BCB Environmental Management Limited

At appropriate times we will post news items to give customers updates on BCB Environmental Management Limited and to keep you informed of any important developments in the hazardous waste Industry that might impact upon you our customers.

Latest News:

Reduction in Fines

05 July 2010

We are pleased to announce that a re-hearing of the HSE case against BCB was held at Harrogate Magistrate's court on Friday 05 July 2010. The original fines totalling approximately £40,000.00 have been reduced to £15,000.00 in total. BCB view the reduction as a fair reflection of the technical nature of the offences and the fact that there was never any risk to the public.

BCB announces its intent to appeal

22 April 2010

The company has today formally announced its intent to appeal against the decision of NYCC planning authority

Press Release - click here - new window [pdf file]

BCB comment on recent prosecution

16 April 2010

BCB recently pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching H & S regulations in Harrogate Magistrate’s courts. The technical offences came to light in the detailed investigation undertaken by HSE following the arson incident in the Autumn of 2008. The breeches were technical in nature and not held by the HSE prosecuting officer to be in any way contributory to the arson incident which was, in any case, a very minor affair resulting in some slight damage to infrastructure. The fire itself occurred at midday and interrupted business activity for 90 minutes. The HSE prosecution made no claim that the public were at any time at risk though this point appears not to have been grasped by the magistrates.

The HSE have acknowledged significant improvement since the time of the incident and recently commented ‘ you have a whole new management team in place, and have come a long way in terms of policies, procedures, risk assessments and safeguards.' The HSE have themselves expressed surprise at the level of the fines which are more consistent with cases where physical injury occurs.

It is the view of the company’s legal advisors that the fines are disproportionate to the offences and conflict with sentencing guidelines.

The company is appealing the level of the fines.

Top Tips To Reduce Costs Of Waste Management In The Recession

27 Jan 2010

All businesses are actively seeking ways of keeping their operational costs to a minimum and waste can be a key area where savings can be made. A strategy of reduction, re-use and recycling of waste also optimises environmental performance, helping companies to improve their own sustainability targets. Here are some practical tips to help you achieve this...you may be surprised how much this can reduce your waste costs.....

Waste Assessment:

• Start with the waste hierarchy - can waste actually be prevented and minimised?
• Can waste that does have to be produced actually be reworked within your processes or recovered onsite for another use e.g. Cleaning solvents?
• Ensure that non hazardous waste is not contaminated by hazardous waste (which increases the volume of hazardous waste and therefore the costs of disposal).
• 90% of office and canteen waste can actually be recycled - paper, cardboard, metal and plastic. This could save you money on general waste bins, skips and compactors.
• It may seem an obvious one, but try to reduce your office consumable costs - paper and cartridges - by printing less. If appropriate, use extra screens around your site or consider electronic purchase order and invoicing systems.
• Use energy saving bulbs and strips which last longer, again also reducing waste.

Waste Storage and Preparation:

• Clear labelling and suitable storage of waste containers can prevent cross contamination of waste streams, again keeping disposal costs to a minimum.
• Reduce spillages and save time and money by securely sealing and safely stacking containers.
• Fill containers and pallets to maximum capacity before disposal to reduce transportation costs e.g. 4 x 205 litre containers on one pallet could save you money.

Training:

• In our experience, not only is it critical to understand your waste, but training your staff is the key to achieving all of the above.
• Communicate the costs of waste to your shopfloor workers to encourage them to prevent waste.
• Promote a greater understanding of recycling and the business reasons why you need staff to focus upon it.

If you would like to discuss further ways in which BCB can help you to potentially reduce your waste costs, e-mail us at: enquiries@bcbenvironmental.co.uk

Former employee convicted for arson

26 Nov 2009

David Surtees, former BCB employee, was today sentenced to 51 weeks detention (suspended) and ordered to do 200 hours Community Service. He had earlier pleaded guilty to arson in connection with the fire that occurred at BCB’s Tockwith facility on October 14, 2008.

Minor Fire Incident

14 June 2009

Sunday evening 14th June saw the fire brigade attend a small fire at BCB's Tockwith facility. For reasons as yet unexplained, a loaded skip containing non-hazardous waste contaminated with an edible food ingredient caught fire. The fire was contained within the skip and the emergency services had little difficulty in containing and extinguishing the fire.

