ACCIDENT WITH NEEDLE PROMPTS PUBLIC APPEAL
28-06-08
press release
Issued on behalf of: NORFOLK ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE SERVICES LTD
Issue date: 27.6.08
Interview and picture opportunity, NEWS Waste Recycling & Transfer Centre, Longwater Industrial Estate, Dereham Road, Costessey, Norwich NR5 0TL, 10.30 Tuesday 1 July.
Norfolk Environmental Waste Services (NEWS) and Norfolk County Council are appealing to the public to take greater care over what they place in their recycling bins. The move comes after an employee at NEWS’ Costessey recycling centre received a puncture wound in his hand from a discarded syringe while sorting the waste material.
On Tuesday 1 July (10.30) this employee, supervisor Ray Wood, who is back at work after treatment, will be among those available to talk about the experience at the NEWS Waste Recycling and Transfer Centre, Costessey. Needles found during the sorting of material from recycling bins are collected in safety boxes at the centre, which will also be available.
Steve Jenkins, Local Authority Contracts Manager for NEWS, said: “Putting medical sharps into recycling bins poses a real danger, as we have seen from this recent incident. Unfortunately, the amount of medical sharps found in recycling material is increasing steeply and the public need to be aware of this problem and think more carefully about how they dispose of needles. All the material at Costessey goes through an initial hand sort, so we must act now to ensure there are no more accidents of this nature.
“Anyone using medical sharps needs to dispose of them in the correct way via needle exchanges, or sharps boxes, which are available from clinics.”
Ian Monson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste at Norfolk County Council commented: “Although we are delighted that people are recycling, they need to be more careful about what they put into their recycling bins and understand how this mechanised recycling process that has diverted tens of thousands of tonnes of waste away from landfill actually works. Medical sharps are not recyclable through doorstep collections and are a real hazard to recycling centre workers. We hope the public will take this matter on board and act more responsibly.”
NEWS says that the volume of contaminated, i.e. incorrect, material going into recycling bins is a growing problem. In 2006, there were 290 incidents of medical sharps in recyclable waste. In 2007, this increased to 591 and to the end of June 2008, there have been a staggering 473 incidents.
Mr Jenkins said: “Dangerous material such as medical sharps pose a real risk to our people, but all contaminants cause additional cost and problems for us. What can and cannot be recycled from doorstep collections has been made clear by all Norfolk’s local authorities. Every contaminant we receive at Costessey has to be removed by hand before going through the automated sorting process.”
NEWS continually has to remove a huge range of contaminants from the recycled waste stream, from engine parts to plastic toys.
What can be disposed of through doorstep recycling bins:
Plastic
Milk and drink bottles
Shampoo, shower gel etc bottles
Washing up liquid and detergent bottles
Cooking oil bottles
Metal
Drink cans (cola, beer, etc)
Food tins and cans (soup, baked beans, etc)
Aerosol cans
Paper
Newspapers
Magazines
Junk Mail (without envelopes)
Clean paper (letters etc)
Clean cardboard
Packaging boxes (cereal boxes, etc)
Catalogues
Leaflets
Telephone directories
NEWS can be contacted on 01603 891892 and at news@norfolk-waste.co.uk, with further information on recycling available at www.norfolk-waste.co.uk
-ENDS-
Press information:
Peter Treglown or Lucy Ohsten, IRG Public Relations: 01603 627294, lo@interregional.co.uk
John Birchall, Norfolk County Council Press Office, 01603 224222, john.birchall@norfolk.gov.uk
Steve Jenkins, Norfolk Environmental Waste Services, 01603 891892, steve.jenkins@norfolk-waste.co.uk
Notes to editors / picture editors:
There will be an interview and picture opportunity at NEWS Waste Recycling & Transfer Centre, Longwater Industrial Estate, Dereham Road, Costessey, Norwich NR5 0TL, just off the A47 and close to Sainsbury’s, at 10.30 Tuesday 1st July. Examples of medical sharps and other contaminants removed from the waste stream will be available to inspect and the employee injured and other NEWS staff will be available for interview.
More information on recycling
This is available from local councils or by going to http://www.norfolk-waste.co.uk/can_recycle.html.
About NEWS
NEWS, one of the NORSE group of companies owned by Norfolk County Council, is a leading waste management company based in Horsham St Faith and is at the forefront of innovative new approaches to the handling and management of waste. NEWS has a pioneering approach to recycling and reuse of waste materials – their recycling centre at Costessey is one of the most modern in Europe and was the first of its kind in this country, becoming the benchmark facility for waste recycling in Britain. Through their sister company, SRM, NEWS has recently gained planning permission for the construction of a groundbreaking scheme for the recycling of general waste through the mechanical biological treatment process, also at Costessey.
