Category Archives: Waste Analysis

MyBins App – Transforming Waste Management for Households and Councils 

With the MyBins App, households and Councils across the UK can adopt a smarter, more efficient approach to waste management.  

Designed to simplify your recycling efforts, enhance council services, and promote sustainability, MyBins is the ultimate tool for modern waste management. 

For Households: Convenience at Your Fingertips 

The MyBins App is packed with features to make managing your waste and recycling simple and stress-free: 

Bin Reminders: Never miss bin day again! The app sends timely notifications to remind you which bin to put out. 

“Which Bin?” Finder: Wondering where to toss that tricky item? Use the app to find the correct bin for your waste. 

Customisable to Your Needs: Tailored to your area’s bin schedule, the app ensures accurate and up-to-date information. 

What users are saying: 

South Ayrshire: “Great app, especially the reminders for which bin to put out and when. I like the easy-to-understand ‘what goes in each bin’ too.” 

Dundee City: “Bin app makes a huge difference to me. Love it. Thanks for creating it.” 

For Councils: Efficiency and Engagement 

Councils are finding immense value in the MyBins App through: 

Improved Communication: Push notifications and updates ensure residents stay informed about changes in waste schedules. 

Data Insights: Gain valuable insights into waste habits to inform future services. 

Scalable Solutions: Customisable backend options allow councils to integrate their unique waste management needs. 

Council Success: South Ayrshire Council representatives have highlighted the app’s continuous development and its role in building strong working relationships with their team, ensuring enhanced waste services for residents. 

Key Benefits 

Simplified Waste Management: Clear instructions on what goes where, reducing contamination rates. 

Sustainability at Scale: Encourages better recycling habits, lowering landfill contributions. 

Tailored Features for Growth: Upcoming opportunities include bar code scanning for recycling and integrating Digital Deposit Return Schemes. 

Join the Revolution 

Whether you’re a resident or council, this app is your gateway to better, more sustainable waste practices. 

If you’re in South Ayrshire or Dundee City, download the MyBins App now and see the difference it makes – available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 

Click here to learn more about the MyBins App  

For any enquiries, please email: mia@albion-environmental.co.uk 

The Big Plastic Count: What Happened at the Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations and What’s Next?

At Albion Environmental, we are committed to helping tackle the global plastic pollution crisis, and as part of this mission, we are following the latest developments surrounding the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. Last week, world leaders gathered for the fifth round of talks in Busan, South Korea, and the outcome was a mix of challenges and hope for stronger action on plastic pollution. 

 

The Key Takeaways: What Happened at the Negotiations? 

 

While the outcome of the talks was not as conclusive as many hoped, there was progress. The negotiations aimed to finalise the details of a Global Plastics Treaty, but governments were unable to agree on a final text. The sticking point? Plastic reduction targets. 

Here is the positive news: many countries, including the UK, refused to accept a weak agreement that would fail to address the root cause of plastic pollution. Over 100 countries now agree that the Treaty must include specific targets to reduce plastic production and consumption. This is a major victory in the fight against plastic pollution. Governments like the UK held firm and pushed back against the plastics and fossil fuel industries, who lobbied hard to keep plastic production high. 

The negotiations are far from over. In fact, this will set the stage for more intense discussions when talks resume in 2025. The momentum we have built over the past year, including the support from campaigns like The Big Plastic Count, is stronger than ever. We can look forward to pushing for a much stronger agreement that holds governments accountable for meaningful reductions in plastic production. 

 

The Lobbying Pressure 

 

While we celebrate this success, it is clear that the fight is far from over. The presence of the plastics and fossil fuel industries in Busan was undeniable – more than 220 lobbyists from these industries were on the ground, outnumbering the entire European delegation! These powerful groups will continue to try to weaken the treaty, pressuring world leaders to back away from serious reductions in plastic production. 

That is why it is essential to maintain our pressure on governments to prioritize the environment over industry interests. This means continuing to demand action on reducing single use plastics and ensuring that the voices of the millions of people around the world who care about the planet are heard loud and clear, especially in the face of such intense lobbying. 

 

Greenpeace’s Bold Action 

 

One of the highlights of the week was not just the negotiations in the conference rooms, but the bold actions taking place outside of them. Greenpeace activists took direct action against a tanker loading toxic plastic chemicals, sending a powerful message to world leaders. Among the activists was Alex from the UK, who explained their motivation: 

“We are taking direct action here today – stopping this plastic shipment – to urge world leaders to listen to the voices of the millions of people around the world, along with scientists and businesses – who are demanding they cut plastic production to stop plastic pollution.” 

This dramatic demonstration was just one of the many ways the public and environmental groups are making their voices heard. Whether it is through direct action, signing petitions, or taking part in initiatives like The Big Plastic Count, we all play a part in making plastic reduction a priority. 

 

What’s Next for The Big Plastic Count? 

 

With the negotiations set to resume in 2025, it is clear that the work is far from done. But The Big Plastic Count and the growing global movement against plastic pollution are more important than ever. The pressure we have applied so far has helped secure a stronger position in the negotiations, but we need to keep pushing for real change. 

At Albion Environmental, we will continue to monitor these negotiations and stand alongside campaigns like The Big Plastic Count to advocate for stronger plastic reduction targets and policies. We encourage everyone to stay involved, stay informed, and keep the pressure on governments to secure a Global Plastics Treaty that truly addresses the scale of the plastic crisis. 

Achieving Accreditation Success: A Case Study with Restructa

Introduction 

At Albion Environmental Ltd we are dedicated to helping businesses excel in environmental management and health and safety practices. We are proud to share a recent success story with Restructa, a leader in waste television and display screen recycling, who has achieved ISO9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 accreditation with the help of our consultancy services. 