Official Report - click here - new window [pdf file]

Senior Executive departs

20 April 2009

The company wishes to formally mark the departure of its Senior Operations Manager, Mike Wilson. Mike joined the company in 2005 at the time the industry was experiencing fundamental and difficult change. Instrumental in steering us through that difficult period, Mike went on to spearhead the peerless technical standards embraced by the current operation, culminating in the successful award of ISO14001 in 2008. Mike is off looking for his next major challenge; we wish him well.

BCB’s 10th Anniversary Quiz And Free Prize Draw

4 Dec 2008

Well done to all those who entered BCB's 10th Anniversary Quiz and Free Prize Draw to celebrate our first decade of pioneering hazardous waste management. We hope that you had fun taking part in this. Only those who answered all ten questions correctly were entered into the Free Prize Draw. Correct answers are shown below. We are pleased to announce the winners of the prizes, worth a total of £2000, as follows:

Well done to Mick Gourlay for being the first name selected to win the Grand Prize of a £100 Amazon voucher AND a £1000 waste disposal voucher, redeemable against a BCB order. A further 10 prizes, consisting of the winner’s choice of either a £100 Amazon voucher or a £100 discount against their next order, were presented to the following lucky winners.

• Jonathan Brady
• Glenn Cuff
• Jennifer Clark
• Karen Taylor
• Richard Burkhill
• Thomas Francis Berry
• Lucinda Farrington
• Martin Nicholas
• Anonymous
• Anonymous

For the correct answers, click HERE [pdf format].

BCB gains ISO14001 accreditation

17 Nov 2008

BCB has been assessed and registered as meeting the requirements of BS EN ISO 14001: 2004 for an environmental management systems at its hazardous waste facility station at Tockwith, near York. The certificate was awarded on 17 November by Chamber Certification Assessment Services (CCAS) and, as is normal practice, will be subject to future audits. Commenting on the award, BCB Operations Manager Mike Wilson commented:

"We are delighted to receive formal ISO14001 accreditation for our environmental management systems. Since this facility opened in 2005, BCB has led its sector in delivering best environmental practice and performance with demonstrable performance improvement year on year. ISO14001 recognises the excellence of our systems but, more importantly, requires that we continue to deliver environmental improvements year on year."

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For the certificate, click HERE [pdf format].

Fire incident

14 Oct 2008

At lunch time on Tuesday 14 October there was a small fire in the Green Hangar. Occasioned, we suspect, by an electrical fault, the blaze occurred in a solitary drum. The entire event from ignition to departure of the fire brigade took little more than one hour. Commenting on the incident, Operations Manager Mike Wilson said:

It is recognised that fire is the major risk in a Hazardous Waste Management facility. Several similar facilities have experienced fires in the last few years and were either destroyed or damaged to the extent of remaining closed for months if not years. BCB evacuated the hangar, dealt with the incident and was back working within 90 minutes. That gives me immense pride in the robustness of our facility, the integrity of our design and management infrastructure, and the competence of my team. Nonetheless, this is a black mark for us and we will be working hard to understand the cause of the ignition sequence and to ensure there can be no recurrence.

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For the full press release, click HERE [pdf format].

UPDATE:
This incident is now the subject of a police investigation. Foul play is suspected

BCB announces technical change of direction

17 Aug 2008

The Environment Agency raised an objection to BCB’s original planning application based on abnormal operation. This occurs when critical plant components fail and flue gases escape to atmosphere unabated. The Waste Incineration Directive calls for a stack high enough to prevent any compromise to air quality standards during a 4 hour abnormal operation shutdown phase. We took a twin track approach to this problem: by determining the necessary stack height to meet the abnormal operation criteria on the one hand, and on the other of setting our engineers the task of eliminating the possibility of this type of abnormal operation.

At a design summit in Switzerland last week, the combined engineering talent s of three companies resolved a radical re-design to our gasification process that entirely eliminates the possibility of unabated emissions. Our gasification technology now shuts down in minutes and captures all the gases created during that brief shutdown phase. So we find ourselves in technical conflict with the Environment Agency over a technical feature that is no longer pertinent to our technology. However, the re-design has raised issues with other broad design aspects such as building size, location, etc., etc. Therefore, it made no sense to continue the debate with the EA and a decision was made to discontinue the current planning application and submit a new application in tandem with an Environmental Permit application to the EA.

