The subject of plastics recycling has seemingly dominated the media in recent weeks. Here, Riverside Waste Machinery’s managing director Jonathan Oldfield looks at some of the highs and lows… Plastics recycling is something we often talk about at our North Yorkshire headquarters, not least because we have a range of plastic waste balers within our fleet of machinery. But we’re passionate about the subject matter too, given the UK’s need to achieve a 47% p...
Riverside’s managing director Jonathan Oldfield considers whether geographical variances in recycling practices have an adverse impact on the UK’s ability to make wider progress… “I read a blog recently which focused on the very diverse approaches to waste management and recycling that we see throughout the UK. It talked about the fact that, if we look at nationwide MSW collections for instance, there is no consistency. What is a grey bin in one part of Manchester, may be a b...
This month, Chris Oldfield, managing director of UNTHA UK, offers a guest blog on the topic of capital allowances... "It seems you can’t open a newspaper or turn on the television these days, without stumbling across another general election update. With only a matter of weeks to go until the UK’s next prime minister is announced, talk on policies and plans is gathering pace. Exactly who will come into power is, as yet, unknown. But one thing is for ...
It seems the retail sector is experiencing something of a step change when it comes to the development of in-house waste handling systems, believes Jonathan Oldfield. But what are the drivers?
There’s no disputing that the retail sector has had its fair share of turbulence in recent years. The prolonged recession and lack of disposable income saw consumers begin to retreat from unnecessary spending several years ago, for instance. And many household and independent b...
Riverside was interviewed by MRW Magazine this month, in order to provide readers with an in-depth insight into the HSM SP4040V, We predict that this will be one of our hottest waste handling products for this year. If you missed the coverage, you can find out why...
Q: What is your product/technology?
The HSM SP4040V – a German-engineered shredder baler system for confidential waste paper.
Q: How does it wo...
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a new report this month, which focused on the revenue-generating potential of resource efficiency.
Resource Management – a catalyst for growth and productivity stated that, with better regulation, resource efficiency could generate an extra �...
There’s not long to go until the start of the new financial year. So now’s the time to make best use of any remaining budget spend, advises Riverside Waste Machinery’s managing director Jonathan Oldfield.
“For many organisations, this is one of the most popular times to think about some crucial investments. With only a few weeks remaining in the current financial year, a number of businesses are keen to procure new products and servic...
There are a few things the waste and recycling industry knows for certain in 2015.
New rules stipulating the separate collection of paper, plastics, metals and glass for recycling – where technically, environmentally and economically practicable (TEEP) – came into force this month. January 1st heralded the start of the requirement for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, following revisions to the EU Waste Framework Directive. When the approach will be m...
If you missed Jonathan's recent interview with The Yorkshire Times, you can read it in full here...
Name: Jonathan Oldfield
Company: Riverside Waste Machinery Job title: Managing Director Headquarters: Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire
How long have you lived in this fine county? I moved to North Yorkshire when I was four, so have lived here for as long as I can remember. I think I can justifiably call myself a Yorkshire man as a result!
In your opinion, what is the bes...
Waste baler expert and Riverside managing director Jonathan Oldfield was asked to pen some thoughts for LAWR magazine this month, as the journal considered the complexities of the waste handling landscape, and the role that baling presses have to play. If you missed his write up, you can read his thoughts in full here:
There can be no denying that the world of waste handling has come a long way. If we look at the past two to three years alone we see the UK creeping ever closer to fulfil...
As the age-old saying goes, ‘prevention is cheaper than cure’. OK, the phrase may have been so overused that it now sounds somewhat clichéd, but there is still a lot of validity in these renowned five words.
It is a philosophy that guides so many aspects of everyday life. We have regular dental check-ups to prevent the quality of our teeth from deteriorating; we install and test smoke alarms to protect our homes from fire (which can be costly in so many ways); and we send our cars ...
There are a number of factors currently driving the procurement of recycling and waste management equipment. Firstly, machinery such as waste balers must be fit for purpose and capable of supporting organisations’ environmental strategies. In this respect, Riverside boasts the UK’s most extensive range of vertical waste balers plus a growing selection of semi-automatic horizontal b...
Having worked with hundreds of recycling clients, advising the best waste balers for their needs, Riverside Waste Machinery has a detailed insight into the best way to procure recycling equipment. Managing director Jonathan Oldfield was therefore recently asked to examine the 'purchase vs rental' debate, in a technology feature for industry-leading journal MRW magazine. If you missed...
After the somewhat dreary media headlines of recent years it has been refreshing, over the past few months, to read about the increasing levels of confidence that are gradually returning to the economy.The UK’s unemployment rate, for example, is now the lowest it has been for almost six years – an encouraging sign that businesses are investing in resources and looking to the future.
That same positive outlook is evident in the conversations we’ve had at Riverside Waste Machinery t...
As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of waste baling technology, here at Riverside Waste Machinery we keep a keen eye on industry news. And given that the word ‘landfill’ is never far from the headlines, we weren’t surprised to see that the Green Alliance’s latest report, “More jobs, less carbon: why we need landfill bans” achieved so many column inches.
