Speaking on World Earth Day, Baxi calls emissions reduction an “important step forward” Baxi’s carbon emissions[1] last year were 35 per cent lower than they were two years ago, the company’s sustainability report will say when it is published next week. The biggest reason for this reduction was the decision
Powerday’s latest annual report produced by the independent adjudicator and auditor The Social Value Portal shows that over the past 36 months they have delivered just short of £30 million in social value projects. Powerday’s social value is focused on four key disciplines: Reducing the environmental impact of waste
The pioneering programme is now even easier for contractors to use. The pioneer of ceiling recycling schemes, Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, has fine-tuned its award-winning* programme to make it as simple and as accessible as possible. It is now even easier for contractors to reduce their environmental impact and divert waste
Cornwall’s Brunel Recycling has added the latest string to its Mercedes-Benz bow, in the shape of a high-riding eight-wheeler with volumetric mixer body. Essentially a truck mixer and concrete batching plant rolled into one, the new truck is based on a muscular Arocs 4140K chassis supplied by Dealer Group Rygor
Recofloor is celebrating in 2019 ten years since it started recycling waste vinyl flooring. The Take Back scheme was first set up back in 2009 by Altro and Polyflor and it has now recycled a total of 4,300 tonnes of waste vinyl material. “Plastics are hot news at the moment and
Raising a glass of codswallop to glass. In the USA, September is Glass Recycling Month. Jane Embury, marketing director at advanced glazing system supplier Wrightstyle, takes a look at the wonders of glass – and suggests that we should also have a glass recycling month. As a building material, glass
From the finish of 2014 through to the start of this year, it has been reported that the Recolight WEEE compliance scheme has had a substantial net growth of some twenty three producers which have been added to its member base; this signals an increase which far overshadows that of
Speaking on World Earth Day, Baxi calls emissions reduction an “important step forward” Baxi’s carbon emissions[1] last year were 35 per cent lower than they were two years ago, the company’s sustainability report will say when it is published next week. The biggest reason for this reduction was the decision to buy electricity only from renewable sources. The company is targeting an annual five per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations from 2019 to 2030. This is in addition to a 30 per cent reduction in emissions in the supply chain producing the materials and components that go into its appliances, as well as the emissions produced ‘downstream’ by its products by 2030. The latest figures represent an important step in achieving that target, but the company says there is still much work to do. The company has recently changed its company car policy to electric/hybrid only and trialling the use of electric vans for use by its field engineers. Ian Robinson, Baxi HS&E and Quality Director, explains: “We’re working towards a sustainable future and the last year represents an important step forward in reducing the emissions from our own business. Even more importantly, we’re driving the energy transition with the aim of providing low carbon heating and hot water to customers across the UK & Ireland.” While there is still work to do, the figures represent an important step in achieving environmental goals. Baxi will report its progress on several other measures in its Sustainability Report. Having recycled nearly 99 per cent of its waste in 2021, Baxi is targeting a 50 per cent reduction in overall waste by 2025. By the same date, the company is aiming to ensure all of its packaging is recyclable, commencing with a pilot to replace difficult to recycle polystyrene packaging, with an alternative made from waste cardboard. Until now, more than 100 tonnes of Polystyrene have been used every year to protect Baxi appliances as they make their journey from the warehouse to the customer. Most goes to landfill, so Baxi’s trial of recycled packaging using cardboard pulp, aims to reduce the amount of packaging that ends up in landfill. Find out more by visiting www.baxiheating.co.uk
Powerday’s latest annual report produced by the independent adjudicator and auditor The Social Value Portal shows that over the past 36 months they have delivered just short of £30 million in social value projects. Powerday’s social value is focused on four key disciplines: Reducing the environmental impact of waste in the UK Improving lives through education and employment Improving lives through sport Supporting our wider community where most needed. Despite the limitations due to the pandemic this latest report shows that Powerday delivered in excess of 11mil. in social value projects across these four areas for the 12 months ending period to July 2021, a staggering increase of over £2 mil.(+22%) on the previous 12 month reporting period The largest impact is delivered predominantly through its core business, delivering over £8.7million of social and local economic value (SLEV). Powerday also created just under £2million of SLEV by recycling over 20,000 tonnes of hard to recycle waste including mattresses and hard plastics and an additional £200,000 through offsetting fleet emissions making its fleet carbon neutral. The report further shows 1,000 hours spent on local school and college visits, and 600 weeks delivering apprenticeships to its employees. Powerday’s ongoing strong commitment to supporting local communities and improving lives through sport delivered over £95,000 of social value by creating and supporting healthier, safer and more resilient communities. In addition, it donated in excess of £150,000 worth of equipment to voluntary, community and social enterprises and carrying out over 800 hours of volunteer work. The Powerday Foundation supported many boxing clubs within the year, including securing new homes for both Spelthorne Boxing Academy and Fairbairn Boxing Club. Powerday also helped Friends of Roundwood Park create a better green space for local residents and Energy Garden create a community garden at Willesden Junction station. Edward Crossan, Chief Executive Officer said “We remain fully committed to using our sustained growth to support our local communities. The last few years have been challenging for most businesses and indeed, Powerday is no exception but we are acutely aware many in our communities have suffered so much more. It is hugely important to us that we can and do play our part to protect our planet and improve the lives of our communities”. Having long provided extensive social value through their operations and community work, Powerday signed up to The Social Value Portal in 2019. The Social Value Portal provide an independent and verification of the above numbers. In three years of reporting Powerday have delivered almost £30million.
