Can Composting Make You Stinking Rich?

According to a news report by WRAP, the UK composting industry generated over £165 million last year by processing over 4.5 million tonnes of organic waste. 88% of this originated from local authorities as part of municipal waste collections (household, schools, churches etc.).

An increasing amount (currently 36%) of the compost produced is fully certified to BSI PAS 100 (the national specification for quality compost). This means that composters can generate even greater income as they can charge for processing the organic and food waste in the first place and can then sell the end product for agricultural use.

"Keenan" In-Vessel Composting Solution in Aberdeen

In-vessel composting, where the waste is treated “in vessels” (who could have guessed?) to enable it to reach higher temperatures, also allows for the composting of meat, fish and oil scraps so it’s a complete system for a wide range of organic waste.

All in all things look pretty rosy for composting companies, especially as businesses start to think about their own organic waste and composting firms begin to work with collection companies (or set up their own collections) to provide collections for local businesses. However, all may not be as perfect as it seems in the world of organic waste recycling as it seems some stiff competition may be on the horizon in the form of another way to deal with organic waste which generates energy and a viable compost: anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities take advantage of the highly flammable methane gas (aka biogas) produced by decomposing matter (aka biomass) when it breaks down in the absence of oxygen (i.e. anaerobically) to generate energy (aka clean electricity). As you might expect from a large sealed container full of waste matter AD plants don’t just produce gas. You are also left with a digestate and waste water, both of which require further treatment before being used or disposed of into the environment. This could be a disadvantage compared to the relatively straightforward composting method.

Both systems have pros and cons but both ultimately divert food waste from landfill so get the thumbs up from us. However there is a note of caution: burning methane does release CO2. So unless you capture and store the CO2 produced from burning methane you arguably don’t solve the whole problem. In-vessel and other forms of composting don’t produce methane because the decomposition occurs aerobically (in the presence of oxygen) and the only by-product is a relatively small amount of CO2 (certainly compared with burning methane). However, just to complicate matters further, the life-cycle of methane means that it breaks down within 12 years in the atmosphere. Therefore, although it is more effective as a greenhouse gas (some 25 times more effective than CO2) it is only effective over a much shorter period. CO2 stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years so is potentially more of a concern. Either way, CO2 is the gas getting all the headlines so a recycling company won’t want to contribute to CO2 emissions if it can be avoided.

Overall the science behind the two processes seems to just about favour AD over in-vessel composting in terms of some key factors: speed, quality of end product and associated benefits of the biogas (provided it is used to generate electricity and not released into the atmosphere). However the jury is still out about which benefits the environment most.

Time will tell which system is adopted by businesses. There is certainly room for both processes as they arguably fill different niches in terms of the end product. A farmer wants a ready soil improver, which composting provides. An industrial estate would probably prefer clean electricity, so would go down the AD route. Ultimately, it’s horses for courses.

Migrating Servers

*Update*

The migration is over. Casualties are reported as minimal (just the odd Crocodile attack) and the website now works again.

Just like the wildebeest of the Serengeti, our servers have been migrating this morning to pastures new. This means the website is temporarily without a home. I apologise to any visitors who wanted to make use of the website but can assure you it will be back up and running very shortly.

Migrating is frustrating

Thank you for your patience.

Heavy Wine Bottles Get Hammered

As reported on the Waste Aware Business news page earlier today a high profile wine critic has decided to ignore the heaviest glass bottles when it comes to recommending to readers what wine to drink.

How Heavy is too Heavy?

Even the most delectable amrita will be cast aside if it arrives in what Tim Atkin deems to be excessive packaging. It’s a bold move and one which highlights the efforts being made by those with influence towards more environmentally friendly options. Tim lays a lot of the blame with Spain, Italy and Argentina who seem to have some kind of machismo desire to produce weighty bottles to match their beefier wines.

Without seeing a clear carbon footprint analysis of the wine bottles concerned it is impossible to accurately gauge how much importance we should place on choosing lighter bottles. But we don’t need to get the calculators out to know, via the wonderful medium of common sense, that reducing glass packaging weight will lead to a number of benefits:

1. less fuel to transport the wine to its final destination.
2. fewer raw materials required to produce the bottles therefore less resources required to obtain those materials.
3. less fuel to transport the raw materials that make up glass to the wine bottle manufacturers
4. less fuel to transport the wines to our homes
5. less glass waste overall in UK
6. lower weights of waste in recycling trucks – less fuel and increased capacity

So, although the finer intricacies of the overall benefit to the environment (such as the origin of the glass and whether we will recycle lightweight glass as much) are still to be ironed out, it still seems sensible to support Tim’s stance on this.

