New Channel for TVs

New research shows that removing lead from cathode ray tubes (CRT glass) may help deal with the growing pile of waste TVs and computer monitors, of which an estimated 100,000 tonnes are currently being sent to landfill each year in the UK.

The TV tube is made up of a number of components, all with varying levels of lead content. The screen itself contains no lead but is fused to the rest of the assembly with a high lead solder glass. The funnel also contains an appreciable level of lead. The average lead oxide content of CRT glass is 5/6%.

The average CRT represents around 55% of glass by weight. This means a significant volume of material is currently escaping the recycling net. Removing the lead from CRT glass also leaves a useable silicate. The work has provided valuable insight into the challenge of recycling such glass and the fact that there is the potential for wider applications for the glass.

Glass Technology Services (GTS), the technical arm of British Glass, together with Precious Metal Industries carried out the research for ICER (Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling) . The research is urgent because of the new European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). The EU is setting challenging targets.
The Directive is likely to make producers responsible for meeting recovery and recycling or re-use targets and for bearing the costs.

Forward thinking will dictate that equipment is designed in such a way that hazardous substances and components can be easily removed to minimise the costs of collection, treatment, recovery and recycling.

As a result of the research project, ICER and GTS have won significant funding from
WRAP to investigate the options which exist for the recycling and reclamation of the
glass.

Tel: 0114 268 6201
Email: mailto:j.knights@britglass.co.uk
Web: http://www.britglass.co.uk

Alcoa Establishes New Goal On Recycled Aluminium Usage

Alcoa Executive Vice President G. John Pizzey urged The Aluminium Association to adopt an ambitious approach to sustainable development that positions the organisation and its members as leaders and innovators during a presentation at the trade organisation's 69th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. on September 30th. Mr. Pizzey also announced that Alcoa has established a new corporate recycling usage goal: By 2020, 50% of Alcoa products, except raw ingot that is sold to others directly, will be made from recycled aluminium.

'The industry is global. The problems are global and the economic solutions are global. So, too, must be the applications of sustainable development principles,' Mr. Pizzey said. 'Sustainable development provides a framework that allows us to address how we do business, how we interact with our plant communities and other stakeholders, and how we look at public policy issues. It is in this context that Alcoa has made a significant commitment to address climate change. This is a core issue for Alcoa, and for the global aluminium industry,' he noted.

Mr. Pizzey recommended that as an industry we continue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and focus on efficiency as the key to emissions reductions. 'At Alcoa, we have a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2010 from a base year of 1990. I'm pleased to tell you that we have already reached 90% of our goal.'

He also suggested that greenhouse gas emission reduction measures start at the shop floor and assessment tools, such as Life Cycle Analysis, be applied to measure the long-term value of aluminium products and the renewable nature of aluminium, and to communicate those characteristics to stakeholders.

New Alcoa Recycling Usage Goal

'Sustainability requires environmental excellence, economic success and social responsibility," Mr. Pizzey told the attendees. "At Alcoa, we have developed a strategic framework that allows each of our businesses worldwide to develop its own goals and action plans within that framework.' These goals will serve as milestones along the way to Alcoa's ultimate vision of a company where:

- All wastes have been eliminated
- Products are designed for the environment
- The environment is fully integrated into manufacturing
- The workplace is free of injuries, spills and leaks, and
- Alcoa is recognised as a leader and partner in every community where it has operations.

Mr. Pizzey also announced a new corporate sustainability goal that Alcoa is undertaking that by 2020, 50% of Alcoa products, except raw ingot that is sold to others directly, will be made from recycled aluminium.

In announcing the goal, Mr. Pizzey said, 'In a little over a century of use, aluminium has a proven record of renewable use; about two-thirds of aluminium ever produced - 440 million tons of a total 680 million tons manufactured since 1886 - is still in use. Setting this goal will allow us to build on that record of a truly sustainable metal.'

Mr. Pizzey said aluminium producers must define their commitment to sustainability with visible and disseminated results. 'Unless we are perceived to be a sustainable enterprise, new smelters will not be permitted, new mines will not be allowed, new residue ponds will not be approved and electric power projects for our industry will not be built.'
To learn more about Alcoa's environmental goals, visit: http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/environment/goals.asp

Schott Glas - Success in the Recycling of End-of-Life Picture Tube Glass

The recycling of end-of-life television and computer monitor picture tubes was for the second time the subject of a symposium held at Schott Glas in Mainz in mid-September. Around one hundred representatives of relevant European enterprises, environment agencies and ministries presented papers and discussed about tasks and solutions in the search for alternatives to the common dumping of cathode ray tubes.

