NowRecycle Blog

An enlightened group of local authorities in north Belgium have joined forces - as IOK Waste Management - in order to work collectively to reduce waste across their 29 municipalities encompassing almost 500,000 inhabitants.

With demanding government-set targets of reducing annual household waste to a maximum of 150 Kg per inhabitant by 2010 whilst keeping waste management costs low, IOK turned to one of Europe’s leading waste management and recycling companies, Plastic Omnium, to help them achieve their objectives.

In order to encourage householders to increase recycling without increasing budgets, IOK knew it was essential to introduce a strategic programme that would stimulate waste prevention, provide separate collection, and promote recycling.

To help them do this, IOK adopted Plastic Omnium’s Ecosourcing system so that they could better understand their residents’ waste habits and set a financial incentive to encourage them to recycle more, with the ultimate aim of reducing mixed household waste.

A pilot programme was introduced in one of the key localities, Mol, covering 12.500 residents and combining both rural and urban areas. The Mol pilot was focused on implementing three key elements of the Ecosourcing solution; measurement and weighing, variable charging, and communications.

The process began by measuring and registering waste containers to individual homes and fitting them with an identification tag. The Ecosourcing ID and Weighing System then enabled IOK to automatically weigh the waste containers by the systems on the collection vehicles and generate individual invoices based on the actual residual (i.e. non-recyclable) waste produced by each householder.

This variable charging system was carried out by generating invoices once a year on a ‘pay as you throw’ basis with average invoices reaching about €18 - around £12. The project proved highly successful in stimulating waste prevention and increasing recyclate through better sorting. The pilot also allowed local authorities to test all aspects of running a long-term ‘pay as you throw’ operation to enable the scheme to be rolled out to other municipalities.

The Mol pilot project also helped create the highly-targeted communications campaigns that have since been implemented across all IOK locations. It created an effective programme of regular meetings to be followed for all campaigns that brought together IOK as a group, Plastic Omnium together with specific working groups. These were made up of key representatives who would be involved in the roll-out and success of the scheme including local politicians, finance and marketing specialists, technical teams and the police etc.

A direct communications campaign aimed at residents was also implemented, led by Plastic Omnium and solely focused on persuading the public to recycle more. This involved personal communications to householders through three direct mailings, info-brochures and door-to-door surveys. This worked alongside more general communications tools such as posters, videos, information panels, hotline services, info-meetings, in addition to dedicated websites and local press – all of which were utilised to ensure householders were fully informed on the new services at every individual stage.

The results of the pilot phase were hugely encouraging; household waste was reduced from approximately 550 Kg per person to 121 Kg per person in Mol between 1998 and 2005, the reduction in waste treatment cost was down 33% and collection costs were down 20%.

Plastic Omnium’s Ecosourcing solution has now been operational across IOK municipalities
since 1998 and demonstrates a dramatic change in residents’ behaviour and commitment to recycling principally because of charging. In addition to decreasing mixed household waste in all 29 municipalities, it has also succeeded in reducing the global cost of waste management.

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Consultation with the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) has helped Plastic Omnium develop a special bin to aid visually impaired householders to segregate and recycle their waste.

The waste and recycle scheme was first introduced in June last year. Although using Braille to identify different bins was considered by Plastic Omnium, the RNIB was consulted to advise on other options. Peter McCann from Plastic Omnium explained:

“The RNIB told us that only a few of those registered disabled are actually blind and even fewer read Braille. Besides, who wants to have to run their hands all over a bin every time they empty out their rubbish?

“So we choose different coloured and shaped lids as well as Braille to ensure we responded to every type of visual impairment.

“The real beauty of these new bins is that they help everyone segregate and recycle more. Everyone can associate the colours with different types of waste – black for residual, green for garden and blue for cans and plastics.

“Blackpool Council is the only local authority we know of to recognise the very specific needs of some its residents – it’s a real breakthrough for a local authority to take this responsibility on and we’re confident these new bins will help them as they continue improving their recycling rates,” he added.

Sibonne Brewster from the RNIB said: “We feel the system is a simple and positive way of improving access for blind and partially sighted people and it is very encouraging that these steps have been taken.”

