Here’s the Waste Robotics Market News including the 10 key news of this week in waste and recycling industries.
‘Stinking’ compost plant closes so food waste is destined for the dump
June 25th 2018 – Your carefully-separated food waste is destined for the Glanbrook dump until the city figures out why its compost plant is stinking up increasingly wide swaths of the lower city. The city took the unprecedented step of shutting down the Burlington Street East plant Sunday after weeks of neighbourhood odour complaints suddenly exploded to include weekend calls from as far away as the downtown, the edge of Stoney Creek and Gage Park. Debbie Lapointe is grateful the city is now taking the problem seriously — but also irritated it took so long.
Read more on Hamilton Spectator
Trend Report: Restaurants, cities and consumers are taking notice of food waste
June 25th 2018 – One of the trends explored in the 2018 Nourish Trend Report is growing consumer awareness of food waste and associated plastic garbage. As we round the corner towards 2019 we foresee that trend strengthening further. How you respond to this trend could drastically impact your business. Restaurant waste effectively starts with plastic straws, which municipalities like Vancouver are starting to outlaw as a way to reduce society’s reliance on disposable single-use items.
Meet Goodr, the company using blockchain technology to reduce food waste
June 24th 2018 – American consumers waste 133 billion pounds of food every year. Not only would this wasted food help feed families struggling with hunger, food waste accounts for 27 percent of landfills, and contribute to methane emissions. About $218 billion dollars per year is spent on the production, transportation and removal of uneaten food, according to data from the Natural Resources Defense Council. A company called Goodr is working to combat that — using blockchain technology.
Vancouver, Canada, Invests in Zero Waste Plan with New Facility
June 25th 2018 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada’s Zero Waste Centre, which opened in February, is part of the city’s new plan to achieve zero waste by 2040. The C$2 million facility, located at 8588 Yukon Street, replaces the Recycling Depot that had been located at the Vancouver South Transfer Station. “Vancouver is leading Canadian cities in going green, and that includes the efforts of many Vancouverites to recycle,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Our Zero Waste Centre will help us become the world’s greenest city by making it easier—and in many cases, free—for residents to do their part and recycle or reuse more materials than ever before.”
Restaurant Chains are Hungry for Waste Reduction
June 21st, 2018 – Increasingly, restaurants are realizing being eco-conscious is not just a trend to wow customers but a way to save money and step up to tightening diversion regulations. Food chains are composting, donating leftovers and swapping single-use items for reusable ones. They are hiring dedicated diversion coordinators and implementing programs to cut food waste in their operations, from preparation through serving. And they are finding innovative ways to get their customers to help them take their efforts even further.
Morrisons introduces brown paper bags to avoid single-use plastics
June 25th, 2018 – Morrisons has reintroduced brown paper bags for its loose fruit and vegetables in a move which it predicts will prevent 150m plastic bags from being used. The bags are made from 100% recyclable paper and have a see-through paper strip so customers and colleagues can see what product is in them. They will be rolled out across all of Morrisons’s 493 stores by the end of summer. Drew Kirk, fruit and veg director at Morrisons, said: “We’ve listened to customers concerns about using plastic bags for fruit and vegetables and that is why we are bringing back paper bags. There’s more work to do, but this step will mean we prevent 150m bags from being used in our stores every year.”
Read more on Recycling Waste World
Council garden waste collection charges reach almost £74m
June 25th, 2018 – UK councils are charging almost £74m a year for garden waste collection, according to BBC research. Data collected by BBC One’s Rip Off Britain said that 172 councils had introduced charges, with prices varying throughout the country. It showed charges for green waste collection have risen from £42.4m in 2014-15 to £73.9m in 2016-17. A Local Government Association spokesperson said that local councils had been forced to introduce charges due to funding cuts from central government.
Read more on Recycling Waste World
City asking residents not to change recycling habits despite compost facility shut down
June 25th, 2018 – The city is asking Hamilton residents to keep their regular recycling habits, including separating our food waste, despite the closure of the city’s composting plant. In a notice released late Monday, it says the closure doesn’t affect any other of the waste or recycling streams. The message to residents is: Keep separating. Keep putting food scraps scraps and soiled paper products in the green bin. The city will take care of the rest. Yesterday, the city began the process of shutting down its Central Composting Facility in response to complaints about odour issues.
Southern Oregon’s recycling issues go beyond statistics
June 25th, 2018 – Data on the amount of formerly recycled material being landfilled with approval from the Department of Environmental Quality initially doesn’t paint an encouraging portrait for Southern Oregon. From differing start dates in late October and early November until June 7, Rogue Disposal & Recycling, Rogue Materials Recovery and Southern Oregon Sanitation, Inc. recorded the three highest amounts in tons of material trashed that they once recycled, out of 22 Oregon organizations with similar allowances.
Companies pay nearly £300,000 for packaging waste offences
June 22th, 2018 – The accepted donation offers range from £63,000 – £950 and are made by the businesses concerned as “enforcement undertakings”. When found to be in breach of regulations – usually by not signing up to a packaging waste compliance scheme – a company proposes improvements to its operations and makes an offer to the Environment Agency to compensate. The Agency then decides its next course of action.
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