The participants regarded the new European waste regulations as a major progress. For example, a waste key has been introduced into the waste classification system for electronic scrap which includes picture tube glass. This means that picture tubes can no longer be declared as refuse from construction sites or similar waste. Moreover, now already the complete television set or monitor ready to be disposed of is classified as waste requiring special supervision and not just the separated tube. The recoding means that the recycling rate targeted by the EU of 70 per cent for appliances containing cathode ray tubes can only be achieved if the panel glass is also re-use. This makes dumping ever more difficult.

The host, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of television glass and a special glass recycling pioneer, could score a success as well. 'We are very proud of the progress we have made with the recycling of panel glass. This seemed to be rather impossible until now because this type of glass requires the highest levels of purity', explains Dr. Udo Ungeheuer, member of the board and environment officer with Schott when he opened the symposium. Meanwhile, the experimental stage has been completed and end-of-life panel glass could be continuously used at a minimum rate of 15 per cent, which is equivalent to 22,500 tons annually, provided that sufficient quantities are available.

In the two last years Schott has increased the use of recycled television glass from 3,000 to more than 20,000 tons annually. However, much larger quantities could be processed even today, but there is not enough material because a large number of television sets are still being disposed of by electronic scrap recyclers and are not available as raw material. With active acquisition Schott is trying to procure the quantities necessary for economically viable closed-loop recycling.

The environment minister of Rhineland-Palatine, Ms. Margit Conrad, spoke in favour of developing and establishing high-quality recycling processes for electrical and electronic appliances.

The symposium’s agenda included a visit of the plant focusing on television glass production, glass batch house, refuse glass storage and environmental protection installations.

Tel. + 49 (0) 61 31/66-38 34
Email: mailto:juergen.breier@schott.com
Web: http://www.schottglass.co.uk

NuLife Glass Develops a Process to Recycle Cathode Ray Tubes

NuLife Glass has spent many years developing a process to recycle Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT). The company claims to have achieved its goal and can now separate the Lead (Pb) from the structure of the CRT glass. The company is also now ready to recycle CRTs from televisions and computer monitors and is inviting partners and customers from around the world to abide by pending and current legislation, and join it in delivering this environmental solution.

CRTs have never been at such a high level of disposal and the timing of NuLife Glass' process comes in at an appropriate time to meet with new European and world legislations as well as existing legal responsibilities. With the popularity of wide-screen televisions, flat panel computer screens and the ever-increasing requirement for new PCs, CRTs are becoming a regularly discarded item.

'For businesses already involved in the recycling of electronic waste, this is a perfect added value solution for waste producers, this is the answer to the one area of electronics recycling that has never been successfully addressed.' says the company.

Through a network of 'Partners', NuLife Glass can now recycle computer screens and televisions and relieve legal threat that hangs over all local authorities and businesses.

The Law:

Around the world environmental lobbies and governments are recognising the issues of waste in general. In many areas there is focus on particular sectors of waste that are the most harmful such as CFCs in refrigerators, cars, chemical waste and now electronics.

In Europe the WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is being presented to the Council of Ministers during 2002 and will be enacted as a Directive in 2004. Many European nations have taken positive action and have implemented their own national Law already, where manufacturers and importers are paying for the recycling of WEEE.

In the USA the National Safety Council are recommending changes to the way CRTs are handled and how the processes may be funded. New laws will be introduced under the direction of EPR2.

Pollution Laws exist in all countries around the world and are interpreted and enforced locally. NuLife Glass recommends that companies and individuals contact their regional environment department to check the local legal position.

NuLife Glass presented the new process at the Globe 2002 climate change conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The process was well received by companies in the waste sector, government and environmental bodies from all around the world.

One of the highlights of the event was the enthusiasm of Rt Hon John Prescott MP, Deputy Prime Minister of Great Britain, about the process and how it could create skilled jobs from a related diminishing UK industry (crystal glass making). The Joint (DTI & DEFRA) Environmental Markets Unit JEMU were equally pleased with the global response as were Trade Partners UK, who were sponsoring the event.

