A wide range of companies across the industrial spectrum, as well as councils, public sectors organisations and individuals, have won top honours at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) Awards for Environmental Excellence, which recognise and reward best practice in the sustainable management of waste and resources and reduction of environmental impact.
The winners were announced at an event held at the Dorchester Hotel on London’s Park Lane on 31 October 2007. The ceremony was hosted by BBC news presenter Sophie Raworth and the judges included Dr Liz Goodwin, chief executive of the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Trevor Hay of the Health and Safety Executive, John Ingham, environment editor of the Daily Express, Dr Kevin Hawkins OBE, director general of the British Retail Consortium, Simon Chapman of the Freight Transport Association and Owen Jenkins, director of CIRIA.
Steve Lee, chief executive of the CIWM, said: “If we are going to see real change in the way we manage our resources, including waste, every part of society has to be engaged. These awards recognise the efforts being made by public and private sector organisations across a range of industries to implement a more sustainable approach to waste and resource management, to reduce the environmental impact of their operations and to develop new products and practices that deliver a better environmental performance. We are also recognising individual ‘recycling champions’ who have made an outstanding personal contribution through work in their local communities.”
The award categories included Recycling Performance of the Year, Individual Recycling Champion of the Year, Innovative Practice in Waste Management and Resource Recovery and an award for Environmental Excellence.
Winner of the Recycling Performance of the Year Award, presented by Peter Selkirk, CEO of sponsors Taylors, was Hain Celestial Group. The award is designed to recognise excellent performance in recycling across all industries, which can be demonstrated in a number of ways, such as recycling of a new material, finding a market for a waste material, or improving the sustainability of the product or process.
Hain Celestial specialises in organic and natural products, producing around 30 million sandwiches every year for Marks & Spencer from its site in Luton. As well as sourcing organic and natural produce, Hain Celestial has made great strides in its recycling of food and packaging waste. Less than a year ago, it recycled just nine percent of on-site waste but it is now set to achieve its target of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by 85 percent before the end of 2007. In December 2006, the company began segregating its food waste and sending it to a biogas site in Bedfordshire, reducing the number of compactor lifts on site from six to just one per week.
The Individual Recycling Champion of the Year was Danny Piermattei. Danny has been committed to cleaning up his Sheffield neighbourhood since he arrived from Italy in 1996. Within weeks he was out picking up litter and he went on to launch ‘Action For Stannington,’ a community group dedicated to improving the local environment, which now has 5,500 households involved in recycling.
Danny also produces a guide to recycling facilities in the area, has been involved in establishing solar and wind-powered recycling facilities and has become involved with Cot-Age Child Safety, helping to recycle nursery equipment for families in need. The judges commented that he is “a human tornado, passionately committed to recycling” and his efforts are “above and beyond the call of duty.” Danny was presented with his award by Ian Ross, senior executive of award sponsor Enterprise.
The biggest winner on the day was Envar Ltd, which not only won the award for Innovative Practice in Waste Management and Resource Recovery but also the overall Award for Environmental Excellence.
Envar impressed the judges with its collaboration with United Utilities and the owners of the Shotton paper mill, UPM Kymmene Ltd,,to handle the waste from a combined heat and power plant that produces heat and electricity from the co-combustion of paper sludge and biomass fuels.
The Shotton paper mill produces 64,000 tonnes of ash from the thermal process on site and Envar was able to reduce the hazardous nature of this waste, allowing it to apply for an exemption for agricultural use. The waste proved effective as a lime substitute and was therefore excellent in treating pathogens within animal bedding – turning a hazardous waste into a re-usable commodity.
Jonathan Allan, chief executive officer of sponsors Estech Europe, presented the trophy and the host of the awards ceremony, the BBC news presenter Sophie Raworth, said: “Envar’s winning entry highlighted the importance of ‘thinking outside the box’ and demonstrated the positive impact that an innovative approach can deliver.”
Steve Lee added: “Our awards provide an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of, and reward, best practice. The standard of entries was very high, and the judging panel has had to make some tough decisions. My congratulations to Envar, to all today’s winners and also to all those companies and individuals who entered and reached the finals – every contribution in the battle to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency is important.”
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For further information contact:
Debbie Chivers or Mike Holland Pat Jennings
Smye Holland Associates CIWM Communications Office
Tel: 01733 564906 Tel: 01604 620426
Fax: 01733 562051 E-mail: pat.jennings@ciwm.co.uk
E-mail: debbiec@smye-holland.com