Research by WRAP (pdf), as part of their Glassrite project, suggests that there are a number of factors to consider when making bottles lighter but concludes that

Modern manufacturing methods allow glass manufacturers to produce wine bottles that are significantly lighter than was previously possible, without compromising safety.

It’s now up to the manufacturers to prove that they have the bottle to address this issue properly.

Does recycled packaging matter?

As picked up by several news websites today, Kimberly-Clark Professional (KCP) have launched a global campaign which aims to show customers that the overall sustainability of a product relates to more than just how it is packaged. KCP provide business to business products under brands such as Kleenex, Scott and Kleenguard.

A spokesperson from KCP said

It’s a complex issue and not just about having recycled packaging, but other things like water and energy consumption and the amount of waste generated too.

We look at being creative with our products, for example, a more absorbent wipe means you use fewer. That’s beneficial to the environment and the buyer, and we want to inform customers about the choices we make as a brand.

A cynical observer might comment that this sounds like someone looking for an excuse to avoid using recycled packaging. However, underneath the corporate sheen lies a valid and important point which relates to something fundamental underpinning our entire environmental effort: why we do it.

It’s certainly not for fun. Being a harbinger of doom is no one’s idea of a good time. The real reason that huge amounts of money, time and energy are being invested into these issues is to try and slow down, stop and ultimately reverse the effects of climate change which are irrefutably making this planet less safe for our species.

And how can we do this?

Very simply by eliminating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The CO2 Cycle - we need to break it

I won’t go into all the ramifications for failing to do this with regards to water, food and habitat but it is too easily forgotten that all efforts towards sustainability are centred around this key issue.

Why am I making this rather elementary point now? Simply because, unless a change in product design or specification (or indeed any environmental initiative) actually leads to a reduction in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it is pointless.

So using recycled packaging (or indeed product) by itself may be pointless. To be worthwhile it has to result in reduced carbon emissions. And that isn’t guaranteed just by being recycled. The entire manufacturing process, journey and disposal options of the packaging has to be examined to work out, through scientific and rigorous calculation, what CO2 impact it will have.

A topical example:

You run a toilet paper factory in Slough, UK. A sales person from the Shanghai Recycle-More Paper Processor (catchy name) calls to say that they produce reams of 100% recycled post-consumer paper waste and you can have it shipped and trucked to your toilet paper factory on a weekly basis. However, you’ve also just taken a call from a sales person from a local, well managed forest where the transport emissions are minimal and deforestation is a non-issue because of the sustainable re-planting policy by the forest. By using the local forest you also don’t have to consider the CO2 generated during the recycling process itself, which a true carbon footprint of recycled paper must do. Both are roughly the same price. Which do you go for?

In purely environmental terms, you need to consider which generates less CO2. In this case it is going to be the non-recycled material.

Mind you, how many toilet paper factories have a well managed forest on their doorstep? The likely reality is that careful measurement will be needed to determine the best source of materials.

This issue is especially complex when it comes to renewable sources of products and packaging such as paper and cardboard. Using these doesn’t necessarily reduce the overall availability of the material as they can theoretically be grown again (provided, again, that the source is well managed). Where the packaging is metal or oil derived (plastics and rubber) there is a very good chance that the recycled option is better, overall, than using virgin material. This is partly due to the massive energy consumption and waste generation from extracting these materials from the earth in the first place.

It is also a matter of clever design. By designing packaging in a way that allows more to be transported in each truck, you reduce the amount of fuel required per item. It sounds like common sense but I would be willing to bet that in the past half-empty or poorly-loaded pallets and lorries were a common feature on our roads. Fortunately this is one of those issues which, once resolved, both saves the business money and helps the environment: a win – win.

So, back to the original question of the post, does recycled packaging matter? The answer is yes but only if the business can demonstrate that it has led to an overall reduction in CO2 emissions. Otherwise it’s just an exercise in futility.

An exercise in futility?

has been picked up on several news websiteshas been picked up on several news websites

Plastics Recycling Trends in 2009

An interestingly titled report fell into my lap today: The Compelling Facts About Plastics 2009.

According to the authors (Plastics Europe – The Association of Plastics Manufacturers) the report aims to

illustrate the life-cycle of plastics from development and production, through their many uses, to the advances made in recovering plastics at their end-of-life phase.

This is very relevant to all of us in Scotland because, from householders to big industry, we all use plastics in a number of ways.

