Robin Hickey looks at Nuclear Power Challenges

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Robin Hickey discusses the Nuclear power challenges need for alternative energy sources

Robin Hickey - Nuclear PowerRobin Hickey reports that Hitachi has agreed to build a series of new power stations in the UK is good news, following months of uncertainty. And the medium term spectre of British lights flickering under the duress of insufficient electrical generation capacity is now reduced.

Robin Hickey thinks that the need to rely on large scale, long term projects to keep the lights on in the UK has pointed out the value of alternatives as we consider our long term energy consumption, and the way that electrical power is generated across the UK.

Nuclear power plants continue to leave significant legacy problems. No completely safe long term storage solution has been devised for handling the waste created from spent nuclear fuel, and this has to be accommodated somewhere. With radioactivity emitting from the waste for many hundreds of years to come, finding a safe solution is no small problem – Robin Hickey reports.

Hitachi has a number of hurdles to overcome, before it gets to building the promised six power plants, which will then take years to build and commission. Ahead of this, it needs to agree a satisfactory price for the power the plants will produce, to ensure it has sufficient financial interest in investing in these major construction projects.

There is also the issue of transmission loss. Major nuclear power plants, constructed on coastal sites that are away from population centres and with good access to cooling water, then require their output to be fired through cable networks, to locations where the power is required. Transmission loss means that typically an estimated seven per cent of the power generated is lost in the USA, before it actually reaches its destination; similar figures can be expected anywhere that large, distant power plants are employed to feed a power grid.

Far more efficient is the creation of more localised sources of electrical power, ideally using greener sources of energy. Energy from biomass, energy from waste and power created by solar, wind and wave sources are all sensible alternatives that are being developed more and more, as governments and industry realise that they need to prepare for a future of more expensive fossil fuels, which may in future be in the control of a smaller number of potentially unfriendly country states.

Generating power from waste is probably one of the best, most environmentally sensible ways to create a new energy source, close to the place where that waste is produced. By employing small, local power plants, it is possible to substantially reduce the miles that waste is transported, as well as ensuring that power is provided in a locality where it is used, thus reducing transmission losses, too.

Robin Hickey – Waste plants promise to solve energy supply squeeze

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Robin Hickey looks into Waste plants promise to solve energy supply squeeze

Robin Hickey UK Waste Management

Robin Hickey has seen recent reports have suggested that the supply of energy in the UK market will become increasingly compromised over the next few years, as older fossil fuel electricity generation plants are phased out for environmental reasons – Reports Robin Hickey.

The reduction in generation capacity could, we are warned, lead to a situation where energy needs to be rationed with the real danger that supply could outstrip demand within our borders. And while there are short term solutions, such as buying energy from French power plants across the English Channel, these come with inherent dangers, such as giving putting the control of our lighting and industry in the hands of a foreign government and workforce. What happens if the French unions decide to strike over a local issue – would our lights go out? Robin Hickey thinks this is a real problem.

The situation has been exacerbated by the withdrawal of several potential bidders from a process that was set to deliver additional, new generating capacity into the UK market. Major foreign engineering conglomerates have stepped away from bidding on projects they had previously expressed an interest in, seemingly concerned that the risks of taking on such large construction and engineering projects were looking too large for the potential returns promised. Without long term guarantees over pricing and demand, there is little appetite for starting on the development of projects that can take many years to see through to completion. Reports Robin Hickey.

Of course, there needs to be more action on renewable energy, with further steps taken to increase production of energy from wind, waves and solar. Unfortunately, last minute changes to the government’s feed in tariffs have already played havoc with the solar PV market in the UK, at a time when more people need to be encouraged to geneate electricity from the sun falling on the roofs of their homes. If enough of these solar PV panels were installed, that alone would negate the need for a new power station. Being effectively generated and consumed in one place, solar PV installations also do away with the transmission loss experienced when large power plants send electricity many miles along overhead cables. Robin Hickey reckons

But one area that could be quickly and easily exploited to benefit the current situation, is the creation of energy from waste. While waste incineration plants are not popular, they may well have their part to play, in a scenario where energy production is limited. There is no shortage of waste, and we have to do something with it. Using it to create energy is one of the least bad ways to consume it.