With support from Onyx, approximately 8,000 bins are collected and emptied on a daily basis for Blackpool Council’s residents.

Paul Taylor, Head of Streetscene at Blackpool Council, said: “The speed at which the new system has been implemented has been fantastic. More than 40,000 households are now on the new scheme, so you can imagine the complexity of the implementation programme for Plastic Omnium and Onyx.

“It’s gone relatively smoothly, however, and our recycling rates are continuing to rise as a result of this programme of segregation.”

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Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

Councils wishing to ensure that apartment dwellers can recycle more easily now have a new solution.

The nature of the properties - communal waste areas with restricted access for residents and waste collectors, and limited room in the apartments themselves – means that practical difficulties prevent otherwise willing householders from recycling as much as they’d like to.

The knock-on effect for local authorities is that recycling performances can suffer.

However, Plastic Omnium has provided Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) with the answer and residents in 150 apartment blocks can now recycle on their ‘doorstep’.

Plastic Omnium worked with Trafford MBC to develop a series of wheeled bins, each with a different colour lid to represent glass, paper and cans/tins. The bins, ranging from a capacity of 240 litres to 400 litres depending on the number of residents living in the building, are stored next to residual waste bins in common areas and emptied fortnightly by the council’s contractors, Veolia.

Dave Elliott, sales executive at Plastic Omnium, said the coloured lids were crucial in helping people differentiate between waste streams.

“We initially introduced the concept of colour-coded lids for those with limited sight,” said Elliott. “However, feedback indicated that the fully-sighted also found that they helped them recycle more, so we thought it made sense to roll the idea out to a wider audience.”

Paul Harvey, Trafford MBC’s director of environment, said it was important to identify ways of engaging the householders in flats and apartments.

“In Trafford, apartments and flats account for 17 per cent of housing stock. We wanted to make sure people in those properties had an equal chance to contribute to our recycling efforts,” he explained.

Plastic Omnium had already provided Trafford MBC with 48,000, 240-litre green bins for garden waste collections, enabling the council to recycle over 6,000 tonnes of green waste in 2005/6.

Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

Plastic Omnium, Europe’s largest waste containment and recycling company, has won a contract to supply 400-litre, four-wheeled bins to Aberdeen City Council.

The order follows a trial which saw the bin being used in the commercial sector. 200 bins will now be implemented across the city.

Howard Kershaw, waste collection and transport manager at Aberdeen City Council, said there were several reasons for choosing the 400-litre wheeled bin:

“For commercial collections these bins give added capacity and are safer and easier to handle. In the past, we’ve struggled with manoeuvrability issues but after trialling this new bin, we’re confident that we’ll see an end to those problems,” he commented.

Peter McCann from Plastic Omnium said the bins were proving increasingly popular for both commercial and residential sectors:

“These bins have four wheels, rather than two, which means the weight is evenly distributed and they don’t have to be tilted to move them. That’s becoming more appealing to local authorities who rightly place such emphasis on the health and safety of their collectors,” he commented.

Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

Plastic Omnium has developed a new recycling awareness system called OptiSystem that could dramatically increase recycling rates in Britain. OptiSystem has many substantial commercial, environmental and public benefits.

OptiSystem works by using ultrasound sensors positioned inside a bring bank or waste container. These sensors send a mobile phone text message informing the refuse collector when it is nearly full, or full, and ready for collection, depending on the chosen bin setting. This message updates a database that allows local authorities, or waste management companies, to analyse waste volume by location.

Using GPS (global positioning satellite systems), the location of the bin is registered and logged as either red (requiring collection), amber (nearing maximum level) or green (below collection level) for operatives to organise collections.

Plastic Omnium’s OptiSystem is a very cost-effective commercial solution as the receptacle is only emptied when it is full or nearly full. Perth & Kinross Council, who are trialling this system, estimate that collection costs on average around £10.00 per mile (including the cost of fuel, labour, and vehicle depreciation). By using OptiSystem, they aim to substantially reduce these costs and save time.

