With news on: Morrisons rolls-out paper bags; Suez launches Doncaster community fund; Veolia’s employment programme; and, Yorkshire cafes champion compostables.
Veolia offers employment to homeless in Westminster
By the end of this month (April) Veolia said its ‘Road to Work’ programme will have provided around 100 homeless people with the chance to join the dedicated team keeping the streets of Westminster clean.
In partnership with Westminster city council, and working with central London homeless charity, The Connection, Veolia has designed and piloted a return to work scheme for the homeless and vulnerable. It combines specialised support services like counseling, housing and advice, with flexible workplace arrangements.
Veolia has piloted a return to work scheme for the homeless
Once employed with Veolia, candidates will have access to the full range of training and development opportunities offered by the company.
Since the pilot launched in 2017, over 90 homeless and long-term unemployed people have been offered workplace opportunities, according to Veolia, in the form of street cleansing and admin roles.
Veolia said the scheme will now be a permanent part of its employment targets within Westminster and has the potential to expand into other contracts.
Veolia will join Westminster city council at their upcoming job fair on 1 May, where London’s homeless and vulnerable can meet directly with firms looking for staff.
Morrisons to roll-out paper carrier bags
National retailer Morrisons has announced it is to offer paper carrier bags to all of its customers as part of its “continuing drive” to remove plastic from its stores.
Morrisons stores in Wales will start offering paper carrier bags this week
Welsh stores will be the first to offer paper carrier bags, starting this week. They will then roll-out to Morrisons’ English and Scottish stores in May.
According to Morrisons, the paper bags have been trialled in eight stores since January (see letsrecycle.com story) and “have proved popular with customers”.
The bags are made in Wales and are strong enough to carry heavy weights up to 16kg, the retailer says. They will be priced at 20p, which will be the same price as Morrisons standard plastic long-life carrier bag. The paper grocery bags are labelled ‘Reusable Paper Bag’.
Suez launches Doncaster community fund
Suez recycling and recovery UK has launched a new £20,000 community fund for environmental projects in Doncaster.
Local organisations will be able to apply to the Doncaster Environment Fund for projects that will improve the local natural environment, reduce waste and increase recycling.
Suez – which is employed by Doncaster council to collect and process the borough’s recyclable material – also collects textiles and small electrical items to be recycled. Revenue generated from the recycling of these items has been set aside for the new Doncaster Environment Fund, the company says.
Community groups, clubs and schools will be able to apply to either the Smaller Projects Fund (for awards of up to £2,000) or the Larger Projects Fund (for awards of up to £5,000). The deadline for applications is 7 July 2019
Cafes champion compostables in Yorkshire
Three Yorkshire cafes are leading a campaign to encourage local businesses to use a new composting collection service that processes used Vegware compostable catering disposables.
A new composting service in Yorkshire has been launched which can process Vegware compostables
Opposite Café, Laynes Espresso and North Star Coffee Shop are to start composting their used Vegware, which can now be collected by Forge Recycling and taken to The Maltings waste facility, near Leeds.
The Maltings is a modified anaerobic digestion plant with a composting phase. In six-eight weeks, the waste is turned into compost for use on Yorkshire fields, according to Vegware.
“Vegware have become synonymous with being an environmentally responsible brand”, says Holly Bowman, director at North Star Coffee. “It’s just brilliant that we can 100% be confident that waste is being dealt with in the right way.”
Vegware said its composting alternative offers a solution for used Vegware and food waste from cafes, officers, schools and universities in Leeds, York, Harrogate and the surrounding region.
The post News in brief (09/04/2019) appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
