LondonWaste Ltd, gave away a colossal 50 tonnes of EcoPark compost over the weekend in support of International Compost Awareness Week.

The Compost GiveAway held at Capel Manor Gardens on the 11 & 12 May was a huge success, drawing in over 700 people from all over North London.   Leading up to the event people rushed to get their hands on ‘EcoPark sponsored tickets’ which also allowed guests free entry to visit and experience the wonderful gardens at Capel Manor in Enfield.

The aim of the compost giveaway was to bring people together to promote the benefits of using peat-free compost,  encourage more people to grow their own fruit and vegetables and reduce waste. The compost was loose, so the excited crowds were armed with their own bags, shovels and energy. The EcoPark team in bright orange sweatshirts provided tips on composting and recycling and gave away orange “Use Me” recycling bags provided by the NLWA.

EcoPark Compost provides necessary nutrients to enrich and add structure to London’s soil. The compost is made from North London residents’ garden and food waste at the LondonWaste Compost Centre.

Due to popular demand the next Giveaway in Enfield is the 14 & 15 September at the LondonWaste’s sponsored event ‘Taste of Autumn’ at Capel Manor Gardens.  There are however GiveAways in Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest throughout the year.

At the EcoPark in North London we use food and garden waste from local households to make a nutrient-rich compost. As local compost producers we are pleased to support the twelfth annual Compost Awareness Week to encourage more people to know more about the benefits of composting – making it, buying it and using it.

We are promoting the week by giving away planting bulbs: Nerine, Gladiolus, vegetable seeds and Fact Sheets to the first 180 people to purchase a bag of EcoPark Compost from the 6 Recycling Centres we manage.

We are also hosting a free compost giveaway at Capel Manor College and Gardens in Enfield during the weekend of 11th and 12th May.  We are delighted that hundreds of people have booked to receive free tickets to this giveaway. Using peat-free compost made from recycled materials this promotion will help our gardens, window boxes and pots grow greener peat-free plants.

27 April – LondonWaste in partnership with Alara Wholefoods is excited to announce the opening of their first EcoPark Compost Hub.

The compost hub is adjacent to Alara Wholefoods and is a unique space in north London offering free EcoPark compost 365 days throughout the year. The existing compost space was revamped to provide a safe place to store compost.  A secure solid collection base was added as well as new recycled fencing, clear sign posting and repositioning of the existing raised beds.

The hub ensures that LondonWaste is able to deliver loads in bulk and that local residents and community groups can collect the smaller quantities that they need.  Guests at the opening had the opportunity to collect free compost, take part in ‘Core Blimey’ tree planting and learn how their food and garden waste is made into  high quality compost.

We have now been shortlisted for a second major industry award within a few days.  National Recycling Awards 2013 has shortlisted us for generating Refuse Derived Fuel for the Energy Centre at the EcoPark.   Check our website news in July to see if we have been selected as the winner from the shortlist.

One of the most important things we can all do is to tell friends, family, colleagues, anyone who will listen, about how important it is to reduce our waste and help make our planet cleaner and safer for all.

Continuing our recent run of success, we are delighted to have been shortlisted for a major industry award.  Resource Revolution Awards 2013 has shortlisted us for our landfill diversion strategy.  Watch out for more information in May to find out if we have been selected as the winner.

During 2012  1,400 litres of used cooking oil from the Household Recycling centres we manage in Waltham Forest and Camden was used to produce a sustainable bioliquid LF100.  Living Fuels used this oil as a fuel and generated 5,250 kWh of green electricity through their combined Heat and Power facilities based across the UK.

This 1,400 litres of oil equates to enough clean green energy to make almost half a million cups of tea.  This carbon neutral electricity is helping Britain to achieve its renewable energy targets.  Lets all keep up the good work.

If you only buy one bag this season get your hands on a £3.00 bag of EcoPark Compost.  From April these bags of compost will be available to buy at your local Recycling Centre (north London only) priced at £3 per bag.

With Spring just around the corner, compost is perfect for flower beds, hanging baskets, raised beds or vegetable plots. Our compost is made from local residents’ recycled food and garden waste. The product is well structured to allow aeration, drainage and root development and is ideal for mixing into nutrient poor soil.