A couple of stand out facts emerge;  the first is that demand for plastics as a whole dropped off significantly (by over 30%) since the start of the recession last year. On a positive note for the environment this means less plastic waste. However, and this is where it gets more interesting, the reduction in demand has caused prices to crash. This in turn has sent the price of plastics from virgin sources well below the price of recycled plastics, thus stopping the demand for recycled plastics. This in turn caused a crash in the price of recycled plastics which meant it was suddenly not as profitable to process plastics for recycling. This is obviously not so good for the environment, which goes to show that economic growth and protecting the environment can co-exist where, for example, increased demand for recycled materials increases the price and makes a market for recyclables more sustainable. In the long term of course, recycled materials may be all that’s available if raw materials from the Earth have run out.

Plastic Europe summarise the situation thus:

[From 2008-2009] the total quantity of plastic waste generated will decrease year-on-year. Recycling volumes in Europe are expected to decrease between 5-10 % for the first 6 months of 2009, and for the full year are expected to be at a lower level than in 2008. Due to the drastic reduction in demand for recyclates, prices fell by more than 50% in latter part of 2008, but have since gradually recovered. Especially for higher quality recyclates the market shows a positive trend. This indicates the need for strong national recovery schemes, with sufficient financial reserves and programmes to improve the quality of the collected plastics.

They argue that the quality of the plastics recovered is key to maintaining a steady market for it. This theme has come up before and makes me wonder about the quality of recyclates collected more widely. Do households really wash their tins, bottles etc before they go out? Do businesses segregate their waste before collection?

The report can be downloaded here.

Evolution leads to recognition for Waste Aware Scotland

It’s not everyday that someone recognises the work you do and when they do it’s certainly worth celebrating. On this occasion a new approach by Waste Aware Scotland has reaped rewards. What is the new approach and how is it different from what came before I hear you ask. Well my dear reader, settle down and I’ll tell you.

Dr Nicki Souter, our campaign manager, collecting the award (from Richard Lochhead MSP). Examples of the new style can be seen in the background.

Back in the days when recycling in Scotland was a new thing to do (in the early part of this new millenium) Waste Aware Scotland realised that showing people pictures of food cans with bits of food on them or rubbish all covered with other rubbish was unlikely to be effective in getting people to recognise their waste as a resource. So the decision was taken by our erstwhile leader, Nicki Souter (above), to use stylised black and white images of empty bottles, cans, boxes etc. to “normalise” waste. In other words to make people see that an empty bottle is a thing of worth – not a thing to be thrown away at the earliest opportunity.

How it all started - stylish, black and white photos

Over time the Scottish public really took this message on board and we now recycle over 33% of waste in Scotland, a huge achievement. It is widely recognised that materials have value and should be preserved and appreciated for what they have done and what they can do in future. So a drink can has the potential to live again, provided we place it into our recycling bins.

A few years ago our approach evolved. Gone were the black and white images and in came high-resolution, colour photos which served a similar purpose but refreshed and updated the materials we used around Scotland, in conjunction with most of the Local Authorities.

Progression to colour refreshed the campaign

Last year the approach evolved again, this time in a fairly revolutionary way. The idea was to get specific – to relate to people’s actual experience of dealing with their waste. To show people what goes where and link this to actual products and real life brands. This was a major undertaking because permission had to be obtained from the manufacturers, retailers and others to show their images in a waste context. We had to convince them that we would be respectful of their logos and packaging. Most agreed with our approach and were happy to sign up. Without this agreement the new style would have never worked so we must give thanks to big businesses who recognise the importance of recycling. We also need to thank local authorities who, in conjunction with our campaign officers, have embraced and rolled out the new style in their areas.

Recognisable images. Clear instructions. Simple.

The new style is easily transferable to any situation where waste can be segregated. It can be produced on posters, leaflets, truck signage, postcards or anywhere else that the public might look. Speaking of which, we also need to give thanks to you, the Scottish public, for coming on this journey and putting your waste in the right place to allow local authorities to process it.

Another example of how the new style can work

The Communication Award we have received from the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) recognises the power of the approach we have taken.

Details of why we won are as follows:

ISWA is proud to announce that “Waste Aware Scotland Recycling Campaign” has been awarded the ISWA Communication Award 2009.

The jury found that overall the communications campaign run by Waste Aware Scotland to enhance the recovery of waste from households and therefore to meet national recycling targets was the best of the four nominations put forward for the ISWA Communications award in 2009. The members of the judging panel were impressed by several aspects of the communications campaign, including:

• Piloting of the campaign

• The buy-in from stakeholders, especially food manufacturers and retailers

• Your range of presentation materials

• Linking local municipalities into a national campaign

• The extensive evaluation of the results.