There were serious enquiries for adopting the NuLife Glass processing plant in Canada, USA, Taiwan, Italy, Germany, China, Mexico and many more including Trinidad & Tobago.

Web: http://www.nulifeglass.com

Caption: Richard Staniszewski on the left, Simon Greer on the right and John Prescott in the middle holding a glass vase made from old televisions and a lump of lead.

Evergreen steel door products now comply with a European Directive on using timber from renewable and well-managed sources.

The doors carry Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation meaning that the timber used in the workable door sub-frame carries a 'chain of custody' certificate so it can be traced back to sustainable forestry sources.

Evergreen's FSC-sourced timber comes from Brazil and is sold exclusively to the company for use on exterior doors.

The use of 100% CFC-free foam in all its door products is another example of Evergreen's 'green' approach to manufacturing. The company also operates several recycling initiatives.

Managing Director Robert Benn comments: 'We are proud to offer our products with FSC approval demonstrating our contribution to the conservation of the environment.'

Evergreen Door supplies steel and fibreglass entrance door systems. It is aiming to achieve the ISO 9001:2000 quality standard later this year.

Contact: Bob Benn (pictured)
Tel: 01924 423171

WRAP Announces Capital Grant Competition to Boost Glass Reprocessing Capacity

WRAP - the Waste and Resources Action Programme has announced a capital grant competition which will boost glass reprocessing capacity in the UK and could lead to a potential increase of between 80 and 160,000 tonnes of post consumer glass used in high value applications.

The competition is specifically targeted at infrastructure in the UK to increase the capacity for producing fine glass powder with a particle size below 90 microns. Several projects funded underway in WRAP's R&D funding programme have been investigating the use of the glass powder material in different industrial applications, including as a fluxing agent in clay brick manufacture and sanitary ware production and as an additive in cement.

If successful, the high value markets for the material could prove to be substantial, for example, total UK annual clay consumption in brick production is 7 million tonnes and 10-15% of clay could be replaced by glass powder flux. Similarly, 12.6 million tonnes of cement were produced in the UK in 2000 and even at a 0.1% incorporation level, a glass powder demand of 126,000 tonnes would be generated.

The research projects are all showing positive results but will require a stable supply of material in order to convince industry to change their production processes. The competition is intended to support infrastructure to produce up to 160,000 tonnes of fine glass powder from at least 2 facilities. The new facilities will become operational by March 2004.

Jennie Price, WRAP's Chief Executive said 'Working on both the supply and demand side of this application will enable WRAP to be the catalyst needed to create a stable market for this recycled material.'

Andy Dawe, Material Sector Manager for Glass added 'High value applications for recycled materials are absolutely fundamental to making recycling economically sustainable in the UK. By specifying it a Key Condition of the project, we will ensure that Bglass is not taken away from the container industry in order to meet this demand.'

From Friday 19th July 2002, the pre-qualification document has been available from the WRAP website http://www.wrap.org.uk

A Clearer Picture of Glass Recycling

Comprehensive information on the current and potential recycling opportunities for recovered glass is now available in a major report commissioned and published by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).

The report, which will be used to inform WRAP's future work to create stable and efficient markets for recycled glass, analyses the current market situation and recycling infrastructure and assesses the potential opportunities for increasing the amount of recycled material used in the future.

Entitled Recycled Glass Market Study and Standards Review, the report has been produced by Enviros and quantifies current waste glass arisings and existing and potential primary and secondary end markets in the UK. The main barriers to developing these markets further are analysed and recommendations are put forward for WRAP's Glass Programme.

WRAP commissioned the report in recognition of the fact that alternative markets and uses will have to be found for recovered glass if recycling levels are to increase significantly in the future. Currently, around 23% of the UK's total glass arisings are recycled, amounting to around 915,000 tonnes a year. This places the UK well behind other European countries, such as Holland and Germany, where recycling rates are estimated to exceed 70%.

With the current review of the EU Packaging Waste Directive proposing a material specific recycling target of 60% for glass by 2006, the UK will need to improve its performance, but the report identifies substantial barriers to increasing recycling levels for the two types of glass which dominate recycling in the UK: container glass and flat glass.

