Hertfordshire firm to build bottle recycling in Wales

A Hertfordshire-based plastics reprocessor has teamed up with a social enterprise to develop a 20,000 tonne a year recycling plant for PET and HDPE plastics in South Wales.

Baylis Recycling and Plastics Sorting, which is part of the community interest company Cleanstream Group, are to use £850,000 in grants to develop the bottle recycling plant at Ebbw Vale in South Wales.

The two organisations are already working together in the South West and Wales and hope to have the new facility ready by March 2010.

Janet Rowlings, project manager for the Ebbw Vale development, told the Letsrecycle website that the new facility and the existing plant in Keynsham would work together.

"Once Ebbw Vale is up and running we’ll be able to take mixed plastics into both plants - HDPE to one plant for hot wash and flake and the other will hot wash and flake PET."

PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is mainly used in bottles for fizzy drinks and oven-ready meal trays.

HDPE, or high-density polyethylene, is used mainly in bottles for milk and washing-up liquids.

Hertfordshire’s Polysolar gets £567k grant

A group led by Hertfordshire-based clean technology company Polysolar has received a £567,000 grant to develop photovoltaics that can be used on windows.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) has announced funding for research into low cost translucent photovoltaic organic polymers, which will start in November as part of a broader £10 million investment int0 16 research and development projects.

Hamish Watson, chief executive of Polyusolar, told New Energy Focus: "The objective of the project is to develop polymer photovoltaics to use in transparent architectural glazing, primarily for commercial buildings.

"The basic technology of polymer photovoltaics originates from Cambridge and Imperial College research. What we are doing is improving the lifetime and performance of the technology, and encapsulate it for the glazing application."

Polysolar’s grant is a share of £10 million awarded by the TSB to "enable innovative materials technologies to be developed to meet the challenges we face in energy generation, conservation, storage and transmission" said science and innovation minister Ian Pearson.

Another project to receive funding is a bio-based natural fiber development led by Bangor University aimed at developing sustainable, thin and efficient insulation.

East Herts has biggest carbon footprint

East Hertfordshire residents have topped a list of carbon emitters.

A study carried out by York University’s Centre for Sustainability Accounting (CeNSA) discovered that residents of East Hertfordshire have the highest carbon footprint in the country.

According to the study, East Hertfodshire residents produce 14.68 tonnes of CO2.

St Albans came second in the rankings, notes the St Albans Observer.

As well as pointing the finger at people who contributed heavily to carbon emissions, the study also made various suggestions about changes that could cut personal carbon emissions.

"The UK is responsible for one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year and of this, households are accountable for 75 per cent," said John Barrett, researcher at CenSA.

"By making small changes to their consumption patterns, households can make a big difference to the environment and also save money."

In a bid to match residents of Gloucester, which were found to have the smallest carbon footprint, the researchers suggests turning the heating down one degree to save £4,533 and stop 75,110 kilograms of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

Hertfordshire pubs to launch green ale

Two Hertfordshire pubs are to become the first to launch a carbon-neutral ale.

The Three Hammers and King William IV in St Albans are to serve Adnams’ East Green cask ale in September.

The ale, which is grown from aphid resistant hops which require less pesticide than other varieties, has alcohol strength of 4.3 per cent.

An Energy Recovery System that recycles steam created during brewing and then recycles it to heat the brew also contributes to the ale’s green reputation.

The energy efficient brewery was developed in conjunction with the University of East Anglia’s carbon reduction team.

Some of the CO2 emissions from the plant are also offset.

Cilla Palmer, manager of the Three Hammers, said: "As a pub manager you get to hear about what matters to your guests and helping to preserve the environment certainly comes high up their agenda."

At the moment the ale is available only at Ember Inn pubs.

West Herts Hospitals lead NHS energy cuts

West Hertfordshire Hospitals trust is among the leaders in making plans to cut energy use in accordance with Department of Health carbon cutting targets.

DoH policy requires the NHS, which currently emits one million tonnes of carbon each year and pays £400 million on energy bills, to cut its emissions by 15 per cent by 2010.

According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), West Hertfordshire Hospitals trust chief executive Jan Filochowski has plans for a £200 million health campus at a sustainable development in Watford.

The plans, which would be funded by a private finance initiative, feature rainwater harvesting and constructing buildings which exceed efficiency targets.

Rain collected on the roof of the hospital will be used to water the pitch of partner Watford football club.

The trust, which hopes to cut energy consumption by 27 per cent is also working with Cambridge University on naturally heated and ventilated hospitals, HSJ reports.

A report by the new economics foundation last year revealed that five per cent of all the UK’s road transport emissions could be attributed to the NHS.

The report concluded that the NHS faces the challenge of reducing its own carbon emissions as well as investing in "preventive healthcare to strengthen the resilience of the population, as well as in treatment for the victims of a warmer, more variable climate".

Essex hotel cuts waste and electricity use

An Essex hotel has cut the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 25 per cent following an environmental audit.

Down Hall Country House on the border of Essex and Hertfordshire border has set itself the task of reducing landfill waste by over 50 per cent, following the assessment by Donnachadh McCarthy.

The audit revealed that the hotel produced 1,100 tonnes of CO2 a year, sent 80 tonnes of waste landfill.

As part of the hotel’s plans to go carbon neutral, it set itself the waste target as well as reducing electricity use by 10 per cent, reducing paper usage by 25 per cent and producing 25 per cent of its own vegetables.

Following the success in cutting energy expenditure, it has now doubled its target to 20 per cent.

The company is also set to change to renewable energy; a step it claims will cut its carbon consumption by 70 per cent.

If the hotel manages to become carbon neutral, it will be in keeping with government targets for all new buildings after 2012.

Fire and Rescue get pollution plan

A Pollution Plan detailing potential areas where hazardous material would run off into the environment in the event of an accident has been handed to the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Working on behalf of the Highways Agency, consulting and business services group Mouchel, drew up the Pollution Plan.

It contains information that will allow the Service to ensure that it can keep the amount of hazardous runoff to a minimum in the event of a traffic incident on the area’s motorways.

The plan, which was handed to Hatfield Station Commander Peter Hill features maps showing where contaminant spills would flow to and how to stop them entering a watercourse.

James Brand, a Hydrologist from Mouchel said: "Previously Fire and Rescue had no information on where contaminants would flow to if they entered the drainage system, the information we have provided will ensure that they can immediately identify where spills will end up and take appropriate action."

County Councillor Richard Smith, Executive Member for Community Safety added: "As an authority we are committed to reducing any negative impact on the environment in any way we can, and I’m extremely pleased we are able to use the Pollution Plan which Mouchel have produced to do so."

Waste management firm gets new Hertfordshire HQ

A waste management firm has moved in to purpose built new premises in Hertfordshire as it bids to boost its turnover by 300 per cent.

ACM Waste Management invested £2 million in developing the new site, named ECO House, in Waltham Abbey.

The new office, which operates a 100 per cent recycling policy as well as energy and water saving initiatives, is home to all of the companies in the ACM group including 3r Environmental Technology Limited.

The firm’s service and workshop facilities have also ben brought under one roof.

ACM chairman Barry Bolton told the Materials Handling World Magazine: ACM is now widely recognised as the UK’s most environmentally focused waste management and recycling company and with the increasing pressure on UK businesses, imposed by the introduction of more and more environmental legislation, we expect the demand for the services we offer to become even greater.

"Our business has grown significantly over recent years. We now have a team of almost 50 staff and plans to expand into the European and Asian markets during the next 12 months, so it is vital that we have the right platform to enable us to move forward to the next stage of development."

« Previous Page — Next Page »