LAWR

WASTE COLLECTION Waste collection: It just isn't the same anymore The waste collection sector is unrecognisable now compared to twenty years ago. A growing lack of space and an environmentally-conscious public have contributed to this change, argues Mark Jenkins. Here, he takes LAWR through the last two decades. 've worked in the waste sector since I left school. In fact, I've worked at Taylor since leaving school, and in those two decades I've seen a huge shift in the way in which local authorities – and manufacturers – approach waste collection. Gone are the days of treating a bin like a bin. Containerisation is now less about keeping waste out of sight and out of mind and more about mak- ing it a functional component of sus- tainable environments. And, as part of this shift, local authorities' require- ments and briefs have changed. This in turn has changed the way solutions providers, such as Taylor, approach design and manufacture. As someone who has spent time on the shop floor at the 'chalkface' of manufacturing before moving into customer-facing roles, I have wit- nessed this change first-hand and have seen waste handling dramati- cally change. Taylor, for example, has expanded its product portfolio from the typical 1,100L container to a range of contemporary solutions designed to integrate within an urban environ- ment. Why is this? Firstly, it's been driven by a society that's more environmentally conscious and aware of the planet's limitations when it comes to waste disposal. Secondly, it's being driven by local authorities' growing recycling targets and subsequent engagement programmes, which now see waste broken down into several streams, all of which require different approaches to containerisation such as glass, food waste and disposal of waste electri- cal and electronic equipment (WEEE) units. Limited space Finally, it's driven by a growing lack of space. As an island population there is limited space within the UK, which is at odds with an on-going requirement to build more residential units. The typical bin room is beginning to phase out as space historically allocated to it is being used for further residential development. The solution, therefore, is to make bins a focal point and make them a fea- ture of the urban environment, how- ever you can't simply take a conven- tional container and expect it to work in communal areas without making it fit-for-purpose. And fit for purpose in this sense refers to its engageability, relevance and usability. So, what's changed? Quite simply, everything. Waste collection is unrec- ognisable now compared to 20 years ago. Kerbside waste collection is now an urban priority and waste handling is now designed into modern envi- ronments at the planning stages as opposed to being an ancillary compo- nent. However, the public's continued engagement with recycling is, to a degree, dependent on manufacturers' and service providers' willingness to produce innovative waste handling solutions that meet its demands at any given time. Taylor's Cage Bin, for example, is a purpose built solution to the problem of cross contamination in the collec- tion of dry recyclables. The mesh side panels of the Taylor Continental Cage recycling containers allow collection crews and users to become instantly aware of any wrongly placed waste, preventing whole loads from becom- ing contaminated. The mesh 'viewing panel' also taps into the conscience of users who, once they've seen and understood what the intended con- tents of the unit should be, are far less likely to cross contaminate. Theft Similarly, the Push2Lock was created in response to Westminster Council's two-pronged brief. The value of brass, which formed part of their bin locks, was behind a wave of padlock theft which not only led to an expensive and regular replacement programme, but also led to people lifting the bin lids and indiscriminately throwing waste in as opposed to using the correct aperture. This level of cross contamination was affecting the council's recycling rate and increasing the amount of waste sent to landfill. We produced a " As an island population there is limited space within the UK " 18 Local Authority Waste & Recycling November 2014 I Mark Jenkins

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