Alternatively, there are now an increasing number of new processes coming to the fore, as developments proceed apace. One process, being developed by British company BDL and its associates, involves recycling the maximum amount of waste possible, before using the residue to create a hydrocarbon fuel. By fermenting the remaining, largely organic waste, it is possible to produce a fuel that can be distilled and used as fuel for road vehicles, or alternatively used to create green electricity in modern, efficient power plants. With initiatives such as these, it may be possible to improve the UK’s energy independence.

Robin Hickey – Changing consumer behaviour to improve recycling

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Robin Hickey looks at Changing consumer behaviour to improve recycling

Robin Hickey thinks that one major issue that public authorities face, when looking to encourage recycling, is how to promote a change of behaviour in consumers. Across the UK, there are differing approaches being tried, in a bid to reduce consumption as well as improve the amount of recycling.

Since the creation of separate parliaments for Wales and Scotland, it is the Welsh government that has taken some significant, and different policy turns in a bid to tackle environmental matters. One initiative has been to try to reduce the volume of plastic consumers are provided with, at the point of purchase in a retail premises.

Last autumn, the government of Wales introduced a mandatory consumer charge for carrier bags, in a bid to significantly cut the number of bags used once only. Such bags, typically used for groceries and other small retail purchases, are rarely biodegradable, and so create a major landfill waste problem. The cost per bag was initially set at 5p, which retailers were legally obliged to charge. The charge for a carrier bag extends right down to fast food outlets, where for example MacDonalds will charge customers for putting their meal items into a bag.

For the consumer heading out to go shopping, it is not a major change in behaviour, to plan to take bags out with them. Many now keep reusable carrier bags in the boot of their cars, ready for the next trip to the supermarket. The policy was introduced in October 2011, and nine months later surveys showed it was widely accepted and supported. And the provision of single use carrier bags in shops and other retail outlets has declined by up to 95%, with supermarkets and fashion retailers reporting at least a 68% reduction in the number of plastic bags handed out at checkout tills.

Many retailers also passed on some of the 5p charge to environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, which in nine months received more than £105,000 of contributions to put towards other environmental improvement initiatives.

The other area where greater recycling is being encouraged in Wales, is in the collection of more household rubbish for recycling. Households in the county of Powys, for example, are issued with five separate bins. A green bin, with a locking lid, is used for biogradeable kitchen waste. A blue bin is used to store paper and card. A red bin is designed to hold plastics, including bottles, food trays and milk cartons. An aqua bin is provided for glass bottles, while finally a small black wheelie bin is designed to accommodate residual waste, that will go to landfill. The five different bins are collected on a two weekly cycle, with weekly visits from refuse collection teams taking a different mix of household refuse on alternate weeks.

The local authority in Powys has set a minimum target of 60% of all waste to be recycled. This is also applied to waste sites where the public can bring additional items of waste, particularly larger items such as DIY waste or garden waste including hedge trimmings and so on.

Robin Hickey – It’s better to reuse than recycle

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Robin Hickey thinks it’s better to reuse than recycle

Robin Hickey looks freecyclingWhile recycling is great, it is always preferable to reuse whenever possible – says Robin Hickey. While most of us recognise this statement as a sensible fact, few of us have easy access to mechanisms to achieve this, as we go to throw out our unwanted rubbish. But there are a number of initiatives to help improve this situation.

One is the Freecycle movement, which was established to encourage reuse. First established in Arizona in 2003, Freecycle makes it easier for those with something they no longer want, to pass it on to someone else who can make use of it. From Deron Beal’s first email to friends and associates in Tuscon, the movement has grown to encompass more than 5,000 groups with more than nine million members. Robin Hickey encourages people to use freecycle.

Freecycle is designed to be completely grass roots and non-profit, with local moderators helping to run groups in an area. Thanks to the internet, it is now easy for people to keep in touch, and to post a free ad for their unwanted items. Freecycle has expanded to be active in dozens of countries around the globe, enabling those who care about their environment do something really practical to help reduce landfill and waste.