BCB will submit a new planning application for its gasification project in January 2009.

For the full document, click HERE [pdf format].

FEY endorses BCB gasification plant

11 Aug 2008

BCB has received robust support from Future Energy Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Forward subsidiary. In a formal letter to the Planning Authority (link to attachment) YEF independently and authoritatively underlines the strategic benefits – both regionally and locally – of the BCB gasification project.

For the full document, click HERE [pdf format].

BCB Announces Major UK Waste Management Partnership With Becker Industrial Coatings Ltd

17 July 2008

BCB Environmental Management Ltd has announced the commencement this month of a long term, total waste management partnership with leading paint company, Becker Industrial Coatings Ltd (BIC). The contract encompasses all waste management services for both hazardous and non-hazardous waste at BIC’s Liverpool based site and is expected to bring improved reduction, segregation and recycling of waste, as well as cost reductions.

The contract covers on-site management, as well as administration of the complete audit trail, from collection to disposal. Following a detailed evaluation of waste management practices at the UK site, BCB will work alongside BIC personnel to facilitate waste reduction at source, with a view to improving the company's Carbon Footprint and ISO 14001 performance. This will include training staff to better assess and manage waste streams and to ensure compliance in the face of extensive legislative requirements.

BIC specialise in supplying high performance industrial coatings to major international clients in the metal and plastics industries, including market leaders in the steel, heavy plant, automotive and consumer electronics sectors. The company is part of the multinational Swedish group, AB Wilh Becker, Europe’s largest independent paint company, which has sales operations in more than 120 countries worldwide. Concern for minimum environmental impact is at the heart of the company’s strategy.

 

Contract signing BIC and BCB

 

Norman Rawlinson, UK Managing Director of Becker Industrial Coatings Ltd, adds:
“BCB were chosen as the preferred partner for this extensive contract given the excellent customer service that they have demonstrated in handling BIC’s core waste paint products over the past few years. The life cycle of paint, including ultimate disposal, calls for great care to protect the environment. BCB stood out as offering the most comprehensive, dedicated and specialist support and therefore the best regional solution for this site.”

Phil Boardman, Managing Director of BCB adds:
“BCB are delighted to be working in partnership with BIC to apply our knowledge and experience of the waste market to their particular sector. BCB has itself invested in state-of-the art technology at its own transfer site in Tockwith, near York, to provide enhanced control and reporting systems and we are currently in discussion about extending this facility to the BIC site.”

Putting Recycling At The Top Of The Agenda:

2 June 2008

The current political focus is quite clearly upon recycling and recovery, driven not least by concerns over climate change and carbon reduction. Whilst recycling rates have increased from only 7% of England’s household waste in 1997 to a current figure of around 27%, the UK still lags behind other European countries which have municipal recycling rates of well over 50%, according to Defra*. This figure seems achievable for some English local authorities, but there still remain huge inconsistencies. We are also told that landfill volumes are starting to fall as recycling increases and interest is raised in alternative disposal methods, such as thermal treatment and energy recovery. The EU Landfill Directive and increasing Landfill Tax is expected to continue this trend, with targets to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 75% of that produced in 1995, by 2010, reducing to 35% by 2020**.

Meanwhile on the non-municipal waste front, the Government’s Waste Strategy 2007 provides a further emphasis on increased diversion from landfill and also aims to secure better integration of treatment for both non-municipal and municipal waste. And in October 2007, pre-treatment rules came into force for business waste, meaning that businesses had to ensure that waste is sorted or recycled prior to landfill. All of this undoubtedly presents a great recycling challenge for producers and the waste industry as a whole.

It may seem an obvious thing to say, but these issues are of course paramount to any waste management business, even though historically these trends have been driven by legislation. If you consider that in 2000, BCB achieved only 28% recycling/recovery rates, but by 2006 that had risen to 58%, you might be impressed by the company’s diligence and environmental focus. However, the reality is that this was propelled almost entirely by the Landfill Directive and the European agenda to effectively eliminate landfill as a waste disposal method. Nevertheless, since 2006 the importance of recycling to the environment, to the carbon footprint of BCB’s clients and the commercial imperatives of a modern business has not passed the hazardous waste sector unnoticed.