Sign up to our mailing list to be notified about this season’s bags  composting@londonwaste.co.uk

LondonWaste EcoPark is proud to be recognised in Enfield Council’s campaign to recruit 100 apprentices in North London. Championed by the North London Chamber of Commerce and Johnson Matthey’s Barry Connelly, we along with five other local businesses were recognised at an award event for outstanding commitment to supporting local apprenticeships.

The February event was attended by some of Enfield’s larger employers such as Johnson Matthey, Ardmore Construction, Barclay Brothers, and GLS Wealth Management, as well as Nick De Bois MP and Councillor Del Goddard. 

Last year the Chamber with the widespread support of local businesses, training providers and Enfield council sought to create 100 new apprenticeship opportunities in as many days.  Known as the 100 Club the award event commended the success of this venture. 

Our six apprentices are employed in the prized fields of electrical and mechanical engineering and we along with other locals will continue to raise awareness of the business benefits of apprenticeships and their viability as a recruitment option.

David Sargent, Managing Director said: “Apprenticeships are win/win opportunities. The business can fill a skills gap and the apprentice can start a career.”

For further information or to get involved please contact North London Chamber of Commerce 0208 443 4464 or email tmclennan@nlcc.co.uk.

The electrical engineering sector is all about power and making sure things work. We  are offering an apprentice a pathway into the world of generating power from waste using boilers and turbines.

We along with many other businesses will be exhibiting at the Enfield Environmental Technologies Fair on Wednesday 27th February

Look out for us in the Education Zone where you will be able to find out about our latest apprenticeship vacancy. We look forward to seeing you there.

We are pleased to report that our compost continues to be well received amongst a range of growers, particularly agriculture and allotments in the local community.  Farms received close to 5,000 tonnes 58% of total product produced with local allotments receiving over 3,600 tonnes. Barnet allotments received a staggering 1,300 tonne deliveries following by Enfield with over 850 tonnes and Waltham Forest with close to 650 tonnes.

Alara Wholefoods in Camden has supplied over forty-five community groups with EcoPark compost over the past few years.  In order to serve the growing demand and encourage further residents to benefit, we have teamed up with them to revamp their existing compost hub. 

The new hub will provide improved delivery access for all users, increase the storage capacity and Information signs will provide facts on the benefits, nutrient and PH levels of the compost.  Construction work is underway and an official opening will take place in the spring.

A few weeks ago you would have taken down your Christmas tree down, packed up the decorations and may have started planning for this year’s celebrations, right?  What did you have this year, a real tree or an artificial?  The debate about the environmental impact of artificial trees versus real trees goes on.

At the Hornsey Street Reuse and Recycling Centre in Islington, “The Only Way is Essex” star, Lydia Bright, rewarded residents for recycling their real Christmas tree at the Reuse and Recycling Centre.  She handed out beautiful house ferns as a swap for residents recycling their real Christmas trees.

Hundreds of real Christmas trees are brought in to the centre each January for recycling. These trees are then taken to the EcoPark compost centre to be composted.  After about three months the trees, together with other vegetation, will be transformed into nutrient rich compost.  Local residents, community groups and agricultural outlets are able to use the compost and this helps to complete the recycling loop; it delivers the trees from landfill, saves disposal costs and conserves resources, particularly energy.

If you did have a real tree this year, rest assured that by taking it to your local Reuse and recycling Centre, or using your borough collection service, it will be recycled and made into compost, mulch or soil conditioner after about twelve weeks.  What choices will you make for next year?

Figures from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers show as much as 2bn tonnes of food never makes it on to a plate

As much as half of all the food produced in the world – equivalent to 2bn tonnes – ends up as waste every year, engineers warned in the Global Food report

The UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) blames the “staggering” new figures in its analysis on unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free and Western consumer demand for cosmetically perfect food, along with “poor engineering and agricultural practices”, inadequate infrastructure and poor storage facilities.