Environmentally, optimal collection frequency also results in less pollution. Finally the public benefits from fewer overflowing bring banks once this system is in place.

Simon Dutta, marketing director of Plastic Omnium, said, “currently Britain has an average 22% recycling rate compared with mainland Europe that recycles 50-60% of its waste*. OptiSystem will save public money and help to lift these figures.”

* Source: DEFRA

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Ends

Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

In response to requests by its customers, Plastic Omnium is launching its new Ecosourcing ‘doorstepping’ service giving local authorities a greater understanding of their residents’ recycling habits using face-to-face contact. Doorstepping has been tried and tested in mainland Europe by the company to change householder behaviour by monitoring their current recycling habits and then offering motivational feedback and advice.

Plastic Omnium’s doorstepping team can contact thousands of householders a day. It bridges the gap between how much householders believe they’re recycling and their actual waste habits.

A typical campaign has two distinct elements.

The first ‘bench-marking’ stage is used to survey current recycling behaviour and identify collection needs. For example, a resident might request a wheeled container, instead of a kerbside box, to help them recycle more. This also helps engage residents in the recycling movement.

Plastic Omnium then identifies householders in need of changing their recycling behaviour which is the second stage of doorstepping - implementing a highly targeted and fully integrated communications campaign. This can comprise return face-to-face meetings, leaflets, text messaging, roadshows, direct mail, web support and a whole range of other methods.

Doorstepping is a continual chain of communications to identify the successful recyclers and those who are failing - rewarding the winners and guiding those in need of help.

The whole programme is further supported, if required, by Plastic Omnium’s Ecosourcing identification and weighing system which corroborates recycling performance by measuring waste output at householder level. It’s this information that’s compared with householder feedback on the doorstep.

The aim of this campaign is to motivate householders to increase recycling and to educate them on why it’s important to recycle.

Simon Dutta, marketing director of Plastic Omnium said, “this process works. We offer many types of services and door-to-door contact with the householder is the preferred choice by many of our customers. Indeed the Government fully supports this scheme and recognises it as best practice.”

Ends

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Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

Backed by the Health & Safety Executive’s laboratory research findings, Simon Dutta, head of marketing and customer service at Plastic Omnium, Europe’s leader in waste containment, explains why plastic is the material of the future for bins.

In a report on waste collection, the HSE reports1: ‘Whilst there is a high awareness of the risk associated with hazards such as transport and sharp objects, the perception of risks associated with manual handling is much lower.’

We have a health and safety problem - the waste industry is one of the most dangerous to work in. Every year, 4,000 accidents happen to an estimated 160,000 workers in waste management1. Accident rates in the trade and domestic waste collection industry are four times the national average and fatalities are ten times the norm2. An estimated 40,000 more will join the ranks of waste workers by 2010 in order to meet the Government’s 30% recycling target1.

This summer, the HSE ran a major national initiative focused on reducing the incidence of back pain at work because musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational illness in Great Britain, affecting 1.1 million people a year. MSDs accounted for 23% of all injuries sustained in the waste and recycling industry in 2002/3.

HSE’s findings

So what can be done to reduce that risk of injury? A bin made from lighter-weight materials is one of the solutions according to an HSE report which explores ways of reducing accidents in the waste industry.

Plastic bins are safer than metal ones because they’re lighter to manoeuvre especially in the larger 360 and 1100 litre containers used in the commercial sectors. The largest group of accidents involve manual handling.

Dr Andrew Pinder – who led the research on behalf of the Health & Safety Executive - said: “we were looking at the risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders which are a real problem in refuse collection. The study found plastic-wheeled bins are preferable to metal ones as their lightness makes them easier to manoeuvre.”

Plastic Omnium’s worldwide experience is that plastic is the material of choice for bins and in mainland Europe, metal bins are rarely seen.

Dr Pinder concurs, “the vast majority of research done on this matter is European and is consistent with our findings. Wheeled bins offer clear health and safety benefits over refuse sacks, and plastic bins are preferable to metal ones. Refuse sacks don’t protect operators from injuries from sharp objects in the waste, and manually handling them is rife with risks for musculoskeletal disorders – operators’ postures often involve awkward stooping and twisting as they lift and carry bags and often have to raise their hands above their heads as they toss bags into the back of the truck.”