The container glass industry is the principal market for recovered glass, consuming 571,000 tonnes in 2000. While the report estimates that the industry could use an additional 920,000 tonnes of recovered glass a year, colour is a critical factor.

'If the UK were to meet a 60% target in 2006, under current market conditions, all the clear glass recovered could be recycled, but there would potentially be a surplus of over 500,000 tonnes of green and amber glass,' explains Andy Dawe, WRAP's Material Sector Manager for Glass, 'and developing alternative uses for this material is one of WRAP's priorities.'

The report identifies and analyses the most promising new markets for mixed recycled glass, including its use as a secondary aggregate in general fill, road construction and concrete production applications, for water filtration and in glass fibre insulation manufacture. To underpin these alternative markets, the report recommends that WRAP support the development of standards for the use of glass in these applications, and encourage efforts to gain regulatory approval for the use of recovered glass in high value, high performance applications such as drinking water filtration. As part of a major R&D funding programme, WRAP has already approved over £230,000 towards a research proposal from Dryden Aqua in Scotland to set up a 20,000 tonne facility to recycle glass into high quality cullet suitable for drinking water filtration, and to gain approval and market acceptance for its use.

For flat glass, the picture is more challenging, as the largest arisings are in the construction and demolition sector where the levels of contamination currently preclude its use in primary markets which require high quality cullet. In addition, the economics of flat glass recovery and recycling are not underpinned by PRN revenue. The report emphasises the need for more accurate data on waste flat glass and WRAP has already taken action on this front by approving over £370,000 of funding for two R&D projects by the Building Research Establishment and the Steel Construction Institute. The research projects will provide data on the tonnages and types of flat glass used in the UK construction industry, as well as framing materials, and will assess the collection and recycling opportunities.

Further work to develop stronger links with the main players in flat glass recycling is recommended, as well as encouraging Best Practice in the downstream glass processing industry to increase the levels of uncontaminated waste glass which could be recovered. More information on all of WRAP's programmes can be found on the new WRAP website at http://www.wrap.org.uk
Contact: Andy Dawe
Tele: 01295 819910
E-mail: mailto:andy.dawe@wrap.org.uk

Plate Glass Collection Expansion at Berryman

Plate glass processors who face increasing landfill and disposal charges for their waste glass may benefit from a new nationwide service provided by UK glass recycling company, Berryman. It is headed by the recently appointed Nick Philbin, who has an extensive background in the glass industry and cullet recycling.

Berryman is placed to provide a fast and efficient collection service. With collection depots in West Yorkshire, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh, there is accessibility for all of mainland Britain with the 30 strong fleet of specialist collection vehicles.

Most of the waste glass will be taken to South Kirkby, West Yorkshire, where Berryman operates its cullet processing plant. The glass is processed to a high specification ready to be used in a variety of markets. Berryman continually works at developing new markets for waste glass to meet the needs of ever increasing legislative recycling targets.

The company will collect all types of glasses including float, patterned, tinted, mirrored, laminated and wired, up to and including double-glazed units. For the automotive industry, a national collection scheme was introduced during 1999, offering a system for the recycling of windscreens. Vessels range from the manageable bins-on-wheels, and continue through to 30 cubic yard Roll-on-off skips.

Nick Philbin comments: 'Our ability to find growing markets for waste glass makes us
the ideal recycling partner for plate glass processors. Higher costs of disposal and new recycling targets mean that glass companies will have to look far more closely at their methods of collection. Berryman can now provide the most cost effective and reliable solution, tailored to meet the needs of processors.

Contact: Nick Philbin
Tel: 01977 608020
Web: http://www.berryman-uk.co.uk

Dekura Backs EC Recycling Demands

Co-operation between PVCu recycling companies across the UK and Europe is vital if tough new targets on waste disposal are to be met, claimed the UK's leading PVCu plastic recycling company Dekura at Glassex 2002.

Burying the waste profile, which can represent as much as 13% in factories without optimisation, in expensive and scarce landfill sites is no longer going to be an option given the heightened environmental concerns and impending European legislation.

The legislation effectively calls for greater recovery, recycling and reuse of PVCu. The European PVC industry has made a commitment to recycling 50% of the collectable available waste by 2005 for four major market sectors - windows, doors, conservatories and architectural applications.

There is also the question of replacing replacements' work where older PVCu frames are changed for modern designs. This is an increasingly important area of the market, but one that increases the new legislation's impact.

