Albion Environmental Waste Management http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog Fri, 04 May 2012 15:22:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (draft) http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=640 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=640#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 15:21:44 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=640 The Scottish Government laid its Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (draft) before Parliament was laid on 15 March 2012. A review of the proposals is provided HERE. If you want help and advice to assist your organisation planning for these changes please do not hesitate to contact us. ]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=640 0 Waste Analysis http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=629 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=629#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:30:14 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=629 Albion Environmental Ltd is pleased to announce they recently conducted a Waste Analysis service through Lend Lease for Avondale.
 
The service can be provided for un-segregated waste, segregated waste and residual waste. Detailed Method Statement and Risk Assessments are discussed and agreed with the client.
Waste analysis will be carried out as per the ‘Scottish Household Waste Analysis Methodology’ specification. This document lists 18 categories in which the waste will be sorted into. In previous waste analyses we have broken down the waste further into sub-categories which total 31 different fractions
 
Albion Environmental Ltd is an experienced Waste Analysis contractor (see attached client list) and we will provide the following as standard-
  • Provision of experienced analysis supervisor.
  • Trained and experienced staff that have completed waste analysis work before.
  • All staff will be trained as a minimum in manual handling, safe handling of waste and needle stick injuries.
  • We will also ensure that at least one member of staff will be an appointed First Aid person for the duration of the work.
  • All necessary PPE for staff as per Risk Assessment.
  • Electronic scales to allow accurate weighing of waste types.
  • All necessary equipment to complete analysis with the exception of wheeled bins to sort waste into.
A copy of our Waste Audit Procedure which includes standard risk assessment, needle stick injury procedure and COSHH assessments can also be provided for your information
Waste Analysis service is primarily geared at gaining good quality, consistent data to allow Organisations to continue to expand and improve their collection methods. For further information and informal discussion please contact us.
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=629 0 Continued Competence England & Wales http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=633 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=633#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:49:10 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=633 As 29th February has now passed, Continuing Competence tests that were required to be achieved by that date have now concluded. If you were required to achieve your test by the 29th February but have not done so, please refer to your Environment Agency regulator for further guidance.
It is now the second period of Continuing Competence testing, lasting from 1st March 2012 to 28th February 2014.
In England and Wales only CIWM and WAMITAB's Operator Competence Scheme (the Scheme) has a requirement for individuals to keep their competence up to date. Therefore all competent persons falling within the Scheme are required to demonstrate ‘Continuing Competence’ and this will be appropriate to the level of risk posed by the facility so that it remains proportional.
The type of facility, and whether this was previously exempt or not, will determine how a person demonstrates they have maintained their competence
More information and full details can be found on the WAMITAB website.
If you need any advice on CoTC or Continued Competence, please contact us on 01292 610428 or info@albion-environmental.co.uk
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=633 0 Waste Management Licence Application Granted http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=626 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=626#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:19:25 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=626 Albion Environmental Ltd recently assisted Express Skips in Falkirk with a licence application and are pleased to annount the Waste Management Licence was granted in April 2012. Albion Environmental Ltd are experts in assisting a variety of facitlities, to ensure they are suitably licensed to allow them to operate at the earliest opportunity. 
If you would like assistance for any planning/PPC issues, please call 01292 610428 or email info@albion-environmental.co.uk
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=626 0 HSE prepares inspectors for fees for intervention http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=623 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=623#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:19:10 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=623 The HSE has just completed a two-week shadowing initiative to train inspectors in its new cost-recovery scheme, which begins next month.
A panel of lawyers revealed this and other details about the scheme, also known as 'fees for intervention' (FFI), to delegates during the 'In court live' session at IOSH12. Companies found to be at fault of a contravention will be charged at £124 per hour.
The shadowing scheme, which ended last week, has therefore focused, in part, on training inspectors to accurately record the time they spend on interventions, so that a judgement over any subsequent fee can be accurately made.
The Executive initially wanted to introduce a challenge process involving three stages, all of which would have been overseen by someone internal at the HSE. However,  the Executive has now decided “not to be judge and jury”, so the third stage will involve the decision and the fee being scrutinised by a panel, including a front-line inspector, someone from the regulator’s policy and procurement department, and an independent individual.
Although the HSE is not intending to charge for advice given by inspectors, the issue of whether the cost-recovery scheme could have an impact in this regard did come up. Paul Verrico, solicitor-advocate at Eversheds, told delegates that the HSE had told him that it is not recruiting any extra staff to administer the scheme, and this alone would mean that the chances of getting advice from busier inspectors, would, potentially, diminish. This view is not, however, held by the HSE, whose chief executive, Geoffrey Podger, described FFI as "a good way to provide us with more resources", when he addressed the IOSH conference in the opening plenary session.
Summing up, Maxwell-Scott described the FFI scheme as one of the most interesting legislative areas to watch. He pointed out that there is a pyramid of health and safety enforcement, and that with around 1000 prosecutions a year and 15,000 enforcement notices a year, the number of formal FFI letters sent to duty-holders can therefore be expected to be even higher.
 