The pioneering programme is now even easier for contractors to use. The pioneer of ceiling recycling schemes, Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, has fine-tuned its award-winning* programme to make it as simple and as accessible as possible. It is now even easier for contractors to reduce their environmental impact and divert waste from landfill which also saves them money from the subsequent taxes as well as from skips and transportation costs. All contractors are now required to do is simply take down the old Armstrong acoustic mineral ceiling tiles** and stack them on pallets. In partnership with the local distributor, Armstrong will arrange collection free of charge*** and the old tiles will be 100% recycled into new ceiling tiles at the company’s production facility in Gateshead. The scheme for the UK and Ireland, which has been in place since 2003, enables Armstrong to minimise its impact on the environment by not only diverting its old products from landfill but also producing mineral ceiling tiles with even higher post-consumer recycled content, currently up to 82%. As well as the support it gets from distributors, Armstrong has also developed a “green” branch of its Omega network of approved sub-contractors, specifically for those installers with proven recycling expertise .. and they claim that as well as saving them landfill tax it also makes then more attractive for main contractors to use. Armstrong’s recycling programme for demolition, construction and renovation schemes has saved 15 million m2 of old ceiling tiles globally and diverted 61,000 tonnes of waste from landfill. And with 2,000m2 of recycled ceiling tiles equating to 7.6 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill, that is a 14,000 kWh saving on energy. Projects have included the headquarters of main contractor Kier Construction, the temporary beach volleyball venue at Horse Guards Parade in London, and the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. A member of the UK Green Building Council, Armstrong also a partner in the Ceilings Sustainability Partnership, a working party of the AIS (Association of Interior Specialists) technical committee, which delivers on the actions within the Mineral Wool Ceiling Tile Resource Efficiency Action Plan (REAP). The REAP plan is intended to help the sector reduce the amount of mineral wool ceiling tiles going to landfill. Armstrong recycling case studies also feature as WRAP exemplars, including Birmingham University Hospital where almost 43 tonnes of ceiling tiles were diverted from landfill and an estimated 19.5 tonnes of embodied CO2 were offset. A new recycling programme leaflet, which has all the criteria information and steps to follow, is available from https://www.armstrongceilingsolutions.co.uk/en-gb/performance/sustainable-building-design/recycling-programmes.
Cornwall’s Brunel Recycling has added the latest string to its Mercedes-Benz bow, in the shape of a high-riding eight-wheeler with volumetric mixer body. Essentially a truck mixer and concrete batching plant rolled into one, the new truck is based on a muscular Arocs 4140K chassis supplied by Dealer Group Rygor Commercials. Built in Buckingham by concrete equipment specialist Utranazz, the Hydromix HM12H-E body features separate compartments for sand, stone, cement and water. These raw materials are then metered and mixed into fresh concrete when and where it is needed. The unmixed product remains useable indefinitely, eliminating costly wastage. The Arocs range is purpose-designed for construction work and related applications. A real head-turner in the operator’s bright red livery, the new truck has a ClassicSpace M-cab and pairs an advanced, 10.7-litre straight-six engine which produces 290 kW (394 hp), with a smooth Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmission. Brunel Recycling purchased its first Mercedes-Benz, an 8×4 Arocs tipper, from Rygor in 2015. To this, it then added another three tippers and a tipper-grab, before taking delivery last year of a hook-loader. All six of these 32-tonne vehicles are based on Arocs 3240K chassis; with one exception the tippers, and the tipper-grab, have Thompson bodies, while the hook-loader’s roll on-roll-off equipment is by HARSH. Family-owned Brunel Recycling’ headquarters are in Saltash, where it owns a fully licensed and permitted landfill and waste transfer station. The company’s roots date back to 1989, when Dave Venables established his landfill, which he then developed into a waste transfer station, skip-hire firm, and recycling facility. Today, having changed its name from Brunel Skips to Brunel Recycling, and adopted the ‘Remove-Recycle-Reuse’ motto which is proudly emblazoned