In the UK, Freecycle groups are active across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Members advertise unwanted household items, furniture, appliances, garden equipment and so on, and those interested in taking things off their hands simply get in touch. In contrast with placing items on a listing such as an auction website, for example Ebay, those listing items on Freecycle do not expect to receive any payment for their goods. Robin Hickey uses freecycle.

Some local authorities are now seeing the benefit of getting goods and materials reused rather than recycled. A number are now establishing modest shops at their domestic refuse sites, or tips. When members of the public drop off their household waste, such items can be checked and anything in a serviceable condition, or which has the scope to be easily repaired for reuse, is set to one side for sale.

Alongside this, whole businesses are now built on taking one person’s rubbish, such as easily refurbished or repaired vacuum cleaners, washing machines and tumble driers. Once these are smartened up and fixed, they can be sold back into the market, where consumers are looking for value rather than the latest model in brand new condition. In this way, such machines get a second life, and many of the components in them have a much extended life cycle – and that’s much better for the environment.

Next time you are planning to throw out something you no longer need or want, think about passing it on instead. Why not go online and look for a local Freecycle group, make contact and donate your unwanted things. You’ll feel good, you’ll be helping someone else in your community, and you will be doing your bit to save the planet.

Robin Hickey – Recycling electrical goods under WEEE

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Robin Hickey investigates the rules around when you throw out electrical or electronic items

Robin Hickey Recycles electrical goodsRobin Hickey undrerstands the chellenges of recycling electrical and electronic items

Under European law, each state within the EC has a responsibility to establish a framework to encourage a greater volume of electrical and electronic equipment to be recycled. In the UK , the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive (WEEE)  was introduced in 2007. The aim of the directive is to encourage everyone to recycle reuse and recover materials wherever possible.

The directive affects everybody who is involved in handling this type of equipment.  That includes importers, rebranders manufacturers, and everyone from users to local authorities who are part of the waste handling process.

For households a piece of equipment is considered waste under three circumstances.  First is a situation where a piece of equipment is returned to the retailer if for example it is broken or fails while under guarantee. Second is the situation where it is disposed of in a household bin or at a local authority dump. And third is the situation where a householder calls local authority and requests the collection of bulky electrical goods.

For a business, it is necessary to be on your guard at every turn, even if you only have a small office. Rubbish is considered part of the WEEE  provisions if for example it is an electric fan which is thrown into a waste skip or rubbish container; or if such equipment is segregated  and passed to a recycling organisation. In this case the business has a responsibility to ensure that the equipment is passed to an auditable processor.

Under WEEE,  the idea is that everyone who handles the west will aim to look after it responsibly with a duty of care. This means it must be stored properly to prevent waste harming the environment, it can only be passed on to someone who has authorisation to handle it, and that paperwork is in order such that a trail can be established, audited and followed.

As an example, retailers often take back in electrical equipment. These may be items which are defective and returned under guarantee, or they may be old fridges and washing machines which are collected by delivery staff when a new machine is supplied and fitted.  Each of these items must be placed within a auditable trail which shows whether they are destined for repair and reuse, or for breakdown and recycling.

Under the WEEE directive, some electrical equipment, for example computer monitors, televisions, fridges and fluorescent lighting, is classed as hazardous waste. Commercial producers of such waste need to be registered with the environment agency.  And the transport and storage of such materials is subject to strict auditing.

Robin Hickey and his sustainable waste team at BDE are totally in support of the WEEE directives. Their aim, to encourage reuse and reduce landfill waste, are entirely in touch with the company’s own objectives as it develops its energy from waste plants. Recycling is a key part of the BDE approach to first level handling of domestic waste, to reduce the volume of residual waste needing further treatment.

Robin Hickey questions what happens to recycled rubbish?

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Robin Hickey questions what happens to recycled rubbish?

Robin Hickey recycling wasteRobin Hickey investigates what becomes of our rubbish, once it is split out for recycling.

Whether domestic and business refuse is split out at the kerbside, or at municipal handling plants, much of it is now sent for recycling. With demands on all of us to be more environmentally responsible, whole new industries have been established in recent years, to reuse products and minimise the volume of rubbish either sent to landfill, or vapourised in rubbish incineration plants.