Plastic Omnium offers its customers both plastic and metal bins – but it and its customers - recognised long ago that plastic is preferable. Customers prefer plastic bins for their ease of operation as well as their superior resilience. Plastic bins are also more hygienic in operation and they don’t rust or corrode as metal ones do.

A wheeled plastic bin also makes less noise as it’s walked across any surface compared with a metal one. That’s going to become increasingly important as we move towards an 18 or 24-hour service economy where people sleep at very different times of day.

The Health & Safety Laboratory’s report says that the best bin for the job depends on a range of factors: volumes of waste, recycling systems, terrain, architecture, road layouts and traffic, local feeling on wheeled bins and the time of day of collections.

But safety is never far from the top of operators’ agenda which is why more bins will be made of plastic in the future.

Safety as investment not cost

As a waste operator or a local authority, it’s critical to have a safe workforce and that makes for a happier workforce. Safety shouldn’t be considered as a cost, it’s an investment. That investment pays you back time and time again in the form of fewer absences and compensation pay-outs as well as higher productivity.

Safety’s beyond complying with the letter of the law. It’s more about listening to what staff want or need in order to do their jobs safely. That helps them take ownership of the issue. If operators were asked which bin they’d prefer, they’d ask for plastic bins. There is a strong case for the need for regulation to decide which sizes of bins are best for which applications. Regulation would help choose the safest container for the job in addition to the one which gives the highest commercial yield. By choosing plastic, customers obtain the benefits of the bin being the most commercially viable and the safest option.

Operators prefer plastic

Another interesting point in the HSE report is that the harsh working conditions of waste collection - early starts, lots of walking as well as the manual work involved - lead to fatigue which workers tend to get used to. There are also few real meal breaks. The physical nature of the job means workers are relatively healthy and the unfit (and unwilling) are filtered out early on.

But the waste collectors retiring today may be harder to replace.

The emphasis with school leavers today is to look towards university and professional jobs in the service economy where waste management may not be at the top of the list. Yet another compelling reason why the industry needs to lighten up its act.

The Health & Safety Laboratory’s report can be viewed at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2002/hsl02-21.pdf

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1 Source: Health & Safety Executive Mapping health and safety standards in the UK waste industry Research Report 240, Crown Copyright 2004
2 Source: Health & Safety Executive 13 June 2005 press statement

Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

Plastic Omnium is urging local authorities to employ simple yet effective woven bags to encourage safe and eco-friendly manual recycling in apartments.

The Kubitri bags that are printed with a recycling message are one of the most reliable and secure methods of recycling objects like glass bottles, which are liable to break during transportation in weaker, less supportive, plastic bags.

Ian Collins, managing director of Plastic Omnium, says “the problem with recycling waste from apartments is the manual handling issue of how you can best persuade occupants to take their waste to a central collection point without risk of injury when negotiating steps or lifts.

“Crucially you need to find the right receptacle for each household and, in our experience that entails undertaking a door-to-door survey. One of the securest methods for carrying waste from an apartment to a container is with a woven bag. The handles on the bag make it easy to carry in comparison with gripping a box. It also offers people the flexibility to make as many, or as few, trips to the recycling point as is convenient for them.

“Plastic bags tend to only be used once or twice before being disposed of, which in itself creates another recycling requirement,” added Collins.

Plastic Omnium also caters for residents with disabilities which prevent them from recycling, by using door-to-door surveys to ascertain individual requirements.

- Ends -
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A global world leader in waste containment - Plastic Omnium - believes technology is the key to raising recycling rates. head of marketing of Northern Europe, Simon Dutta explains why.

The future of world residential municipal solid waste (MSW) is changing.

Globally, environmental pressures are mounting and especially on those 166 countries who signed-up to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The international treaty assigns mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to signatory nations.

Householders are directly responsible for significant climate change as municipal waste in landfill contributes to greenhouse gas emissions as well as being the least sustainable method of waste disposal.