'Although recycling methods vary across different companies, identifying best working practices and major capital investment is going to be required if the success of current initiatives is to be maintained,' comments Dekura.

Dekura says the company is well positioned to play a major role in future recycling initiatives which will be required to meet EC demands regarding the recycling of post- consumer PVC windows, which, like Document L, will affect the whole window industry.

However, despite the promise of European financial assistance to establish sound ecological solutions for dealing with waste PVCu profile, Dekura warns significant capital investment will be required to meet future demand and anticipated increased capacity.

'European assistance is going to be well-received, but we don't think it's going to be enough to satisfy the demand and requirements across Europe. Equipment is readily available that will process in excess of two tonnes of PVCu per hour, but these are not cheap at around £300,000 each. Nevertheless this is an issue that collectively the industry must work in conjunction together to resolve,' says the company.

Across Europe, the Dekura name in six countries is synonymous with recovering some 70,000 tonnes of PVCu per year. This figure is set to increase with the European PVC industry's commitment to recycling 50% of the collectable available waste by 2005 for four major market sectors.

Dekura is actively supporting the two major recycling initiatives promoted by the British Plastics Federation and European Plastics Recyclers EuPR PVC Project.

Established in 1989 at Peterlee, Dekura's business in the UK has grown steadily due to an increased awareness of recycling, stiffer legislation, higher standards and the communication of the recycling benefits to fabricators, extruders and - not least - the environment.

Dekura has been instrumental in lifting industry standards for reliability, collection systems and fast, consistent payment methods. It is now very unusual to find a company that is not recycling its waste PVCu given the increased legislation and benefits of huge savings in waste disposal.

Scrap PVCu profile and offcuts are collected from systems companies and fabricators in Dekura's collapsible cages. The material is graded according to source, type and colour before processing. Last year, Dekura processed nearly 15% more material than during 2000, and this figure is expected to rise by some 10% in 2002.

Correspondingly, Dekura sold 32% more granulate, or processed PVCu material in 2001 compared to 2000. The growth for this year is expected to be around 8%, but could be higher according to Dekura.
Aside from the environmental impact of tackling PVCu waste, impending requirements to recycle old windows is another big issue facing specialists such as Dekura. And this presents new challenges of how to process the diverse components in a typical PVCu window frame, from glass and metal to rubber.

The big problem is co-extruded profile systems and gaskets extruded direct into the extrusion which represent around 20% of our total raw material supply. Dekura expects this figure to increase further over the coming years and fall more commonly in line with Europe: in France and Germany for example it is almost 80 to 85%. Separating rubber and PVCuis not straightforward and is currently done manually on more intensive hand-sorting and specific separation systems.

Rubber gaskets and metal reinforcing are recovered during processing and sent away for recycling. Higher grade PVCu is turned into granules or powder which may be used to make less critical items, such as cills and other associated ancillary products. The lowest grade material, known as 'jazz', is reincarnated as sewage pipe, guttering or cavity closers.

For the sixth year running, Dekura attended Glassex 2002 to promote the successful growth in its customer base and ensure that its customers are kept well informed about forthcoming legislation.
'Dekura expects to further maintain its very strong links with the UK's PVCu window fabrication and extrusion companies and to further reinforce its position as the UK's leading PVCu recycling company.' says Dekura.

The company offers customers a unique, fast and reliable recycling service, covering the entire United Kingdom as well as the Republic of Ireland. It claims to hold most of the UK's leading fabrication companies as customers for its service.

'PVCu recycling is becoming ever higher profile given the commitment to tougher legislation and tighter environmental controls. We are one of the few companies that can provide volume as well as competitive pricing and quality. We have set the standards and intend to keep ahead on new legislation to minimise the impact on our customers,' says Dekura.

Tel: 0191 586 2379

Waste Not, Want Not

Portal Products, the Cheltenham-based PVCu door panel and composite door manufacturer is cutting the amount of packaging waste through the use of a mechanical compactor.

Since the 'crusher' was installed in Portal's yard, it has cut the number of waste skips needed by the company by two-thirds.

In another 'Green' initiative, Portal's own transport vehicles reduce the need for protective packaging. In addition to saving on materials, this also saves time and cost spent on packing.