Paper and cardboard can be recycled into similar new products. It is difficult to use recycled material when creating the highest quality, pure white paper for stationery and print, it is easy to recycle used paper into a variety of other paper products, or into corrugated cardboard. A range of consumer products now make a virtue out of their green credentials, so that toilet tissue and office stationery is specifically promoted and proudly shouts the percentage of recycled material it contains. According to figures from RecycleNow, all of the newspapers produced in the UK today are printed on 100 per cent recycled paper.

Aluminium, which is extensively used for soft drink cans, is typically crushed, baled and then sent to be melted down and reformed back into new cans. With a low melting point, relative to other metals, it is much more energy efficient to reuse aluminium, than mine new ore. Smelting aluminium from ore is one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes known. It is estimated that from being thrown in the trash, the material in an aluminium drinks can could be back on a supermarket shelf within six weeks.

Glass, as a product that requires substantial energy input to produce in the first place, has long been recycled in the UK. The glass is crushed to produce a material called cullet, which is then fed back into the production of new glass bottles and jars, where it is melted before moulding. More than 80 per cent of the glass collected in the UK is reused within the country. Glass is also used in more imaginative ways, such as in hard paving surfaces where it is often mixed into cementitious materials.

Robin Hickey and his colleagues at BDE have adopted the latest recycling techniques in facilities they are now creating. This first step in their new energy from waste process is invaluable, as it reduces the volume of residual waste and creates a more focused material for the energy from waste treatment.

Plastics are generally a more complex material to recycle, as they have a variety of compounds. Better labelling, and closer working together in the plastics industry, have led to easier splitting of the material in waste facilities, and improved recycling rates. Plastic pellets are shipped to production facilities, and can be used to make a wide range of new products including fleece jackets, and underlays for flooring. As recycled plastic has become more available, so new industries have grown up and developed new products, such as plastic decking and outdoor municipal furniture. In these instances, recycled plastic may diminish the consumption of other limited resources, such as timber.

Robin Hickey looks at the global trade in recycled materials

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Robin Hickey looks at the global trade in recycled materials

robin hickey recycles and reuseWith the refuse cycle making great strides in increasing rubbish recycling, so new trades have grown up to accommodate the growing volumes of materials that recycling generates. Robin Hickey looks at how the global trade in recyclable materials has grown up.

It is an ongoing challenge to balance the supply of recyclable materials, with the industry demand. Local authorities and their refuse contractors rely on achieving a pre-agreed minimum market price for materials, in order to fund their operations. And householders are keen to see that their efforts to recycle are rewarded by materials actually being efficiently recycled.

Ideally, materials will be recycled locally. But this is not always possible or practical, and so an international trade in recyclable materials has grown up. Such business needs careful monitoring to ensure that it remains environmentally responsible. There have been cases in the past, where first world rubbish is simply exported and tipped in third world countries, a highly undesirable  situation.

However, conversely it may be more efficient for such materials to be shipped for reuse. And in some circumstances, even shipping it half way round the world may, once everything is taken into consideration, be the most environmentally sensible way to handle the situation.

Information released by the Environment Agency shows that in the UK, recycling is fairly efficient. Of all the materials separated for recycling, it is reckoned that all wood is recycled within the country. Of the glass collected, 81 per cent is used locally and 19 per cent exported. For aluminium, the local recycling figure is 66 per cent and for paper it is 49 per cent. Just one third of plastic collected is recycled within the UK.

With colleagues and partners at BDE, Robin Hickey is seeking the most efficient ways to recycle products close to where they are collected. This is a primary part of his group’s waste from energy plant and process, now being developed for municipal use.

Other countries are sometimes ready to pay a relatively high price for recyclable materials. Considerations include the local lack of natural resources from which to extract raw materials, or perhaps the cost and availability of energy to carry out the process. Much of the UK’s plastics, for example, are dispatched to China for these very reasons.