America produces 236 million tons of MSW per annum of which only 55 million tonnes (23.4% .) is recycled. Since 2001, the Bush administration has withdrawn the US allegiance to Kyoto. In its place, George Bush outlined a controversial alternative plan for the reduction of US emissions.

Waste reduction and recycling is very much on the agenda at the moment as this November (2006) saw MEPs meeting in Brussels to halt the growth in waste production in Europe which produces over a billion tonnes of waste each year. Among the decisions made, the committee supported a five-stage waste hierarchy and called for the European Commission to put forward waste reduction measures to halt the growth of waste by 2012.

Technology will help reduce landfilling in Britain to 75% of the 1995 levels by 2010 (as set out by the Landfill Directive which was adopted by the European Union in 1999). The Netherlands has the highest record with 65% of residential waste being recycled or composted and just 3% going to landfill with the rest being incinerated.
Most countries understand the need to boost recycling figures. The UK’s fast running out of landfill space. The average household recycles 27% and is on target to lift to 30% by 2010 according to Defra which also wants to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill.

Even in America - where there seems to be limitless space for landfill - there’s recognition of the need to recycle as there’s a finite pool of global raw materials.

Something needs to be done

Technology is the key to increasing recycling rates, effectively.

‘Intelligent bins’ are leading the way forward. What seems like an idea worthy of a sci-fi novel, intelligent bins are an important technological advance which is already increasing global residential waste recycling rates.

Technological measures to boost recycling

But how will technology really boost household recycling rates?

The central concepts of RFID tags, identification and weighing and ‘intelligent’ bins are the main advancements in residential waste management. These concepts are already well-accepted in Europe and working well.

Intelligent bins work on several levels.

They can be wheeled bins with embedded microchips so that when they are scanned by the waste collection vehicle, they ‘marry’ the bin to its household. The vehicle is also fitted with technology which weighs the contents of the bin and again tallies that to the household. The data is recorded on an onboard computer to see how much each household is generating.

A Radio Frequency Identification or RFID tag or microchip is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving information using radio waves. These smart tags specifically use wireless technology, such as wi-fi, RFID, Global Positioning System and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).

The beauty of these tags is that they allow not only identification of the bin itself but also specific confirmation of the recycling figures particular to each household. Using wireless technology also gives operators the ability to track the movement of that bin.

Europe leads on the ID and weighing front

In many European countries, for example Switzerland, variable charging is very much in place, green issues are high on the agenda and consequently recycling rates are high.

The average Swiss refuses to throw away glass and paper. Why would they when bottle banks are located in every supermarket and every town has a free paper collection once a month? Aluminum and tin can be taken to local depots, batteries handed over at the supermarket and old oil or other chemicals deposited at special sites.

The incentive to recycle lies in the cost for throwing away rubbish. It soon adds up especially when faced with a charge per bag of at least €1 (67 pence). €1 buys a special sticker to be fixed to a bag.

No sticker, no rubbish collection and the bag is left outside your house to rot.

Similarly, in Rome householders who do not separate their rubbish, can be fined up to €619 if they have a recycling bin within 500 metres of their front door. Whilst in Denmark, often seen as the ‘greenest’ country, Government figures for 2003 suggest that 31% of all household waste was recycled, while 62% was incinerated and only the remaining 6% becoming landfill waste.

It seems that by introducing variable charging, operators automatically increase recycling rates but would that work in any country?

Plastic Omnium’s Ecosourcing identification and weighing system gives the operator the power it needs to change behaviours as well as the basis for a charging structure. The system’s proved itself across Europe (see Sictom case study).

Part of this system is doorstepping which uses a PDA or handheld computer to collect household data from face-to-face interviews so that local authorities are accurately aware of their residents’ recycling habits.

Once again technology aids the recycling process. A recycling team can reach a multitude of householders and easily record their recycling habits using a practical, time-efficient and succinct system.

The results provide insight into the gap between how much householders believe they’re recycling and their actual outputs. Where a gap is identified, integrated communications campaigns serve to more deeply engage householders and change their habits. Those communications can be sent just as easily on paper or SMS text message.

