and commercial or industrial collections. It's the issue of 'separate' collec- tions which has caused a stir amongst local authorities and their contractors. However, the duty applies where sepa- rate collection is necessary to ensure that waste undergoes recovery opera- tions in accordance with the directive and to facilitate or improve recovery; and, crucially, where it is technically, environmentally and economically prac- ticable ('TEEP'). The biggest concern I hear is about how to demonstrate services are 'TEEP' compliant, if they are operating, or plan- ning to operate a commingled collection service. Whilst there is no official guid- ance from Defra, there are now several sources of information available to help decision making processes, including the Waste Regulations Route Map, which is designed to help assess compliance with the regulations. The document is not guidance, but I welcome its production. Aside from authorities in, or consider- ing, waste collection contract procure- ment processes, I have also started to see how the requirements of the Regulations are impacting on smaller procurement decisions within collection contracts. For example, I talked to an authority who was reconsidering their collection fleet, in light of the new duty to collect materials of a high enough quality for recovery operations. And I know sev- eral authorities considering changes to receptacles, to ensure, for example, that paper collected at kerbside remains dry and acceptable for the recycling market they supply. Councils should also establish a pro- cess for future reviews of compliance, which could take place periodically. I appreciate that some authorities still feel concerned about the lack of defini- tive guidance to support their decisions and quantify their risks. However, from LRS' involvement at recent CIWM meetings, I know there is a widespread view that there is not a big risk of prosecution from the enforcing agencies, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales, provided an authority is making progress to address the underlying requirement to increase the quality and quantity of recycled materials, and have robust evidence to demonstrate how they considered the 'necessary' and 'TEEP' tests. There is, of course, still some uncer- tainty and the risk of judicial review from interested parties, if authorities choose not to use separate material col- lections from next year. However, fol- lowing a robust, evidence-based deci- sion-making process will minimise this risk. For me, it is an issue that can be looked at positively; the Regulations provide opportunities to improve the quality of materials collected and reprocessed across the board, helping to increase the amount of secondary commodities that can serve as raw materials to make new, high-quality products. With this in mind, councils need to be taking the opportunity to review both their service and the downstream stages, making the link from the point of collection all the way to the reprocessing facilities. Dee Moloney is managing director at LRS Consultancy. 24 Local Authority Waste & Recycling July 2014 B Councils fear court risk over TEEP

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