In the face of United Nations predictions that there could be about an extra 3 billion people to feed by the end of the century and growing pressure on the resources needed to produce food, including land, water and energy, the IMechE is calling for urgent action to tackle this waste. Read full article

Source www.guardian.co.uk

Last year saw just under half a million people start new training as apprentices.  The manufacturing and engineering sectors, which include waste management, provided training opportunities for some 49,000 trainees.   Earlier this year, and in line with our training initiatives, we selected a number of new apprentices to develop within both our electrical and mechanical engineering divisions.

Every stage of their three and a half year training programme is planned and focussed, they will benefit from some of the best instruction in the waste management industry and learn from experienced colleagues.   Their initial study centres around a local College where our engineers of tomorrow work to complete an NVQ level qualification.  Further along in their training programme as well as covering key practical skills within the EcoPark, primarily focussed on specialised  engineering maintenance projects, their studies are continued on a day release basis.  On completion of their apprenticeships our trainees will have the potential to become fully qualified in their respective disciplines.  After gaining from some of the most comprehensive training around, this scheme gives a great start to any career, in fact one of our former Apprentices was recently appointed Engineering Supervisor.

We were delighted to have been selected as finalists for CIWM’s PEEL People’s Cup Award where our In-Vessel Compost operation was Highly Commended.

This waste industry award focusses on teams and recognises excellence in operating units.  Our entry centred on the teamwork, staff welfare, health and safety, data management, plant maintenance and general impressions within the Compost Centre.

Last year’s award was presented to Grundon’s for their Lakeside Energy from waste facility.  A Cambridgeshire based In Vessel Compost Site won this year’s award.

We are pleased to congratulate Mark Beattie, Chief Information Officer on his recent appointment as a Fellow of The BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT. Established in 1957, this leading professional body for IT, has over 70,000 members worldwide.

The grade of Fellowship comprises the most senior and respected professionals in the field of IT. As a relatively new profession Mark’s work at the institute will seek to define clear career paths for others entering the field as well as assist IT professionals on their road to personal development.

Further information on BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT

Do you live in the borough of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Hackney, Islington or Waltham Forest?
We can supply and deliver bulk bags* of quality compost for £55

To book or for more info contact 020 8884 5664 or email recycling@londonwaste.co.uk

*Bulk bag approximately 1000 litres

The LondonWaste EcoPark is pleased to announce the grand opening of their sponsored EcoPark Recycled Garden. This spectacular event took place in the grounds of the National Garden Centre at Capel Manor Gardens in Enfield on Tuesday 19thJune 2012. To celebrate, fifty guests joined David Sargent, LondonWaste Managing Director, Lady Salisbury, Capel Manor Trustee and The Garden Media Guild for a Champagne Reception and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycled is the theme in this recently revamped garden. A collection on interesting materials including wood, glass, metal, rubber and plastic is on show.  EcoPark compost made from recycled food and garden waste provides mulch to the gardens fruit and vegetables beds. A combination of reds purples, oranges, white and yellow flowers have been carefully selected to add light, style and a mixture of character, to help attract bees and butterflies. It is expected future visitors will explore the gardens and gain inspiration from perfectly suited recyclable materials that might otherwise be wasted and thrown away. David Sargent said “The Recycled garden is an exciting concept and LondonWaste is proud to be the principal sponsor”.

LCRN is working in partnership with the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) and LondonWaste to provide free compost to residents of the NLWA area and free compost bins to residents of Camden, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Islington and Enfield. Click HERE for more information

LCRN is working in partnership with the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) and LondonWaste to provide free compost to residents of the NLWA area and free compost bins to residents of Camden, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Islington and Enfield. Click HERE for more information

We will soon be opening a new automated Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at the EcoPark. This upgrade will ensure that a wide range of materials; the collected mixed recycling (glass, cans, paper and plastic bottles)can now be mechanically sorted in preparation for onward recycling. The new improved centre will provide our customers with a comprehensive recycling services with increased capacity.

Hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world united to support the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour.

To support this worldwide event on the 31^st March between 8:30pm – 9:30pm the EcoPark turned off the lights in our Compost Centre and Flue Gas Treatment Centre.

More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.

To find out more about Earth Hour click here

With four months to go before the Olympics the atmosphere is building and focus and attention was drawn to North East London with the launch of the Green Sector Network on Friday 23 March, at the LondonWaste EcoPark.  This private sector led group provided an enormous resource that will act as a platform to bring investment and grow major Green industry in North London.