on its Mercedes-Benz trucks, it provides a comprehensive portfolio of haulage, demolition, recycled aggregates and, now, concrete services to customers throughout Devon and Cornwall. Brunel Recycling’s graded aggregates are widely used for construction projects in Plymouth and the surrounding area. The firm also supplies top soils and biomass, undertakes site clearances, demolitions and muckaway work, and offers heavy plant and machinery for hire. His father – the owner of Plymouth Albion rugby club – having retired, Managing Director Brian Venables now runs the business with his Director brother Max, whose wife Nadine is Operations Manager. Brian Venables said Brunel Recycling’s experience of operating Mercedes-Benz trucks over the last four years had been entirely positive. “They’ve been totally reliable and are very economical,” he confirmed. “The Arocs is clearly built to withstand the rigours of our kind of work. The excellent ground clearance is a big advantage when we’re off-road, and it’s very comfortable to drive. The Arocs also looks and sounds brilliant,” he added. “It’s a seriously cool truck, and the guys love it.” Acquired, like its previous Arocs, with competitive funding support from Mercedes-Benz Finance, Brunel Recycling’s volumetric mixer is already opening doors to new business opportunities. “We do a lot of slabs and foundations for houses, and the new truck offers a very cost-effective means of delivering the concrete,” explained Mr Venables. “It didn’t come cheap, but this vehicle has added another string to our bow, and I’m confident it will prove over time to have been a wise investment.” Mr Venables also praised the service provided by Rygor Commercials Truck Sales Executive Marcus Cahalin. “Marcus is a joy to work with,” he observed. “I’m quite a fiery character but he knows how to handle me. If ever an issue crops up, as they always will from time to time, he remains very calm and ensures that it’s resolved with the minimum of fuss.” Marcus Cahalin said: “Every truck Rygor supplies is important to its owner, and we endeavour to reflect this by providing an appropriately high level of service to each and every one of our customers. Every now and then, though, a truck comes along which really stands out from the crowd, and Brunel Recycling’s volumetric mixer is certainly one. It’s a fantastic machine, and was a real pleasure to deliver.” www.brunelrecycling.co.uk
Recofloor is celebrating in 2019 ten years since it started recycling waste vinyl flooring. The Take Back scheme was first set up back in 2009 by Altro and Polyflor and it has now recycled a total of 4,300 tonnes of waste vinyl material. “Plastics are hot news at the moment and we are proud to be instrumental in recycling our waste vinyl flooring. We, as well as Altro, invest significant amounts of time, energy and money into the scheme,” said Bob Smith, Polyflor’s Technical Director. Barry Hall, Altro’s Manufacturing and Technical Director also commented: “Companies working with Recofloor are leading the way in terms of resource recovery and circular economy. This takeback scheme is helping Altro in terms of its sustainability programme and ambitious growth plans.” With more than 700 collectors throughout the UK and Ireland and more than 60 drop-off sites accepting waste vinyl flooring, the scheme sees smooth and safety vinyl offcuts and roll ends, uplifted smooth vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) and loose lay being recycled back into new products, including flooring manufactured by Altro and Polyflor. “We are truly proud of our achievements over the past decade and certainly credit is due to all our members – flooring companies, contractors and distributors – who continue to work tirelessly to support the scheme. Everyone deserves a big pat on the back for their efforts and enthusiasm,” said Recofloor’s Project Officer Joe Gardner. Recofloor made an impact right from the beginning, winning several high-profile environmental and innovation awards for its recycling achievements within the scheme’s first five years. More than 450 tonnes were collected solely during 2011, and in 2013, the scheme was recognised with a Green Apple Gold Award for Environmental Best Practice. By the time Recofloor reached its fifth birthday in 2014, the scheme had toppled a 2,000-tonnes collection milestone. 2015 saw over 100 new members join Recofloor and by that year, the scheme had saved more than 2,000 tonnes of CO2. Further awards recognition was to come, including the Letsrecycle.com Award for Excellence in Recycling & Waste Management in 2016. The following year, Recofloor broke through the 3,000-tonnes collection total and had more than 1,500 Twitter followers.