Read full story HERE
Albion Environmental can come to site to do a “no obligation” H&S audit to advise you how you are performing.
In our experience, providing regular H&S inspections for clients which result in ongoing improvements.
This is significantly more cost effective than the £128 / hr charge which could be levied by HSE. To arrange a visit please contact Alasdair Meldrum on 01292 610428
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=623 0 Zero Waste Scotland Business Plan http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=620 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=620#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:17:01 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=620 The current Zero Waste Scotland Business Plan recognises that there is a need to increase the capacity of the workforce to bring about the necessary change in the management of waste to contribute to the development of a zero waste society in Scotland.
 
If you are a representative with an up-to-date and detailed knowledge of the Waste and Recycling industries, you are invited to contribute on behalf of your organisation to a consultation on the skills and training needs that have been recently identified.
 
The research has been funded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), on behalf of Zero Waste Scotland and delivered by Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills) between November 2011 and February 2012. A number of employer interviews were set up to identify the anticipated gaps in skills, training and competence expected in the next decade.
 
To ensure that EU Skills maximise the value from your time and make best use of the information that you provide, they would ask that you consider the following questions to help us identify the most suitable recommendations:
1.     Are there any role changes/skills gaps expected in the next 10 years that have not been considered in the attached document?
2.     Are there any additional training or provision needs that have not been included in the attached document?
3.     How do you think Zero Waste Scotland could help to address these gaps/ needs?
4.     Who should Zero Waste Scotland work with to address gaps in skills and provision?
 
Both EU Skills and WRAP invite comments from members who have experience in this area and have studied the attached document. All inputs to this consultation will be treated confidentially when putting the final report together and individual contributors will not be named.
 
The deadline for a response to this consultation is 5pm on Monday 12 March 2012. Please use the following link to capture your responses: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WRAPConsultation2012
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=620 0 Scotlands Environmental Web http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=617 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=617#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:08:58 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=617 There is a new site online bringing together information on Scotland's environment in one place.
There is nowhere else that environmental data and reports from known and trusted sources can be accessed and looked at in combination.
The site provides straight-forward descriptions of the state of Scotland's environment and key messages that highlight our progress in protecting it.
To view this resource click here
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=617 0 Scotland’s recycling rate reaches 39.8% http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=613 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=613#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:33:54 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=613 Scotland reached a household waste recycling and composting rate of 39.8% for the rolling year to September 2011, according to figures released today (February 27) by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
The figures show an increase of 0.8% when compared to the 12 months to June 2011 (see letsrecycle.com).
However the data was calculated under an old system which was based on local authority collected municipal waste.  In April 2011 a new system was introduced meaning that waste from non-domestic properties, such as hospitals, universities and prisons, is no longer included.
Quarterly
Under the new system SEPA’s quarterly data reveals that for the second quarter of the financial year 2011/12 (July- September 2011), the country recycled and composted 43.6% of its waste – exactly the same as in the previous quarter (April-June).
A spokeswoman for SEPA said the lack of improvement in recycling could be down to seasonal changes affecting green waste tonnage. The figures for the first and second quarters in 2009/10 and 2010/11 also show a similar trend.
Scotland’s composting rate for the second quarter sat at 17.8%, a 0.1 percentage decrease on the previous quarter.
While Scotland’s recycling and composting rate shows no change the figures do show that the amount of household waste collected in Scotland decreased by 2.5% from 718,144 tonnes in the first quarter of 2011/12 to 700,031 tonnes in the second quarter.
Local authorities
The number of councils that broke the 50% barrier compared to the previous quarter dropped from 12 to ten.
Looking at local authorities in detail, East Renfrewshire remained the top-performing council with 58.7% of its household waste being sent for recycling and composting. However this represents a 0.2 percentage point decrease on the previous quarter. Meanwhile North Ayrshire, who shared the top spot last quarter, saw its household recycling rate fall by 2.1 percentage points to 56.8%, putting it in sixth place.
At the other end of the scale the Shetland Islands still had the lowest household recycling rate out of all of Scotland’s local authorities; however its recycling rate climbed three percentage points compared to the previous quarter from 17.6% to 20.6%.
UK comparison
Scotland looks likely to miss its target of 50% recycling by 2013 which was laid out in the Scottish Government’s ambitious ‘Zero Waste’ agenda and which set an overall target of a 70% recycling rate by 2025 and reduce waste to landfill by 5%
The latest figures show that Scotland remains ahead of Northern Ireland which achieved a 42.8% household waste and recycling rate for the second quarter of 2011/12. However Scotland is still lagging behind England and Wales. As of the first quarter of 2011/12 had a household recycling rate of 44%
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=613 0 Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds (AGE 16 to 24) http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=606 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=606#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:49:32 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=606 Introduction
The “AGE 16 to 24” is aimed at helping eligible employers to offer young people employment through the Apprenticeship programme, by providing wage grants to assist them in recruiting their first apprentice.
The National Apprenticeship Service is committed to working closely with WAMITAB’s strategic partners including AoC, AELP, colleges and training providers across the country to deliver their ambition for the AGE 16 to 24.