Managing Director, Peter Shears, comments: 'We are delivering product to more and more customers without excess packaging. From the customers' point of view, less time is spent booking in and inspecting goods and on unpacking.

'This results in significantly less waste and fewer skips. Likewise, the compactor which compresses waste means the skip is now emptied once rather than three times a week, reducing the requirement for landfill space by some 60%,' adds Peter.

Contact: Peter Shears
Tel: 01242 267000
Email: mailto:sales@portal-products.co.uk

AVOIDANCE OF LANDFILL IS A MOVE BACKED BY MPs

The environmental impacts of landfill are at the forefront of today’s green issues and MPs are backing industry initiatives that are tackling these problems. Recycling is one of the main ways in reducing the amount of waste dumped in landfill sites.

Kerry Pollard MP for St Albans, and Dr Ian Gibson MP for Norwich North, recently visited Anglian Windows Ltd manufacturing facilities. Their interests were in the environmental and recycling initiatives being undertaken by the company.

Kerry Pollard MP for St Albans said: 'It is marvellous to see the way Anglian Windows Ltd are recycling everything and sending nothing to landfill sites. I gather they are the only UK company to have developed such a system, which is having a major impact on the environment.'

Many of our European neighbours have experimented quite successfully with recycling of end of life PVCu products but Anglian believe their efforts to be the first serious attempt in the UK to address the issue.

Steve Lawrence, Divisional Sales & Marketing Director for Anglian says, 'The main problem the industry has is the lack of end of life PVCu windows that are being replaced due mainly to the sustained performance of first generation products. The lack of end of life PVCu windows make it difficult to effectively run a recycling programme, although some Public Sector refurbishment schemes are now replacing single glazed PVCu windows with double glazing.'

Apart from off cuts and scrap PVCu profiles, Anglian is using end of life windows to create new products. As well as recycling PVCu material, Anglian is committed to ensuring that no resources are wasted. Initiatives are in place to recycle water, oil, glass, cardboard and polythene and Anglian is continually assessing and improving their processes to recycle more.

This places Anglian in a unique position and as the largest window manufacturer in the sector and they take their responsibilities very seriously.

Anglian believe that with measures such as these and their support of the European Voluntary Commitment - Vinyl 2010, windows manufactured in this way are the green alternative for replacement windows. Anglian’s investment in making products economically available to a wide public sector audience which do not use paints or stains and which do not need the regular maintenance of more traditional products are helping to improve tenants quality of life. Issues such as the new Approved Document L of the Building Regulations are also addressed and resolved on a daily basis by Anglian who are familiar with the practicalities and solutions required.

The changes to Part L have meant significant improvements in efficient manufacturing techniques to ensure the continuous supply of compliant products. An essential part of complying with this revised Building Regulation is that all window manufacturers will need to use low emissivity glass in their products. Low E glass takes, on average, 30% longer to toughen than standard float glass, reducing efficiency and hence throughput. Anglian is installing a new state-of-the-art toughening plant along side two other modern toughening lines that can process low E glass as efficiently as standard float glass, meeting the demand and maintaining high product quality levels.

Anglian believe in the value of working in public sector housing and are in it for the long haul. The investments show that they are not fair weather friends of the sector and are prepared to be proactive about green issues.

The message from Anglian is that they are ready for growth and looking forward to another 30 years supporting their social housing clients; Registered Social Landlords, Local Authorities and Contractors, as they endeavour to meet the Governments 10 year plan for the modernisation of the housing stock.

Tel: 01603 787000

INVESTING IN INNOVATION

• WRAP seeks further innovation to stimulate a step change in UK recycling levels

• Call for WD proposals for projects covering wood, paper, plastics and glass

• Focus on recycled product performance, higher value applications for secondary materials, and collection logistics

Research into recycling received a significant boost as the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced its second round of R&D funding. WRAP is inviting proposals for projects aimed at increasing the use of recycled materials in the UK, and the aim is to promote research into removing barriers to recycling and improving collection and reprocessing methods.

WRAP has put in place a £10m rolling R&D programme to fund research into recycling over the next two years and the second call for R&D proposals covers all four of WRAP's material streams: wood, paper, plastics and glass. The announcement follows a series of seminars organised throughout the UK to explain WRAP's priorities for funding. Entitled `Will WRAP Fund Our Project?', the seminars attracted over 120 attendees, and outlined the research priorities, the criteria to be used to assess and select projects, and the application process.