Ecosourcing also provides for blacklisting non-payers and improving collection efficiencies.

The Ecosourcing cradle-to-grave solution tracks and manages waste containment, billing, reporting and customer communication. The real beauty of the system is that it provides local authorities and waste management companies with detailed reports on their customers.

That information can be used to reduce costs, improve overall efficiency and increase the service experience for the customer. For example, collections are stamped for date, time and location as well as determining missed lifts to prevent customer disputes.

Management reports validate ‘white’ lists, optimise pricing, improve times between lifts for the round and allow highly sophisticated, communication campaigns to improve recycling targets.

Intelligent bins can communicate in other ways.

The talking bin

Plastic Omnium has developed a so-called ‘talking bin’, called Opti’System that informs the local authority of its waste levels.

This 007 technology sees each bring-bank fitted with ultrasound sensors and remote messaging systems which send an SMS text to a local authority database when nearing full.

Each message updates a local authority database and allows for constant monitoring as well as savings on manpower and fuel. A [GPS] traffic light system - red, amber and green – grades and informs the office of collection urgency.

This awareness system will see the end of overflowing bring-banks in car parks and contribute to the smooth running of the recycling initiative.

Opti’System is currently being trialled by Perth & Kinross Council in a bid to reduce costs, time and lift recycling figures. They estimate that a waste collection vehicle costs £10.00 per mile - including fuel, labour and depreciation. Intelligent bins will undoubtedly help reduce these outgoings, as well as lessening environmental damage by running a targeted collection only when needed.

The key implications of this technology

We all need and want to see an international push to raise recycling rates.

RFID technology is going some way to achieve this by gathering useful recycling information that can reduce landfill, stopping so-called ‘fly-tipping’, streamlining the management of refuse, providing data to support grants for recycling initiatives and thereby encouraging recycling.

Although the positive implications outweigh the negative ones, operators should bear in mind that, like all technology, RFID can breakdown and fail. For example an SMS text message could get lost in transmission or a full bring-bank could remain uncollected or broken for weeks.

It’s the intelligent application of technology that makes the biggest difference.

Looking towards a greener future

With some parts of mainland Europe, particularly Germany and Switzerland recycling 50-60% of their waste and the UK currently at 27%, we are left to question their superior performance.

In countries like Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands, it appears that ID and weighing systems happily sit well with government recycling initiatives and seem to work effectively at lifting recycling figures. But are other countries - such as Britain - ready for this change?

If we are to protect the future of our planet, we all need to measure up to the benchmark set by Denmark and the Netherlands - some of the world’s ‘greenest’ countries. We must also adhere to our Kyoto promises.

I believe it doesn’t matter how we go about achieving a greener future. Whether it’s by political pledges or local authority means, our focus must remain on ensuring rates rise.

For example America may have failed to sign-up to the Kyoto agreement under the Bush administration but in Philadelphia they are using a new incentive scheme that works well for them and could work well for countries considering the pay-per-throw system eg Britain.

Cascade Engineering in America has successfully piloted an RFID system using free vouchers as a reward and fines for poor recycling. Could this be the future of successful recycling rates? (Please refer to the Cascade case study.)

To pave the way forward we will eventually need to change our recycling habits and come into line with the majority of high European recycling statistics.

Whether we use ‘intelligent bins’ in tandem with carrot-and-stick schemes or just pay-per-throw penalties, only time will tell.

[1666 words excluding text boxes]

Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

A global world leader in waste containment - Plastic Omnium - believes technology is the key to raising recycling rates. head of marketing of Northern Europe, Simon Dutta explains why.

The future of world residential municipal solid waste (MSW) is changing.

Globally, environmental pressures are mounting and especially on those 166 countries who signed-up to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The international treaty assigns mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to signatory nations.

Householders are directly responsible for significant climate change as municipal waste in landfill contributes to greenhouse gas emissions as well as being the least sustainable method of waste disposal.

America produces 236 million tons of MSW per annum of which only 55 million tonnes (23.4% .) is recycled. Since 2001, the Bush administration has withdrawn the US allegiance to Kyoto. In its place, George Bush outlined a controversial alternative plan for the reduction of US emissions.