Raising a glass of codswallop to glass. In the USA, September is Glass Recycling Month. Jane Embury, marketing director at advanced glazing system supplier Wrightstyle, takes a look at the wonders of glass – and suggests that we should also have a glass recycling month. As a building material, glass is both ubiquitous and timeless. It’s been with us, in the form of obsidian from volcanoes, since the Stone Age. In the form we know it now, glass has been around since at least 3,000BC when the Egyptians, Syrians and Mesopotamians mastered how to make it. Since then, the history of glass has been largely about its functional and decorative development – from the beauty of the Portland Vase to the rose windows of Notre Dame cathedral. But the history of glass is much more than that and has, in a very real sense, helped shape the modern world in which we live. So for a moment, let’s forget about glass as a material for life’s fripperies, like windows or wine glasses. Let’s not forget about the 13th century invention of the spectacles, which added years to the useful lives of scientists. In the 17th century, the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza also made his living as a lens-grinder. The humble mirror also has its part to play, used by the 14th century Italian architect and engineer Filippo Brunelleschi to establish the laws of perspective, which had a huge impact on Renaissance painting – let alone the design of buildings ever since. It was glass beakers that helped to create modern science, creating knowledge and cures for diseases, and the microscope and telescope, invented in the 16th century, advanced our understanding both of our world and the cosmos beyond. Let’s also celebrate the humble window, and not just for keeping the elements out. Glass windows, which became more widespread from the 17th century, made homes lighter and brighter – and, partly as a result, plague was eradicated from most of Europe by the early 18th century. In the mid-19th century, glass containers allowed the French chemist Louis Pasteur to disprove the theory that germs spontaneously sprouted from rotting matter – obvious now, but a huge stride forward in our understanding of disease. And then, of course, came the light bulb, changing our world completely. (By the way, recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 100 watt light bulb for nearly an hour). As a supplier of advanced glazing systems, Wrightstyle is also playing our small part in the history of glass – helping, for example, to develop safer systems to withstand fire or the detonation of a terrorist bomb. But we’re also aware of our environmental responsibility and do what we can to ensure that, whenever possible, all waste materials from our facilities are recycled. Indeed, the UK now recycles well over 1,500,000 tonnes of glass bottles every year – an annual reduction of some 385,000 tonnes of CO2 emission, equivalent to taking more than 120,000 cars off the road. Data published in 2015 by the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) found that the EU28 average recycling rate for glass packaging hit the 73% mark for the first time. The UK rate was 68%. So, although the UK lags behind some European countries, the good news is that waste glass, or cullet, is 100% recyclable, and can used again and again for a whole variety of glass products. But we can and should be doing more – and that means all of us involved in the building or demolition industries. Which is why I’m going to raise a glass of codswallop to our see-though friend, glass, and suggest to the powers-that-be that the UK should also have a glass recycling month – to help raise awareness of the wonders of glass, and encourage greater responsibility for its disposal by both companies and individuals. Why codswallop? Well, that’s all down to the Victorian engineer Hiram Codd who, in 1872, patented a glass bottle which could be filled under pressure and then stoppered with a marble. It was a hugely-popular invention and used mainly for fizzy soft drinks. In the 19th century, cheap beer was called “wallop” – and, so the story goes, beer drinkers dismissively called the contents of the new-fangled bottles as a “load of codd’s wallop.” It may not be true, and it’s completely irrelevant for glass recycling month. But it’s a lovely useless glass fact. For once, let’s copy the Americans! Does anybody out there agree?
From the finish of 2014 through to the start of this year, it has been reported that the Recolight WEEE compliance scheme has had a substantial net growth of some twenty three producers which have been added to its member base; this signals an increase which far overshadows that of any additional like-scheme within the UK. And if that wasn’t enough, the figures also highlight the scheme’s largest growth figured since its establishment back in 2007. Operating in a manner far apart from that of other WEEE schemes, Recolight offers its member’s customers free-of-charge services for recycling, as opposed to buying lamp recycling evidence in a bid to demonstrate their dedication. What that means is that, with Recolight, the service offered is one which, yes, maintains the benefits of most other WEEE schemes, but also provides additional ones which can drip down to the end customer as an extra added benefit. One of the other key ways which seems to have contributed to the popularity of this particular WEEE scheme is the way in which Recolight handles its fees. The mechanism, which is on a static “per item” sold basis, allows for the membership to effectively plan and budget for the future, with the entire year in mind. Though this may seem like a small matter, due to the present, unreliable nature of the economy, caution is the word with many UK businesses and, through effective budgeting and planning, success can be all but assured. Year on year, the Recolight producer membership has been stated to have grown by approximately 16% and, given these recent figures, the expectation is that the organisation will continue to expand upon that membership and take an increasingly central stage as a leading WEEE scheme.