WRAP Chief Executive Jennie Price said the response to the seminars was very positive and highlighted the importance of R&D for the recycling sector. 'Sound R&D is a key part of making recycled materials and products attractive to a much wider range of users. We are particularly interested in proposals that will open up new areas of the market, or that identify new, potentially high volume and high value applications for secondary materials.'

In the first round of funding, announced in January this year, WRAP approved £3.6m for 21 R&D projects investigating new recycling technologies and market opportunities for recovered materials. These included new end uses for mixed plastics and recovered glass, and improved recycling methods for difficult and contaminated waste streams such as preservative treated timber and chemical drums.

In this second round, WRAP is again interested in receiving proposals to research new applications for recycled materials, and is also looking to fund innovative projects to plug specific gaps in the knowledge base, including:

paper:
higher value uses for paper sludge;
improving quality and cleanliness of secondary fibre;
improving collection and separation systems;

wood:
recycling of treated timbers;
reclamation and recycling of wood from the construction and demolition waste stream;
wood collection logistics;

glass:
more efficient collection methods to increase the tonnage of glass diverted from the waste stream;
improving efficiency and quality of glass cullet processing;
evaluating the use of flat glass in different applications;

plastics:
researching the weather resistance of recycled plastics and plastic composites, and defining what level of performance is required;
evaluating how this performance level can be achieved and certified;

The applications will be scrutinised and selected for funding by expert assessors and WRAP has appointed an independent advisory panel to make final recommendations to the WRAP board. Projects will be competitively judged against key criteria including value for money, contribution to WRAP's material specific targets, and near market strength. The deadline for applications is Friday 26th April 2002 and the successful projects will be announced in July.

Contact: Karen Biggs
Tel: 01295 819940
Email: karen.biggs@wrap.org.uk
Web: http://www.wrap.org.uk

Click here for more information on WRAP

BIFFAWARD FUNDS 'SMASHING' RESEARCH PROJECT

The British Glass Foundation is undertaking a vital project aimed at promoting sustainable development in the glass industry, thanks to a £150,306 grant from Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund managed by RSNC, which utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.

British Glass Foundation is acutely aware of the shortcomings in current recycling programmes in the industry and that a key element in any recycling initiative is the provision of reliable information. Consequently the project aims to provide sound data to assist regulators, businesses and entrepreneurs to make informed decisions regarding potential recycling schemes.

The grant will be used to design a web-based database to disseminate information on alternative uses of waste glass and details of all significant glass waste streams. An environmental audit of the glass industry will also be carried out and research will be undertaken into the current recycling infrastructure to establish possible constraints, both technical and economic.

A technical liaison facility for the benefit of UK universities will also be established, which will form a link between academia and industry and provide assistance to universities in the form of technical advice and provision of samples.

The £150,306 grant includes a £15,030 contribution from the UK Container Industry. Under Govemment regulations only 90 per cent of a grant can be provided from landfill tax - the remaining 10 per cent must come from another source.

Biffa provides a range of public sector, commercial and industrial waste collection services including the management of 38 landfill restoration projects across the UK. The £10 million a year Biffaward fund has been set up, using tax charged on waste taken into landfill sites, to help finance environmental and heritage projects

Martin Bettington, Chairman of Biffaward, said: 'The principal objective of this project is to promote and contribute to new glass recycling ventures through the provision of reliable and detailed information. Biffaward is keen to support this project, which will increase the amount of waste diverted from landfill, through suppIying informed data to policy makers.'

David Workman, Director General, British Glass, the industry trade body, said: 'The grant will enable the further development of work initially addressed in 1993 and designed to find 'Alternative uses for Cullet' to progress in the more appropriate environment of the new millennium. Although numerous potentiaI new outlets for waste glass were identified none were commercially viable with the available volumes and process costs at that time. One of the greatest barriers preventing a new venture making successful transition to a commerciaIly sustainable enterprise is the lack of reliable data. The provision of sound information to both policy makers and would-be entrepreneurs is the principal objective of this project.'

Contact: RSNC
Tel: 0870 036 1000
Fax: 0870 036 0101
mailto:grants@rsnc.cix.co.uk
http://www.biffaward.org

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