Waste reduction and recycling is very much on the agenda at the moment as this November (2006) saw MEPs meeting in Brussels to halt the growth in waste production in Europe which produces over a billion tonnes of waste each year. Among the decisions made, the committee supported a five-stage waste hierarchy and called for the European Commission to put forward waste reduction measures to halt the growth of waste by 2012.

Technology will help reduce landfilling in Britain to 75% of the 1995 levels by 2010 (as set out by the Landfill Directive which was adopted by the European Union in 1999). The Netherlands has the highest record with 65% of residential waste being recycled or composted and just 3% going to landfill with the rest being incinerated.
Most countries understand the need to boost recycling figures. The UK’s fast running out of landfill space. The average household recycles 27% and is on target to lift to 30% by 2010 according to Defra which also wants to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill.

Even in America - where there seems to be limitless space for landfill - there’s recognition of the need to recycle as there’s a finite pool of global raw materials.

Something needs to be done

Technology is the key to increasing recycling rates, effectively.

‘Intelligent bins’ are leading the way forward. What seems like an idea worthy of a sci-fi novel, intelligent bins are an important technological advance which is already increasing global residential waste recycling rates.

Technological measures to boost recycling

But how will technology really boost household recycling rates?

The central concepts of RFID tags, identification and weighing and ‘intelligent’ bins are the main advancements in residential waste management. These concepts are already well-accepted in Europe and working well.

Intelligent bins work on several levels.

They can be wheeled bins with embedded microchips so that when they are scanned by the waste collection vehicle, they ‘marry’ the bin to its household. The vehicle is also fitted with technology which weighs the contents of the bin and again tallies that to the household. The data is recorded on an onboard computer to see how much each household is generating.

A Radio Frequency Identification or RFID tag or microchip is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving information using radio waves. These smart tags specifically use wireless technology, such as wi-fi, RFID, Global Positioning System and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).

The beauty of these tags is that they allow not only identification of the bin itself but also specific confirmation of the recycling figures particular to each household. Using wireless technology also gives operators the ability to track the movement of that bin.

Europe leads on the ID and weighing front

In many European countries, for example Switzerland, variable charging is very much in place, green issues are high on the agenda and consequently recycling rates are high.

The average Swiss refuses to throw away glass and paper. Why would they when bottle banks are located in every supermarket and every town has a free paper collection once a month? Aluminum and tin can be taken to local depots, batteries handed over at the supermarket and old oil or other chemicals deposited at special sites.

The incentive to recycle lies in the cost for throwing away rubbish. It soon adds up especially when faced with a charge per bag of at least €1 (67 pence). €1 buys a special sticker to be fixed to a bag.

No sticker, no rubbish collection and the bag is left outside your house to rot.

Similarly, in Rome householders who do not separate their rubbish, can be fined up to €619 if they have a recycling bin within 500 metres of their front door. Whilst in Denmark, often seen as the ‘greenest’ country, Government figures for 2003 suggest that 31% of all household waste was recycled, while 62% was incinerated and only the remaining 6% becoming landfill waste.

It seems that by introducing variable charging, operators automatically increase recycling rates but would that work in any country?

Plastic Omnium’s Ecosourcing identification and weighing system gives the operator the power it needs to change behaviours as well as the basis for a charging structure. The system’s proved itself across Europe (see Sictom case study).

Part of this system is doorstepping which uses a PDA or handheld computer to collect household data from face-to-face interviews so that local authorities are accurately aware of their residents’ recycling habits.

Once again technology aids the recycling process. A recycling team can reach a multitude of householders and easily record their recycling habits using a practical, time-efficient and succinct system.

The results provide insight into the gap between how much householders believe they’re recycling and their actual outputs. Where a gap is identified, integrated communications campaigns serve to more deeply engage householders and change their habits. Those communications can be sent just as easily on paper or SMS text message.

Ecosourcing also provides for blacklisting non-payers and improving collection efficiencies.

The Ecosourcing cradle-to-grave solution tracks and manages waste containment, billing, reporting and customer communication. The real beauty of the system is that it provides local authorities and waste management companies with detailed reports on their customers.