The Challenge with Restructa’ s ongoing success and continuing growth, they realised the need for expert guidance to successfully re-accredit to BSI’s rigorous standards. With the accreditation process approaching, they sought our support to help them navigate this critical period. 

 

Our Approach 

To ensure Restructa’s success, we provided comprehensive HSEQ cover and implemented a structured support plan that included: 

  • Weekly Preparation Meetings: We held regular meetings with Restructa’s team to outline steps and establish clear objectives for achieving accreditation. 
  • Internal Audits: Our team conducted thorough internal audits to identify areas of improvement and ensure compliance with ISO standards. 
  • Auditor Engagement: We were in attendance throughout the BSi assessment process ensuring that all necessary documentation and processes were in place for a smooth evaluation. 

 

The Result 

As a result of our collaborative efforts, Restructa achieved ISO 9001 accreditation in July and has now been recommended for ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 accreditation. This accomplishment not only underscores their commitment to quality, environmental sustainability and occupational health and safety but also positions them as a trusted business in the recycling industry. 

 

Conclusion 

At Albion, we pride ourselves on delivering tailored consultancy services that empower businesses to achieve their goals. Whether you need HSEQ cover, preparation for accreditation, or guidance through internal audits, our experienced team is here to support you. 

 

If you are looking to enhance your quality, environmental management and health and safety practices, contact us today to learn how we can assist you in achieving your accreditation goals! 

Email: Andrew@albion-environmental.co.uk 

Telephone: 01292 610428

Resourcing Scotland Conference Introduction by Alasdair Meldrum

Join us for a deep dive into Scotland’s waste management landscape, as presented by Alasdair Meldrum at the Resource in Scotland Conference on November 14th. This session explores Scotland’s waste production, recycling metrics, and opportunities for improvement within the industry.

 

Key Points:

  • Waste Production Overview: Scotland produces around 10 million tonnes of waste annually—roughly two tonnes per person. Major contributors are construction and demolition (4–5 million tonnes), commercial waste (just above 3 million tonnes), and household waste (about 2.5 million tonnes).
  • Current Recycling Practices and Discrepancies: Although reported recycling figures suggest a 62.3% rate, actual recycling, based on definitions, stands closer to 30%. Materials like paper, plastics, and metal are often only packaged and exported, not fully recycled in Scotland.
  • Data Quality Concerns: Alasdair highlights issues with data accuracy in reporting, questioning whether Scotland is genuinely capturing the value in waste materials. Efforts to improve data quality, initiated in 2017, appear to have lost momentum, leaving significant room for better tracking and reporting.
  • Household Waste Insights: Contamination levels in recycling bins are high, with an estimated 18% of material being non-recyclable or non-target material. Actual doorstep recycling sits below 30%, despite national efforts suggesting a higher rate. The financial impact of this contamination results in a £130 million annual disposal cost that could be reduced to £40 million through improved recycling habits.
  • The Way Forward: There’s a clear opportunity for Scotland to improve both the quality and handling of recyclable materials, with substantial potential benefits in cost savings, environmental impact, and job creation within the waste sector.

 

Final Thoughts:

This presentation underscores the need for better public engagement in waste separation, refined data collection, and industry cooperation to realise Scotland’s recycling potential fully.

For more insights, watch the full presentation with slides on our YouTube channel or listen to the audio on Rubbish Talk or your preferred Podcast Platform. Follow us on social media for updates and future discussions.

 

 

Recycling Quality Matters: Why Your Habits Can Make or Break the Process

How good are your recycling habits?

Do you understand how your habits can impact the success of whole recycling operations?

Recycling helps to reduce the carbon emitted from creating new things; it is a crucial aspect of sustainable resource use; and if waste materials are recycled, they are less likely to wind up polluting the environment.

However, the waste recycling industry faces several issues – not only can it be difficult to find a market for recycled end-products, but it can also be hard for waste management companies to source high-quality input materials for the recycling process.

The potential lack of good input materials can hamper the quantity and quality of the new raw materials produced by recycling.

Even just a small amount of waste contamination within incoming materials can wipe out the value of the end-product resources.

Waste management can be improved with better collection and sorting of recycling waste. Furthermore, awareness on which materials can and cannot be recycled, and which waste streams should be used for various items, could be enhanced, both within industry and in the public sphere.

For instance, here at Albion we recently conducted a waste compositional survey for a local authority and found prominent levels of contamination within multiple waste streams.

The council in question provides householders with multiple types of recycling bins (alongside a residual bin), and each of the bins studied contained some level of contamination:

  • Metal and plastic bins – 13% of the waste content should have been placed in a different type of recycling bin and 19% should have been put in the residual waste bin.
  • Paper and card bins – 7% of the waste content should have been placed in a different type of recycling bin and 10% should have been put in the residual waste bin.
  • Glass bins – 22% of the waste content should have been placed in a different type of recycling bin and 6% should have been put in the residual waste bin.
  • Residual bins – 72.3% of the materials could have been recycled.

Householders are often getting it wrong when using their recycling bins. This offers an opportunity for enhancing waste management, and more specifically, the quality of recyclates. To increase recyclate quality, it is crucial that more focus is given to education on how to dispose of recyclable materials correctly. Organisations using measures to learn exactly what is in their waste stream and investing time and money into developing innovative ways to efficiently separate their waste on-site, can often benefit from lower disposal costs, and new revenues.

Here at Albion, we have qualified, experience consultants that can conduct waste analyses, and help provide expert solutions on how a business or council could improve its waste sorting and collection processes, as well as highlighting the materials that ought to be targeted for this. Upon passing over our findings, we can sit down with the relevant teams and assist in the development of an informed, effective strategy for improving quality of recyclates.

Find out more about how we can help with waste compositional surveys here.