While concerns are sometimes expressed about the distance travelled – and therefore the notional fuel cost of that shipping – there is still a logic behind such movements. With the western nations consuming a large amount of consumer goods from manufacturing nations such as China, there is often an imbalance in the volume shipped in each direction. Frequently, container ships travel fully loaded from China to Europe and the USA, but there is little demand for loads to be transported in the other direction. The container ships need to return for the next trip, and if they do not carry recyclable materials they will need to be ballasted anyway, to ensure they are seaworthy on the voyage. Surely carrying recyclable materials must be better than carrying a load of seawater.

Only by acting to improve the global trade in recyclable materials, will we minimise the environmental damage of the rubbish we create.Robin-hickey-recycle-reuse

Robin Hickey looks at America’s waste problem

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Robin Hickey looks at America’s waste problem

Robin Hickey looks at USA waste problemsRobin Hickey looks at how the USA is tackling its massive trash issue.

In 2010, it is reckoned that Americans created 250 million tonnes of trash, or municipal solid waste (MSW). And the country’s Environmental Protection Agency reckons just over one third of it is currently recycled.

The country’s trash pile has been growing year on year, and back in the early 1960s the amount collected nationally was just 100 million tonnes. But with greater affluence and consumerism, has come more consumption and more waste.

Figures suggest that the amount of rubbish created may have peaked over the last few years, as environmental issues move from the fringe to the mainstream. The EPA has a three pronged approach to reducing the amount of rubbish generated and going to landfill. Firstly, there is source reduction, which is about designing products to use less materials, to be shipped with less packaging, and to be produced in a way that makes it simpler to recycle their components at the end of their practical life. Cars, for example, are increasingly designed with considerations about how easy it will be to dismantle them at the scrapyard.

Secondly, the EPA is keen to encourage recycling at all levels, to reduce overall waste. Thirdly, there is a move towards greater composting. This takes organic matter – kitchen scraps, waste food, grass and foliage trimmings – and looks to compost it locally, creating an organic material that can be either returned to the fields, or in some cases sold to farmers as an alternative to factory-produced fertiliser.

At BDE, where Robin Hickey is working with his associates on a new, improved way of creating energy from waste, the outlook has similarities. The initial stages of their process involves maximising the amount of material that can be recycled. Then, rather than composting, their method will use a new, patented process to create ethanol from the residual organic material.

It was in the 1980s that America really woke up to the importance of recycling. In 1985 just 16.7 million tonnes of rubbish was recycled. By 1990 that had doubled to 33.2 million tonnes, and more than doubled again in the following decade.

Each year, US citizens dispose of 2.7 million tonnes of aluminium, mostly in the form of soft drinks cans. It is reckoned around half of all drinks cans are recycled, with some states using a financial incentive in the form of a deposit on each can, to encourage recycling. There are eleven US states that have enacted legislation to enable this to take place. Although it does not incentivise everyone to return empty cans to the store, it also provides a financial impetus for children and students to check out trash, and remove empty cans to take to a nearby grocery store.

The EPA’s source reduction philosophy has been applied practically to the US drinks industry, with benefits all round. Figures from the Aluminium Association show that a pound of aluminium was used up forming 22 drink cans in 1972. Today, thanks to efficiency improvements, that figure has increased substantially to 34 from each pound of raw material. Such continuing advances are essential to ensure we continue to reduce our environmental impact.

Robin Hickey sees that Recycling is the next big challenge

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Robin Hickey recycling is the next big challengeRobin Hickey sees that Recycling is the next big challenge

In the ongoing battle to persuade more and more of us to recycle, local authorities are faced with a massive challenge, says Robin Hickey. Do they regulate to force us to behave better or do they use different forms of encouragement in a bid to get us to be more interested in recycling?

Then there is the major consideration of whether to split recyclable waste in the home, at the doorstep collection point, or at the domestic waste handling plant where it first arrives after collection. The decision on this one has major impacts on the cost of infrastructure. If householders split the waste in their homes that it needs to be collected in a range of specialist vehicles that must be procured at considerable expense by the local authority all its contractor. Alternatively the establishment of a major waste separation facility can also be very expensive.

