PRESS RELEASE

18 May 2005

CRN2005/05/01

For immediate release

CRN UK welcomes new recipes for recycling

Over 350 representatives from social enterprise, local government and the private sector have gathered today in Coventry for the 16th Community Recycling Network UK annual conference. Attracting leading UK and international speakers, the event is showcasing new approaches for the sustainable waste management industry.

CRN UK co-ordinator Andy Moore says: " The sector seems to have a knack of each year coming up with a programme and event demonstrating innovation and intelligent comment that tops even the success of the previous year, and by general consent, we've done it again."

Addressing delegates, Gareth Lloyd, Director of Communications and Awareness for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), expressed WRAP's intention to develop a dedicated campaign tools for the community sector to promote and utilise the Recycle Now programme.

A new recycling system was also unveiled. Following three years of research and development, the recycling engineers TRecs (Total Recovery Systems) will begin collecting materials on their pioneering Household Collection Vehicles (HCVs).

The first phase of operational trials will commence on Monday 23rd May in Lampeter, Ceredigion. TRecs currently collect from the Welsh village using Pedestrian Controlled Vehicles. The new HCVs have a significantly increased capacity equivalent nine cubic metres due to the vehicles unique plastics compaction system.

By connecting the collection method with a reprocessing system TRecs is offering to pay £70 per tonne to any party that takes on the whole package. TRecs currently collects from residents in the Lampeter without any financial assistance from the local authority. Trecs' Director Mike Underwood commented: "The really important thing that we are producing is a system that is a commercially viable unit that doesn't rely on subsidy. This is the main driver. What we are doing is shifting the customer base from paying for disposal, to getting paid for passing on resources."

A consortium of commercial partners has developed the HCV. Commenting on behalf of vehicle manufacturer John Bradshaw, Simon Clipsham said: "We have produced two interchangeable body types. Both systems work on a single-phase overnight recharge, typically costing 50 pence. The range you are going to get from that vehicle will be approximately 20 miles."

Mike Underwood added: "We currently capture around 4kg per household per week, with the new HCVs, once we take kitchen waste, we expect this to rise above 10kg per household per week. In a year's time all that will be left in the average Lampeter household waste bin will be whatever the household has left in the way of nuclear waste, asbestos and nappies."

ENDS

Notes for editors
The Community Recycling Network is a national umbrella organisation for more than 300 community groups, co-operatives and not-for-profit businesses in the community waste sector. Its aim is to promote community-based recycling as the most effective way of tackling the UK's growing waste problem. Its members have achieved some of the highest recycling rates in the UK and offer separated kerbside recycling collections to 1.6 million households - seven per cent of the UK population.

The Community Recycling Network is based at Trelawney House, Surrey Street, Bristol, BS2 8PS, tel: 0117 942 0142.
The CRN website is www.crn.org.uk.
Total Recovery Systems Ltd is based 21 Pier Street, Aberystwyth, SY23 2LN, tel 01970 615010. The TRecs website is www.t-rec-s.com