The green economy is a large however fragmented sector, the area has a strong history of manufacturing, power generation, and recycling; the basic ingredients therefore already exist to grow the sector. This Network will encourage greater development and promote investment potential within this landmark Olympic and Jubilee year.

Within the first twelve months, the Network working with the British Business Club, will

• Promote bilateral trade and investment opportunities in the sector to business visitors attending the London 2012 Games.
• Stage events, trade shows, expos, meetings, introductions, and tours aimed at showcasing the best examples of environmental technology and operations in the world.

The launch event was held at LondonWaste EcoPark, one of London’s most successfully integrated resource management centres.  The EcoPark showcases integration with facilities used to recycle and recover value from organic wastes, wood, metal, paper, electricity and plastics.  Guests had a whirlwind coach tour of the Recycling, Compost and Energy Centres.

Richard Sumray MBE, board member of London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, gave an inspirational talk on opportunities for businesses during the Games. Cllr Clyde Loakes, introduced the North London Waste Authority, which he chairs and local MPs David Lammy (Tottenham) and Andy Love (Edmonton) spoke about the importance of regeneration and working together to raise the profile of the network.

Current members are LondonWaste, Biffa, Camden Plant and Hiremech. The Green Sector Network is seeking further members from any environmental sector, including renewable energy, low carbon fuels, alternative transport, construction as well as other environmental products and services. Please contact North London Business for pricing and application pack – tel 020 8885 9200.

LondonWaste EcoPark is thrilled to have won a prestigious compost marketing award for its peat free compost.  As producers of compost and located in the Capital, the company’s approach to marketing the benefits of composting were set to challenge Londoner’s perceptions.  The company devised a campaign of communication supporting both the fantastic work of the boroughs and the disposal authority.  The award recognised the company’s communication activities in the following three areas: Promoting the collection and treatment of organic waste from households, Endorsing the value of resident’s behavioural change and Supporting the benefits of using both small and large quantities of compost.  Full list of Awards Winners and Finalists

The Award ceremony was organised by the Association for Organics Recycling.  This membership organisation is committed to the sustainable management of biodegradable resources.  Previously known as the Composting Association, it promotes the benefits of composting, other biological treatment techniques and the use of biologically treated materials for the enhancement of the environment, business and society.

Tom Bateson, EcoPark Compost Centre Manager said:  “We are delighted to be able to celebrate this success.  We’ve seen a sustained growth in local borough allotments’ use of the product with 39% of loose product delivered to local allotments and Farms within the M25 received about 6,000 tonnes of the product last year.”

This is the 10th anniversary of the Association for Organics Recycling Awards the awards ceremony took place on 15th March at Chesford Grange Hotel nr Warwickshire. These awards are a firm fixture within the bio-waste sector and are renowned for celebrating hard work, dedication and success within the sector.

Higher packaging recycling targets for 2013-17 were confirmed in Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget today, alongside plans to radically shake up the planning system.

In a Budget which Mr Osborne said ‘unashamedly backs business’ the Chancellor also committed to cutting corporation tax and to simplifying the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme to reduce administrative burden on businesses.

Chancellor George Osborne unveiled his Budget Today Plans for higher packaging recycling targets for businesses were launched for consultation by Defra in December 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story). Despite opposition from some such as the British Plastics Federation, the Budget confirms that these proposals will be taken forward.

The Budget states: “The Government will legislate later in 2012 for increased statutory packaging recycling targets from 2013 to 2017. Targets will increase annually by 3 per cent for aluminium, 5 per cent for plastic and 1 per cent for steel. Glass recycling targets will be split by end use.”

Read full article   Source: http://www.letsrecycle.com

Nestlé UK & Ireland has said it has become the first major confectioner to use 100% recyclable packaging across its entire Easter egg range.

Nestlé has replaced the 48 tonnes of rigid plastic used in its mug eggs with FSC approved cardboard, meaning its entire Easter collection is now recyclable. Compostable film is also being used for the windows resulting in a 30% reduction in packaging across the mug egg range.

Read full article