Category: James’ Diary

It is a waste of time, effort and resources to implement separate waste collection for healthcare facilities if staff and visitors are not on board with the initiative. Cromwell Polythene Managing Director James Lee explores the problem of good intentions failing at the point of disposal, and what can be done to tackle this.  

It’s no coincidence that rejection rates at material recycling facilities (MRF’s) are increasing as the switch to commingling gains momentum. And where’s the sense in that? Are we seriously prepared to negate all those years of painstaking education, in which we preached the value-added virtues of separate waste streams, for the sake of a minority

“When one considers the impact of technology on the waste management sector, and in particular street cleaning, it’s common to think of products like Big Belly, the solar-powered compacting bins, sometimes referred to as ‘smart’ bins, which communicate their status to council collection crews in order to optimise emptying. Less front of mind in this

2016 has been a momentous year in more ways than one. While we all continue to absorb the effects of Brexit, especially those of us that trade internationally, and the full impact of the transitional leadership in the US on UK businesses has yet to be felt, the domestic market has also been characterised by

Something like a quarter of the UK’s 27.5 million dwellings are purpose-built flats or tenements, according to the 2011 Census, a percentage that in Scotland and some other regions is considerably higher. In London, for example, at least half of the population lives in flats. And the pressure to build new homes will continue to

We all use it. It’s part of everyday life. And, if you looked around you, I’m sure you’d find numerous plastic products in your eye line, immediately. But what do we really know about the substance? And why does it only seem to attract negative press? “Plastics ruin the environment – our oceans in particular!

You’re never too old to learn, they say. And despite more than 30 years of supplying sacks to the cleaning and janitorial market and local councils throughout the UK, I’m inclined to agree. I’ve been struck recently by the different approach taken by individual councils looking to address the issue of food waste collection, widely