The company claims that launching landfill bans could create 47,500 jobs in the UK and its analysis urges the Government...
The UK is now in the second year of the Government’s ambitious five-year recycling target period for plastic packaging. With these targets including an overall 25% growth in plastics recycling – 5% year-on-year – the UK needs to get serious and continue to promote sensible policy and strategic development if it is to meet the 57% target in 2017.
And yet despite the many well publicised benefits to companies of managing their plastic waste streams by baling and reaping revenues fro...
A trip by Riverside Waste Machinery over the Welsh boarder to visit a longstanding customer was all the more pertinent this week as Wales continued to hit the headlines with its encouraging recycling rates.
Following an announcement in March by the Welsh Government that Wales was the first UK country to recycle more than it sends to landfill, it does indeed appear to be leading the way in waste management.
Year on year the country has clearly improved waste processing procedures t...
The biggest change in 30 years to how business waste is collected and disposed of in Scotland will come into force in the New Year.
From 1 January 2014 as part of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 businesses of all sizes will be required to separate and recycle their plastic, paper, metal and glass. Whilst some businesses may feel that this new impetus on recycling puts them under increasing financial and market pressure, it is imperative that they play their part in helping to redu...
Following the seemingly sharp rise in the number of fires at recycling centres this summer, it is welcome news that the Chief Fire Officer’s Association (CFOA) is planning to hold a seminar at the end of the year on the prevention of fires in the waste industry.
It comes after a series of blazes including the highly publicised plastics fire at Jayplas’s Smethwick facility in July and more recently at a recycling plant in Stockport.
Images of charcoaled baled waste is not somet...
As suppliers of waste balers we are frequently asked questions about what can and can’t be recycled. In fact we seem to be being asked more and more these days which is great because it means the desire to recycle is growing.
Whilst the economy is spluttering into recovery mode we at Riverside Was...
As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of waste balers we always keep abreast of what’s happening in the sector and there was good and bad news last week following WRAP’s latest statistics.
The bad news was that there has been an increase in the number of single use carrier bags between 2011 and 2012, with England seeing the greatest increase of 4.4%.The good news is that despite this increase, the total...
The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) revealed pleasing statistics this month which highlighted that recycling rates in England have continued to improve.
Household waste recycling for July-September 2012 rose to 47% – a 2% increase on the same period in 2011 – and the level of landfilled waste fell by 9%. England’s annual recycling rate also grew to 44% which, despite being only a small improvement in comparison to the 43% achieved during 2011/12, is another enco...
All of our recycling efforts are paying off it seems. When analysing recycling rates from the last ten years, the UK is reported to have recorded a faster rate increase than any other EU member state. In real terms this means that, if this annual rate of increase can be maintained until 2020, we will, as a nation, achieve the milestone 50% MSW recycling target that we are legally bound by.
Such a revelation should inspire us all to maintain the environmentally responsible practices that...
At Riverside we are continually shouting about the cost benefits of investing in one of our robust waste balers. We offer a range of flexible finance options so that the purchase is affordable for all.
But businesses now have another incentive to invest in ...
Recycling pioneers at WRAP made an interesting announcement in late 2012 when they highlighted that, if a landfill ban was introduced in this country, the UK economy could experience a net benefit of £2.1 billion.
Following on from a 2010 study, WRAP’s most recent report Landfill Bans: Feasibility Research analysed the financial and social...
At Riverside, we have talked for years about the importance of considering the return on investment and added-value that our waste balers can bring to clients. Increasingly our customers are recognising that it is possible to save money or yield revenue – rather than incur costs – when dealing with waste. The days of viewing balers simply in terms of capital expenditure, are therefore long gone.
That said, whilst numerous ongoing cost savings make t...
In early autumn we read that Sita UK’s chief executive David Palmer-Jones was calling for the waste and recycling industry to appoint a “Lord Coe equivalent”, to champion growth and investment within our exciting sector.
This is a suggestion we support entirely.
We’ve heard that Zero Waste Champions are being encouraged to step forward in communities in Scotland, in a bid to strengthen the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ commitment amongst households across the country.
This year we have become accustomed to looking at the UK’s medal table standings, following the outstanding successes of the London Olympics and Paralympics games. But last month we learned of the country’s performance in a different kind of league, when the European Commission ranked the UK eighth in terms of municipal waste management.
Having graded 18 EU member states on factors including waste recycling, the pricing of waste disposal and infringements on European legislation, th...
At a time of seeming constant doom and gloom how refreshing to read in the media this week that the plastics sector is all set for a buoyant future?
Leading industry magazine MRW reported that more UK plastics companies are expected to increase their turnover over the next 12 months, with plastic recyclers having one of the most positive outlooks.A survey showed that sales, turnover and profitability is expected to generally rise over the next year and confidence surrou...
For months the discussion surrounding the changes to landfill tax charges have continued to spark huge debates within the waste and recycling arena.
Back in May a coalition of waste firms urged ministers to rethink the controversial increase – an unbelievable 2,460% rise for some materials – arguing that for many small to medium-sized outfits this could mark the end of their operations.
Elsewhere some larger firms welcomed the decision to raise the tax on inert fines from £2....