LAWR

COMMENT 4 Local Authority Waste & Recycling December 2014 Wrapping up recycling for Xmas For millions of families across the UK, half the fun of Christmas is tearing the paper from presents that have been neatly wrapped, carefully labelled and placed under the tree. However, the amount of wrapping paper thrown away at Christmas in the UK alone would stretch to the moon, according to estimates by WRAP. This along with one billion cards and enough tin foil to cover Suffolk, equates to a vast amount of rubbish generated over the festive period. The materials that go into making some wrapping paper result in it not always being accepted for recycling. Wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver coloured shapes, glitter and plastic, for example, which cannot be recycled. Some councils will accept wrapping paper for recycling but some councils do not collect it at all. This is because wrap- ping paper is not accepted by some paper mills. The issue of recycling paper is an interesting one. It is bound to be a hot topic in the future as figures from WRAP show that paper collected from households for recycling is decreasing. Indeed, more people are using electronic devices and less people are reading newspapers (WEEE recyclers will be happy). Prices are also falling. Official figures show that 'Old Corrugated Container' (domestic) prices averaged £68 per tonne in June 2014 a decrease of £3 per tonne from the previ- ous month. A year ago, the average price was £75 per tonne. LAWR also understands that mills are becoming fussier in what they accept and want 'quality' stock. This is a topic that councils are already starting to think about and prioritise. Elsewhere, with many councils facing tough financial decisions and limited prospects for significant investment in domestic collection services, maximising recycling per- formance has never been so important. The landfill tax has helped incentivise councils to recycle more and Scotland has recently announced changes to its landfill tax rates. Ernst and Young's Paul O'Neill and Julian Bowden-Williams ana- lyse this topic on page 10. On another note, the industry has recently seen a spate of high-profile fires. LAWR looks at this controversial issue on page 12. As we look forward to the festive period and the inevitable headlines about recycling 'real' trees or reusing plastic ones, allow me to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Liz Gyekye, Editor Follow me on Twitter: @LAWR_editor We manufacture bespoke Shredders for Shredding... \Clinical Waste \Tyres \Metal \Mobile Shredding \Plastics \Confidential Documents \WEEE \Electronic Media Storage Devices \Textiles \Organic Waste \Fuel Large, coarse, superfine and everything in between at Ulster Shredders. Cogry Works, 65 Creagh Rd, Castledawson Magherafelt. BT45 8EW T. +44 28 7965 0050 F. +44 28 7965 0025 Want to find out more about our range of Industrial Shredders? Email us at info@ulstershredders.com or visit our website. ulstershredders.com neatly wrapped, carefully labelled and placed under the tree. However, the amount of wrapping paper thrown away at Christmas in the UK alone would stretch to the moon, according to estimates by WRAP. cover Suffolk, equates to a vast amount of rubbish generated BOa: The green way of recycling! energy savings? BOa ecOline Impress baler Our impress baler's, M and D Series, can be delivered with steel wire tying and PP twine tying, combined on one machine. Boa Recycling Program We develop and deliver among other: • Balers (Impress®, Continette, Baseline) • Bag openers • Shredders • reel Splitters • conveyors The BOA BAler Type ecOline cAn reduce pOwer cOnsumpTiOn By up TO 60%. BOa recycling equiPMenT BV T +31 (0) 534 300 300 e infO@BOarecycling.nl www.BoaRecyclIng.com

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