Background
The National Apprenticeship Service will provide up to 40,000 Apprenticeship Grants to small medium size employers recruiting 16 to 24 year olds with a value of £1,500, to encourage new employers to take on new 16 to 24 year old apprentices.
Priority will be given to small-medium size employers with less than 50 employees and we expect to support at least 20,000 of these to recruit an apprentice for the first time.
The National Apprenticeship Service can support a further 20,000 employers with up to 250 employees who may be recruiting their first or additional apprentices; however their focus will remain a priority to support employers NEW to apprenticeship delivery in the first instance.


When will AGE 16 to 24 be available?
The AGE 16 to 24 is available now until March 2013 for employers who are able to offer a job opportunity to a young person they recruit. Funding will start from 1 April 2012.
However, eligible employers who have employed a new apprentice from 1 February 2012 will be able to apply for the grant, subject to all the other eligibility criteria.
You will claim the £1,500 incentive payment so that the employer is able to receive the grant of £750 at the 8 week stage of the Apprenticeship, with the second £750 when the apprentice has completed 12 months of their Apprenticeship.
Should the apprentice leave or be dismissed, a proportion of the grant will be repayable by the employer at the following levels:
  • If the apprentice leaves or is dismissed between weeks one and eight the employer will not receive the first payment of £750
  • However if at this 8 week stage another eligible 16 to 24 year old is recruited as an apprentice within 4 weeks of the dismissal/leave date, no element of the grant will be recovered
  • If the apprentice leaves or is dismissed before completion of their Apprenticeship framework the employer will not receive the second payment of £750.
The £1,500 is in addition to the costs of training which for young people aged 16 to 18 are already fully met by the National Apprenticeship Service, with half the costs met for those aged 19 to 24.
The payment is a grant and is exempt from VAT.


Which employers are eligible to receive this new AGE 16 to 24 payment?
The aim is to support new employers to offer new jobs in support of young people.
WAMITAB particularly want to support small and medium sized employers who are interested in employing an apprentice for the first time, or who have previously employed an apprentice more than 3 years ago and now wish to employ additional apprentices over and above their traditional level of recruitment.


What is expected of training providers?
Providers will need to ensure employers are eligible under the terms of the grant and work with them to understand their commitment when applying for it.
Employers will sign an agreement which will include:
  • Confirmation of the number of apprentices they will be taking on as a result of this incentive (to a maximum of 3)
  • Confirmation that they wouldn’t have taken the apprentice on without this additional incentive
  • A commitment to employ the apprentice for at least the time it takes to achieve the Apprenticeship framework. If they fail to do this some or all the grant will be clawed back
  • Confirmation that they are aware of and do not breach any state aid rules
  • Agreement to pay the minimum Apprenticeship wage of £2.60 per htheir – although most apprentices receive more than this
  • Confirmation that they have not taken on an apprentice in the previous three years.*
*Not eligible if the employer employs an apprentice with an Individual Learning Record (ILR) start date of April 2009 or after.
As an approved network of training providers we will be responsible for processing payments to employers. Employers should receive two prompt payments – £750 when the young person reaches the 8 week stage of their Apprenticeship Programme and a further £750 after 12 months.


Who will manage and administer the funding?
NAS will manage the AGE 16 to 24 and will work closely with the Skills Funding Agency who will administer the funds on their behalf.


How will training providers be reimbursed for AGE 16 to 24 payments they pay eligible employers?
Payments will be made through the Skills Funding Agency on behalf of NAS on a monthly basis.
Training providers will not be paid a fee to administer the wage incentive. Providers will benefit from additional starts and ‘easier’ employer engagement. WAMITAB will keep the system as simple as possible to ensure that the additional burden on providers is kept to a minimum.
WAMITAB have decided not to give each provider an allocation of wage incentive places, as we want the programme to be led by employer choice. Therefore funds will be allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis, but with providers expected to submit ‘pipeline’ information to Skills Funding Agency/NAS to help manage demand.


Employers can check their eligibility by:
  • Visit apprenticeships.org.uk and complete the online web enquiry form
  • Call the National Apprenticeship Service on             08000 150 600      
  • An adviser from the National Apprenticeship Service will contact the employer to discuss the support available in more detail
  • Or they can contact you as their local Training Provider direct. CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ALBION ENVIRONMENTAL LTD (Tel: 01292 610428)
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=606 0 Technical Manager Role http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=602 http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=602#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:29:06 +0000 Albion http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?p=602 Albion environmental is currently looking for a Technical Manager to assist with our ever expanding workload.
Full details on S1 Jobs – click here for details
]]> http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=602 0