Here’s the Waste Robotics Market News including the 10 key news of this week in waste and recycling industries.
Free lunch at Olympic Plaza offers a lesson on food waste as guests dine on items destined for bins
June 14th, 2018 – The efforts of a group of Calgary chefs were offered to thousands of passerbys and curious onlookers at Olympic Plaza on Tuesday as part of a worldwide push to reduce waste and rescue food items destined for bins. “This is our second Feed the 5,000 event,” explained Andrew Hewson, lead chef for the lunch. “It’s a global initiative to raise awareness around food waste in our food system. From the producer level to the retail level to home -that whole chain -there’s always some level of food waste or overbuying and not being able to use it.”
Now Waitrose is being shamed for food waste. Yet shoppers are to blame
June 15th 2018 – Another day, another supermarket-bashing report – even if this latest one is slightly unexpected. This time it’s aiming at the upright, conscientious, middle-class shoppers’ favourite. But now Waitrose has been criticised by the campaign group, Feedback Global, for being the worst performer out of 10 UK supermarket chains at tackling food waste.
McDonald’s announces plastic straw ban in UK and Ireland stores
June 18th 2018 – McDonald’s has announced it will transition to paper straws in its 1,361 UK and Ireland stores by 2019. The fast-food giant said it would begin to phase out plastic straws September and also announced it would be testing alternatives across the globe later this year. This is part of McDonald’s goal to source 100% of its guest packaging from renewable, recycled or certified sources by 2025 and to have guest packaging recycling in all restaurants globally. Francesca DeBiase, Mcdonald’s executive vice president, global supply chain and sustainability, said: “McDonald’s is committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally.”
Read more on Recycle Waste World
Cardiff Council considers issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to crack down on fly-tipping
June 12th, 2018 – Cardiff Council is considering issuing Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) for fly-tipping cases. Currently FPNs in Wales cannot be issued for fly-tipping and cases must instead be taken to court where the person can be fined up to £50,000, sent to prison, or both. In a meeting next week, Cardiff Council’s cabinet will discuss a range of measures to tackle fly-tipping including installing infrared cameras at known fly-tipping hotspots.
Read More on Recycle Waste World
DSNY Announces 2018 Zero Waste Schools Awards Winners
June 18th, 2018 – The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has announced that 18 schools from across New York City’s five boroughs have been named winners of this year’s Zero Waste Schools Awards. Recipients of the awards, which recognize public schools that have created outstanding programs in recycling, sustainability, gardening or cleanup, will receive up to $1,000 in cash prizes for their schools and will be honored by DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia during an awards ceremony on June 20 at the Project Farmhouse in Manhattan.
B.C. aims to recycle difficult plastic: chip bags, crinkly wraps
June 12th, 2018 – VICTORIA — A British Columbia non-profit is the first organization in North America to start collecting some of the toughest plastics to recycle, including potato chip bags and zipper-lock sandwich pouches. The everyday items are made of multiple layers and compounds and usually end up in landfills or incinerators, Recycle BC spokesman Allen Langdon said.
Westfield Gets $10K Recycling Enhancement Grant from Union County
June 18th, 2018 – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced Monday that Westfield is getting a $10,000 Recycling Enhancement Grant. The grant program, which aims at improving local recycling rates, is administered by Union County with funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Fifteen municipalities received a total of $134,600 in Recycling Enhancement Grants, the county said.
Republic spells out new rules for recycling in Edmonds (thanks to China)
June 18th, 2018 – What do you throw in your recycling bin? Apparently, China wants to know. This week, the majority of Edmonds’ addresses received a letter from Republic Services, the waste removal provider to nearly all city residents, about the “market conditions of the recyclables.” The critical takeaway of the letter was a nearly $1 rate surcharge to recycling rates for residential customers because China is dictating what can and cannot be in our recycle bins every other week. Republic Services called this a temporary rate hike during an investigation of the options for how to process everything we throw into our recycle bins.
New initiative rewards drivers for recycling empty plastic bottles and coffee cups
June 18th, 2018 – A new campaign is looking to encourage drivers to dispose of their empty plastic bottles and coffee cups carefully by rewarding them for using special recycling machines. Due to be introduced this Thursday, the scheme will see drivers given 5p money-off vouchers for each item deposited into special ‘recycling reward’ devices. Whenever something is put into one of the new machines, a voucher will be printed off for the motorist to collect.
‘Accidental’ fire at plastics site put out
June 18th, 2018 – South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has this afternoon (18 June) confirmed that a fire at a plastics recycling facility owned by Moulding Solutions in Rotherham is now out. The service also stated that “in the early stages of investigations”, it believes that the fire was started accidentally. Firefighters were called to the scene at around 4:30pm yesterday afternoon and around 12 fire engines and 60 firefighters tackled the blaze.
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