Mike Wilson, General Manager at BCB states:

“In 2007, BCB began a programme to drive additional recyclates from its waste streams, including cardboard and plastic. In 2007 this yielded increased recycling levels of 66% (of all waste streams managed). When we embarked on a programme to enshrine recycling targets at the heart of our Environmental Management Systems (ISO14001) at the start of 2008, we didn’t expect anything more than modest annual improvements. However, we are delighted to report that April 2008 saw BCB achieving a recycling return of 74%”.

And BCB is also at the forefront of pioneering alternative disposal methods to landfill which will potentially increase recycling rates still further. Phil Boardman, Managing Director of BCB, describes the likely impact of BCB’s proposed gasification plant:

What does all this mean for the future? Well, the BCB gasification project pitches to the heart of all these issues. Because we are breaking new ground with our intended technology, there are one or two assumptions that will only be proved when the plant is commissioned. But, the worst case scenario is that BCB will deliver to its clients a recycling/ recovery return of at least 90%! Best case pushes that figure over 99%! We think that’s an exciting prospect for our clients and one that it will take years to match”.

A more detailed analysis of BCB’s recycling figures is available here

* www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/about/index.htm [new window]
** www.letsrecycle.com [new window]

Environment Agency crackdown on waste producers:

4th April 2008

The recent focus of the Environment Agency’s auditing team has flagged up concerns about poor adherence to the Waste Characterisation requirements imposed on all waste producers by the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005. In particular, there have been identified concerns where waste brokers are involved in transactions. The EA has issued a guidance document (available here) that we urge all our clients to study; indeed we have been specifically asked to distribute this as widely as possible.

It is BCB policy to provide as much assistance as we feasibly can to ensure compliance with these specific issues but we must remind all our clients that they cannot derogate the ultimate legal responsibility for compliance with the legislation.

For the full EA guidance document, click HERE [pdf format].

Further endorsement for the BCB Efw project:

28th Feb 2008

The following endorsement was received from Natural England:

Protected species
We are pleased to note that a survey for bats was carried out (Appendix 9.3 of Environmental Statement). We note that the existing hangar building has no potential for bat roosts, and that although bats were recorded flying inside the building, this was opportunistic and not a critical feeding habitat. We therefore concur with the conclusion of the survey that the proposal is not likely to have any significant impact on local bat populations, and there is no requirement to seek a licence in this instance.

The ecological assessment noted breeding birds in the area around the building. As breeding birds, their nests and eggs are afforded general protection under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), we support the mitigation measures set out in Appendix 9.2 regarding provision of alternative habitat, and removal of trees and shrubs outside of the bird breeding sason (March to August).

Designated sites
Only one statutory nature conservation site, Aubert Ings Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), lies close to the application site. However, we note that the modelling for nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions shows concentrations of both compounds on the SSSI well below 1% of National Air Quality Strategy standards for semi-natural ecosystems. This also is the case for the various non-statutory wildlife sites in the vicinity of Tockwith. We concur with the view expressed in the Environmental Statement that stack emissions from the proposed waste facility will not have a significant effect on the SSSI and non-statutory sites.

Landscape
The propsal is for the re-use of an existing building on an established industrial site, and does not lie within any designated landscapes. We are of the opinion that there are no significant landscape issues associated with this development.

In conclusion, Natural England raises no objection to the proposal as set out in the application and supporting documents.

Critical endorsement for the BCB Efw project:

27th Feb 2008

The Yorkshire and Humber Assembly has delivered a ringing endorsement for the BCB gasification project. In a five page written response in the capacity of statutory consultee, the Assembly concluded:-

• The Assembly SUPPORTS (sic) the application in principle on the basis that it will assist in the implementation of both current and draft RSS (regional strategies), in terms of environmental and economic considerations
• The development is supported in principle by the Assembly as helping to implement both current and draft RSS waste policy
• This development is supported in principle by the Assembly as helping to implement the RSS by providing renewable energy generation

The report further recorded its pleasure that the project developed a brownfield (currently derelict) site, offered positive economic benefit and demonstrated no significant traffic impact.

