Incentives to reduce waste disposal, especially of hazardous goods, are having the required effect, and the industry that has grown around it is getting bigger all the time, writes Claire Mackay

The waste management industry is as complex and varied as the materials it processes – and the increasing legislation it is bound by.
In Scotland, we produce more than 3.3 million tonnes of municipal waste each year, with 2.6 million tonnes of that collected from households.

But we have a long way to go in ensuring we deal with waste efficiently and without endangering the environment and future generations.

More than 85% of Scotland’s waste goes straight to landfill, a fact the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) describes as “a massive misuse of resources and a major source of greenhouse and other gases”.

In February 2003, Sepa and the Scottish Executive launched the National Waste Plan, setting out a strategy for reducing the country’s waste production – household, commercial and industrial – and processing it in a more sustainable fashion by the year 2020.

The Scottish Executive has set aside more than £350m for the Strategic Waste Fund to help local authorities develop the infrastructure necessary to meet the area targets.

Helping them achieve this is Scotland’s burgeoning waste management industry. “This industry is set to grow at a tremendous rate over the next five to 10 years,” says Charlie Morrison, chairman of Inchinnan-based Environcom, which specialises in the disposal of electronic equipment. “Scottish companies are well placed to respond to the opportunities this presents, but if we want to succeed, Scotland must recognise the need to play to higher standards.”

European legislation from August places responsibility for managing the recycling and disposal of electronic equipment firmly with producers and not local authorities.

Environcom, which also has a site in England and plans to expand throughout the UK and abroad, is investing £2.5m into the process of safely recycling everything from fridges and computers to curling tongs.

“There are hazardous elements involved that can’t go into the ground,” adds Morrison, whose second company, Green Oak Solutions, has also developed new software to help electronic and recycling companies track waste from pick-up to post-process.

“Environcom and Green Oak bring together blue-chip ideas and professionals with manufacturing skills from the IT industry’s biggest players.

“The UK needs to dramatically improve its waste management approach, and we’re determined to meet that challenge using 21st century technology.”

Bruce McLean, managing director of Irvine-based CCL North, agrees that using technology to deal with technology is part of that challenge. CCL is currently expanding, with two further facilities in Fife and Dublin, and McLean also agrees that demand can only increase.

“We process everything at the end of its life,” he says. “Anything with a circuit board. It is not solely about meeting environmental legislation, it is also a security issue. A lot of discarded equipment can still hold confidential information.”

Nevertheless, making a significant improvement to recycling rates is central to waste management success.

Just 13% of our municipal waste is recycled or composted, and the National Waste Plan aims to increase this to 25% by 2006, and 55% by 2020. This also requires an increase in public awareness, as many communities respond to services such as kerbside recycling – now available to more than one million Scottish households.

The Snowie Group is one of three companies awarded the contract for Falkirk District Council’s blue bin collection. Snowie staff spend 24 hours each working day to stay on top of the project.

Every month 400 to 450 tonnes of plastic, paper, cardboard, magazines, aluminium and steel cans is taken to Snowie’s recycling facility at Grangemouth. The company has already taken on 15 extra staff and plans to invest £500,000 in a new system to increase efficiency and boost potential.

“The great news is that 97% of this collected waste is recovered for recycling,” says a Snowie spokeswoman. “The Falkirk people are doing a great job of sorting their waste correctly.”

Of course, recycling is also crucial for small businesses. In the past, they might have recycled to comply with standards or demonstrate environmental credibility – but now, there is also a financial incentive.

Landfill tax has gone up again, so recycling now makes sense economically as well as environmentally. Even so, many small firms struggle to find time or space to recycle effectively.

Eden Waste Recycling has depots in Glasgow’s east end and in Broxburn. Part of Murray International Holdings, it offers a service which aims to make recycling more accessible.

“Our business-to-business service, dealing with non-hazardous waste, offers flexibility to customers,” says Nick Grove-White, Eden’s sales and marketing manager.

“The time needed for sorting waste plus space restrictions often make it difficult for firms to have five bins out the back. We say, just have two – one for non-recyclable waste and the other for materials such as paper, card and plastics. We’ll pick it up and do the sorting.”

However, disposal of waste is only part of the story. Stephen Duffy, regional operations manager for Smurfit Recycling, says we urgently need more focus on end products.

“We recycle paper, card and plastics for commerce and industry, in addition to local authorities, and there’s no doubt increasing legislation is having the desired effect,” he says. “There are now strict targets to meet, whereas recycling was voluntary in the past.

“So, yes, it’s fantastic that we’re diverting lots of material from landfill, but one problem we might face is what to do with the end product. It’s vitally important that we step up research to create more imaginative new uses for recycled waste.” 
 

Source: sundayherald.com