The judging panel therefore felt that this campaign could act as an exemplar for other organisations seeking to raise awareness of the considerable range of products and materials which households could place in recycling bins.

Of course, all the awards in the world mean little if we do not achieve our real goal which is to minimise waste to landfill in Scotland. View a video of the award ceremony, featuring Richard Lochhead MSP, on YouTube by clicking here.

Richard Lochhead MSP opens our new offices

Today we were visited by the Scottish Environment secretary Richard Lochhead MSP. He was here to officially open our new offices in Stirling. As you may be aware Waste Aware Scotland is one of several programmes within the environmental chairty Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB).

John Summers OBE and Richard Lochhead MSP

Mr Lochhead also used his visit to launch Stirling Council’s new initiative to reduce food waste and to present Waste Aware Scotland (that’s us) with the 2009 International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) Communication Award for its new, innovative recycling campaign. The award is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work of my colleagues and the management here.

A new KSB website was also launched during the event, making it easier for the public, local authorities, businesses and other Scottish organisations to access support and information about the seven programmes KSB administers.

Celebrating 42 years in the Stirling area, KSB is headed by chief executive John Summers OBE and is one of Scotland’s longest running environmental charities. As he opened our new headquarters Mr Lochhead said “The number of successful projects run by KSB is testament to the good work they have done over the past years, and will continue to do. I challenge the team to continue bringing environment messages to all corners of Scotland – now more than ever; with the Scottish Government’s zero waste vision and the threat of climate change we need to know how we can do more.”

I hope I speak on behalf of all staff when I say we are very grateful to Mr Lochhead for taking the time to come and see us. He delivered a rousing speech which demonstrated the Scottish goverment’s support for our work and the wider environment, which was very welcome.

Blog Facelift

Regular visitors will notice a couple of cosmetic changes to the blog. For a start the header has been replaced with a new, more eye-catching design. Other than that and a couple of minor colour changes you can find all the same information. In fact the changes should make old posts easier to access; you can see latest posts under my picture on the right and access older posts using the drop down “Older Posts” menu.

You can also subscribe to the RSS feeds for either comments or posts on the site using any RSS reader (included with some browsers). Just click the RSS buttons at the top right of the home page. To those unfamiliar with RSS feeds they are basically a way of subscribing to news/information on the web. You get updated when a new post/item is published which saves you having to visit the website for updates – they come to you.

I hope you like the changes.

Would you like to host our recycling directory?

At Waste Aware Business we have developed a miniform which allows other websites to host a small version of our Scottish Government funded reuse and recycling directory. We are currently looking for partners to host the miniform.

Hosting it, which is free and simple to set up, means that visitors to your website can seamlessly access reuse and recycling services in Scotland using the fully functional drop down menus from within your website. When they click “search” a new window then pops up with the search results in our website. All the maintenance and changes to the directory will continue to be done at our end. The miniform is effectively a “window” to the data stored on our servers.

To add the form you just have to copy and paste a short piece of simple HTML code. The end result will look like this:

This is just an image so the drop down fields don't work.

Click here to see it in action on one of our partner websites.

It is also being hosted by two Chamber of Commerce websites, including Renfrewshire (http://www.renfrewshirechamber.com/) at the bottom of their homepage.

The proposal is intended to be mutually beneficial as hosting websites will provide visitors with an extra resource, completely free of charge, and we get the extra visitors when they click search.

If you want to be considered as a host then please contact me: info@wasteawarebusiness.org.uk. We are particularly keen to hear from sites which receive visits from Scottish business owners and managers and which have an environmental or business support function.

You Can Now Rate This Blog

In a bold and perhaps foolish move I have added a ratings tool to the Waste Aware Business blog which allows visitors (that’s you) to rate blog posts, pages and comments throughout the site. This is for two reasons. Firstly visitor levels have reached the point where I can potentially get meaningful statistics from the ratings I get so long as a fair proportion of visitors take the time to provide feedback. Secondly and more importantly it will help me to shape the direction of the blog in the future.

Rate This...

Writing blogs is a bit like whistling into the wind. You know the tune you’re playing, but you have no idea if anyone else can hear you, or indeed if they like what they hear.

Thanks very much.

Ratings from visitors may help to overcome this difficulty, so will be trialled over the next month or so to see what kind of feedback we get.

Please feel free to re-visit old posts and rate them as well. You can access them from the calendar on the right or simply by scrolling down the pages.

Please note you have to visit the full blog post (by clicking on the title) to enter ratings. Thanks in advance for the feedback.