Separating waste requires the adoption of a variety of technologies as well as good old-fashioned labour. Although magnets can be used to separate out cans, and techniques such as centrifugal spinning and air blowing are also employed to further split out recyclable waste, it still requires human input to visually inspect refuse lines and split out the recyclable items that the machines will miss.

Robin Hickey and colleagues at BDE, who are establishing their own recycling plants to create green energy from waste, are focused on this technology first. It is only by maximising the extraction and recycling of materials that refuse handling becomes truly energy efficient. An aluminium can, for example, consumes not only raw materials in its production, but vast amounts of energy to extract the aluminium from its base ore.

Achieving a high recycling rate is the key first step in reducing the amount of waste lost to landfill. And in the UK, a landfill tax has been introduced to provide an economic incentive for businesses and local authorities to improve rates of recycling. In 2012-13, this is set at £64 per tonne of waste, but it ratchets up significantly to £72 the following year, and to £80 from April 2014.

Ultimately, the tax will force people to think harder about how they will reduce levels of waste and of packaging. And this is already having an impact. In Wales, for example, the Welsh Assembly has now introduced a tax on plastic supermarket carrier bags. This came into force in October 2011, charging each bag at 5p in a bid to reduce the estimated 480 million carrier bags given to shoppers each year, many of which were used just once and thrown away. According to a survey in July 2012, the charge has resulted in a major change in behaviour with many people reusing their own bags. At supermarkets, there has been a reduction in plastic bag use of between 70 and 95%.

Getting recycling right, and getting the public to think more fundamentally about the rubbish they create, are key planks in a responsible approach to handling rubbish. These steps are fundamentally supported by Robin Hickey and the BDE team, as they work on processes to make rubbish a greener, cleaner subject.

Robin Hickey view on recycling and the international rubbish market

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Robin Hickey view on recycling and the international rubbish marketRobin Hickey view on recycling and the international rubbish market

Robin Hickey looks what happens to your rubbish. When you put your rubbish out for recycling, how can you be sure it will actually be recycled? As Western nations try to go green and increase the amount of their rubbish that they recycle, systems inevitably come under pressure. And surprisingly to many householders, rubbish ends up being exported to other parts of the world.

There are plenty of established programmes around the globe for recycling. Scrap ships are often sailed to Indian coastal towns for them to be broken up; TVs and computers may be sent to Africa, where simple repairs will keep them running for years to come, and support communities that would never be in a position to afford to buy new technology. Even here in the UK, there are companies springing up to refurbish and resell domestic appliances, from vacuum cleaners to washing machines. Much of this type of rubbish disposed of by affluent British households is scrapped simply because a minor repair issue is used as an excuse to upgrade to a newer model.

But some side effects of the recycling trade are less satisfactory. In 2008, investigators working for ITV’s Tonight programme found tonnes of paper waste that had originated in the UK, blowing about in a field in Tamil Nadu, India. Householders in Essex and Leeds, Leicestershire and Wakefield were appalled to here that paper – some of it with personal details on – had been shipped half way round the world to be dumped in a field.

The practice is possible as EU laws allow the shipping of waste, so long as it has ben separated for recycling. But if the market price for handling the waste in the UK is too low – for example if there is too much waste paper available for the paper industry to buy – then the option of shipping it to a third world country becomes attractive. Once in India these consignments may have been stripped of the best, saleable rubbish, but the rest was simply dumped. And, as such countries rarely have robust legal systems, or health and safety regimes in place, the rubbish ends up polluting land and local water supplies.

Those environmental groups trying to put an end to such activities also pointed out the environmental cost in fuel of shipping waste 6,000 miles.

Robin Hickey and his associates at BDE believe it is far better to first attempt to reduce the volume of waste reduced; then to increase the amount of waste that is recycled locally, reducing the volume of road transport that results. Finally, they are working on a process that will produce energy from waste. This will treat the residual waste – what’s left over, once maximum recycling has taken place – to create a fuel, which can then be used to replace oil-based sources and be either used for powering vehicles or electricity generating plants. The process is in the final stages of being taken from the laboratory and test phase, into major real world recycling and power plants. The first of these will be located in parts of the world where domestic waste handling facilities are in need of upgrading, and where too much waste currently is being sent to landfill.