That information can be used to reduce costs, improve overall efficiency and increase the service experience for the customer. For example, collections are stamped for date, time and location as well as determining missed lifts to prevent customer disputes.

Management reports validate ‘white’ lists, optimise pricing, improve times between lifts for the round and allow highly sophisticated, communication campaigns to improve recycling targets.

Intelligent bins can communicate in other ways.

The talking bin

Plastic Omnium has developed a so-called ‘talking bin’, called Opti’System that informs the local authority of its waste levels.

This 007 technology sees each bring-bank fitted with ultrasound sensors and remote messaging systems which send an SMS text to a local authority database when nearing full.

Each message updates a local authority database and allows for constant monitoring as well as savings on manpower and fuel. A [GPS] traffic light system - red, amber and green – grades and informs the office of collection urgency.

This awareness system will see the end of overflowing bring-banks in car parks and contribute to the smooth running of the recycling initiative.

Opti’System is currently being trialled by Perth & Kinross Council in a bid to reduce costs, time and lift recycling figures. They estimate that a waste collection vehicle costs £10.00 per mile - including fuel, labour and depreciation. Intelligent bins will undoubtedly help reduce these outgoings, as well as lessening environmental damage by running a targeted collection only when needed.

The key implications of this technology

We all need and want to see an international push to raise recycling rates.

RFID technology is going some way to achieve this by gathering useful recycling information that can reduce landfill, stopping so-called ‘fly-tipping’, streamlining the management of refuse, providing data to support grants for recycling initiatives and thereby encouraging recycling.

Although the positive implications outweigh the negative ones, operators should bear in mind that, like all technology, RFID can breakdown and fail. For example an SMS text message could get lost in transmission or a full bring-bank could remain uncollected or broken for weeks.

It’s the intelligent application of technology that makes the biggest difference.

Looking towards a greener future

With some parts of mainland Europe, particularly Germany and Switzerland recycling 50-60% of their waste and the UK currently at 27%, we are left to question their superior performance.

In countries like Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands, it appears that ID and weighing systems happily sit well with government recycling initiatives and seem to work effectively at lifting recycling figures. But are other countries - such as Britain - ready for this change?

If we are to protect the future of our planet, we all need to measure up to the benchmark set by Denmark and the Netherlands - some of the world’s ‘greenest’ countries. We must also adhere to our Kyoto promises.

I believe it doesn’t matter how we go about achieving a greener future. Whether it’s by political pledges or local authority means, our focus must remain on ensuring rates rise.

For example America may have failed to sign-up to the Kyoto agreement under the Bush administration but in Philadelphia they are using a new incentive scheme that works well for them and could work well for countries considering the pay-per-throw system eg Britain.

Cascade Engineering in America has successfully piloted an RFID system using free vouchers as a reward and fines for poor recycling. Could this be the future of successful recycling rates? (Please refer to the Cascade case study.)

To pave the way forward we will eventually need to change our recycling habits and come into line with the majority of high European recycling statistics.

Whether we use ‘intelligent bins’ in tandem with carrot-and-stick schemes or just pay-per-throw penalties, only time will tell.

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Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583

Plastic Omnium has launched a new recycling bin collection called ibac designed to aesthetically enhance the environment and boost waste streaming.

With a choice of pastel, pearlescent and translucent shades, ibacs have the potential to become the bin of choice for the more discerning householder. Enabling users to see their waste levels makes people more aware of their waste habits which in turn, helps reduce waste outputs. Sorting behaviours improve with ibac as yellow bins represent packaging, blue denote paper and green for glass.

The ibac range is also fitted with Clip-Com, Plastic Omnium’s innovative new communication tool. Clip-Com is a transparent sheet that clips onto individual bins, carrying any type of information a resident or employee finds helpful.

Simon Dutta, marketing director of Plastic Omnium, said, “ibac is about as desirable as a bin gets! It’s the first choice for users who want a bin that looks good and can improve waste sorting. Local authorities looking to improve recycling rates now have a colourful solution!”

Ends

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Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.

Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583