Recycling & Waste Management 2018

9 2018 Recycling & Waste Management Awards Build people with disabilities and other disadvantages to move towards and into employment each year. Thanks to these projects the firm is able to give back to society whilst enjoying the skillset of a variety of staff who are all committed to providing innovative solutions within the waste management space. Smiths also donate to a variety of charities including their chosen charity ‘The James Hopkins Trust’ for who they have raised over £20,000 in the last year. This charity provides vital support for children and babies under 5 with life limiting and life threatening diseases in Gloucestershire. Within the waste management market, the firm recently worked on a tear down operation for end of life aircraft. An aircraft has a finite amount of flight hours over a period of given years prior to accredited secure destruction. Smiths were commissioned by a partner organisation to supply heavy mobile plant to facilitate heavy lifting, shearing, cutting and loading of outbound scrap bulkers. As well as the operational challenges there were added time constraints and the clients working environment considerations. All recovered stripped materials were upcycled and scrap grades improved prior to despatch to the firm’s partner metal re-processor. It is fair to say that waste management and recycling are a moving feast with regards to legislative changes; whether they be fire regulations, WEEE regulations, end of life vehicle regulations or recycling. Smiths adapt easily to this ever changing profile of legislation, by employing specialist managers who are formally trained and experienced within the world of environmental compliance. Response from Peter Jukes Waste Management Divisional Manager at Smiths: “Post Brexit, refuse derived fuel from waste exports are rumoured to become taxed meaning that recycling exports would be more challenging. We are already seeing a collapse in commodity prices as a result of Chinas restriction on imports creating glut in the market place. We have felt for some time that the China export route was unsustainable, given the amount of extremely low grade mixed paper material they were receiving. However, we decided to concentrate on single source quality material that has no risk of contamination. We have been successful in this approach, and as a result have been audited by the Environment Agency and the Chinese authorities; these audits have been passed with no observations and or recommendations.” After 36 years of operations and having built one of Gloucestershire’s largest businesses, Alan Smith and his team continue to innovate, develop and plan for the future. Smiths will remain focused on offering its clients the same exceptional level of support and service that they have come to rely on since the company first began. The firm’s overall mission is to continually improve recycling and landfill diversion in an environmental, sustainable and ethical manner and this will remain its ongoing focus as it looks towards a bright future.