Normally publicly reticent on the subject, we chanced our luck and approached Phil Boardman for a comment. His response:

“Am I surprised that the Regional Assembly has endorsed the Project? Absolutely not. But I am delighted to see a formal authority recognising the positive benefits that underpin this initiative. I have a problem with community leaders – locally, regionally and nationally – who shy away from association with a politically sensitive development like this.

Whilst this is politically understandable, where I fall out with them is when they fail to communicate both the regional and national imperatives that are driving developments like this (across the country). That, and the fact, they are happy to let poor Mrs Watts of Prince Rupert Drive fear for her health knowing full well that the country has very stringent legislative safeguards that make any such notion inconceivable.”

For the full report, click HERE pdf format.

BCB passes detailed Environment Agency audit with flying colours

26th Feb 2008

BCB was recently subjected to a detailed audit by a three man Environment Agency team. The results of the audit are available in a two part report

Part One download HERE pdf format

Part Two download HERE pdf format

Welcome to the re-vamped BCB web site

10th Feb 2008

Welcome to the re-vamped BCB web site – a new site for a new chapter. The company is currently in the throes of a major IT re-jig and inevitably there are teething problems. Apologies to anyone who has had difficulties accessing information on this site – everything should be working normally in the next day or two.

Look out for new content – the Project now has its own dedicated space and content will be appearing shortly, together with a rush of exciting news as the development picks up serious momentum.

BCB announces structural change to attract investment

4th January 2008

BCB has been restructured to create a new holding company, AWP Environmental Ltd (“AWP”).

At the same time, two new shareholders – Robert Goddard and Stephen McLeod – have joined the board of AWP as chairman and finance director respectively. Phil Boardman, managing director of BCB, becomes managing director of AWP.

Mr Boardman commented: “The new structure is simply a special purpose vehicle to facilitate attracting investment in the company’s proposed £18m energy from waste (EfW) facility, that will process and make safe approximately 60,000 tonnes per year of mixed non hazardous and hazardous waste.

An application for planning consent for the EfW plant, which will use advanced thermal treatment technology, has already been submitted to North Yorkshire County Council.

Official artist's impressions of the proposed BCB Gasification plant

14th September 2007

please click here

BCB ANNOUNCES £18M GASIFICATION PROJECT

20th August 2007

please click here

BCB announces record interim profits

6th February 2007

BCB is pleased to announce record returns to the end of Quarter two (December 2006). The company issued the following statement:

The financial years 2004/2005, 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 were blighted financially - initially by the move to the Green Hangar and the implementation of the UK’s first (and still only 100% compliant) IPPC regulated hazardous waste facility. Those initial infrastructure costs were then compounded by the difficulties of managing our business under the new quality and environmental management systems that IPPC imposes. It’s a tough business environment trailblazing at the cutting edge. July 2006 saw the company post a significant trading loss for the first time in its history – a direct result of being unable to compete with competitors still operating to much lower standards under Waste Management Licenses.

However, since July of last year, the company has seen a strong consolidation of its position as market leader in the sector and has begun to realise a sensible pre-tax return on trading. This is based on a restrained sales picture and is expected to improve further as the company invests in sales and marketing resources. This comes as no surprise – the IPPC regime has finally extended its reach to our competitors and the difficulties are transparent across the sector as Transfer Stations face closure demands from the Environment Agency in order to reach the initial targets of the published compliance agenda. It is the Company’s official position that the transition agenda from IPPC is far too lenient in timescale – our competitors have another 30 months before addressing their pollution issues whilst BCB has been a zero emissions operation since April 2005.

Commenting on the results, Phil Boardman added: “These results are immensely encouraging and restore the faith I had in the IPPC agenda which I dared to espouse 2 ½ years before the sector as a whole. That said, it will take another 6 to 18 months of sustained progress to recover the company’s balance sheet. Nonetheless, the future of BCB could not be brighter this morning and my heart goes out to my fellow operators who are suddenly discovering that kick, sniff, stack and rack are no longer acceptable standards in this modern, environmentally conscious world.”

For 2006 News

for previous articles please click here