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• Continental Landscapes acquires new mowing equipment to supports its new Leeds City Council contract

  Continental Landscapes, a national grounds maintenance contractor based at Weston-on-the-Green in Oxfordshire has taken delivery of a fleet of Ransomes Jacobsen commercial mowing equipment from their long-time dealer PA Turney Ltd, to support their newly-won contract for Leeds City Council.

• Kier integrates dust free sweepers into its environmental services fleet

  Kier’s environmental services business is to be one of the first in the country to roll out a fleet of dust-free road sweepers after a successful pilot with a number of local authorities.

• Johnston Sweepers makes investment in e-commerce

  After consulting its customers on the availability of spare parts, Johnston Sweepers turned words into actions and invested £1.4 million in its spare parts department. The result is a brand new e-shop, which  offers availability of spare parts 24/7.

• Green machines at the seafront

  Southend-on-Sea has committed to a greener future by purchasing an electric sweeper.

• National van accreditation scheme rolls out 100 fleets and 100,000 vehicles

  Van Excellence, the national accreditation scheme for van operators, has enrolled its 100th operator and the scheme has grown to cover 100,000 vehicles.

• Improving vehicle safety and reducing insurance costs

  According to Brigade Electronics the two biggest issues for operators of local authority vehicles are improving safety and reducing costs associated with damages, false claims and rising insurance costs. This is backed up by the Health and Safety Executive report Mapping Health and Safety Standards in the UK Waste Industry,  which says 60% of accidents in the industry were caused by workplace transport.

• Geoff Rigg to leave Geesinknorba

  Geoff Rigg, the UK and Ireland Business Director for Geesinknorba, will be leaving the company in the spring to pursue other business interests.

• Plastic is fantastic – polybody structured RCVs are growing in popularity with local authorities

  NTM recently aquired LinkTip, whose Polybody was launched back in 2008 at the RWM exhibition. The product has grown in popularity year on year and it is now a key part of NTM LinkTip’s business, used nationwide to collect mostly food waste by local authorities, contractors and private companies, including Guilford Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Kier and Biffa.

• Dennis Eagle combines Olympus chassis with the Twin Pack refuse body

  Dennis Eagle showcased the Olympus Twin Pack at RWM in 2011, where it gained considerable interest. In order to create a wider and more versatile range of products, the company has combined the Olympus chassis with the Twin Pack body to compliment the existing body range, with the current environmental issues and legislative drivers in mind.

• Fuel savers

  As the UK moves beyond a throwaway society local authorities are having to make big strides in their waste management initiatives to ensure they keep up with the increase in recyclables, writes Nick Preston, commercial and marketing director of Faun Zoeller.

• City of London introduces time bandings for bagged waste

  From 1 April 2012, the City of London Corporation will introduce a “time banding system” for both residential and commercial bagged waste collections across the City. The scheme is designed to clear the City’s streets of obstructions and improve hygiene as more tourists visit the City during the Olympic year.

• New tool kit for low carbon bus scheme implementation

  A new guide aiming to help and encourage local authorities to integrate more low carbon buses has become available for downloading.

• Cornwall Council hands out £14 million vehicle contract

  Contract hire and fleet management company Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) is celebrating winning potentially the UK’s largest-ever municipal vehicle hire contract, to provide vehicles for Cory Environmental’s new contract with Cornwall Council for waste and recycling collections, beach and street cleansing.

• Hybrid electric refuse vehicles keep London clean during Olympics

  The City of London will be a cleaner and greener place in 2012 as six new hybrid electric waste collection vehicles hit the streets of the Square Mile. The six vehicles joined the City of London Corporation’s recycling and waste management operation in December and will play a significant part in the City’s role in managing waste and street cleansing during the 2012 Olympics.

• More Liebherr Materials Handlers for Ward Recycling

  Family-owned independent metal and waste management company, Ward Recycling, recently added a further three Liebherr machines to their modern fleet of specialist materials handlers. Two A 924 C and one A 934 C wheeled long-reach industrial rehandlers are hard at work at Ward’s recycling plants at Ilkeston between Derby and Nottingham and Woodville near Burton-on-Trent.

• London Commercial Fleet Project is set to save councils millions of pounds

  London boroughs are set to save millions on their commercial vehicle fleet bills thanks to an innovative new project which was launched on Monday, the 20^th of February.

• Epping Forest and North Devon Council take delivery of new refuse collection vehicles

  Farid UK has supplied refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) to a number of local authorities nationally including Epping Forest and North Devon. Whilst Epping Forest has purchased Farid RCVs for the first time, North Devon returned to Farid because of the vitual trouble free operation over the years. The Council cited: low cost of ownership, optimum vehicle uptime and superb reliability as the main reasons for the repeat business.

• Eminox offers filter servicing advice at CV Show 2012 – Hall 2, Stand G21

  Two months on from new London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) rules coming into force, attention is now focused on making sure thousands of low emission vehicles continue reducing pollution.

• New guide to social enterprise for local authorities

  A new guide to the increasingly important topic of social enterprise has been published for professionals working in local government. It explains how social enterprises can help meet local authorities’ strategic objectives, and gives practical advice about how to engage, procure and commission from social enterprises.

• The real weight of waste

  It has been 25 years since Britain signed the Single European Act and adopted the continent’s regulations on waste disposal and the environment. The result is that we are part of a revolution to ensure cleaner air and a more sustainable earth. Britain’s waste weighing industry is at the forefront of the battle, reports Tony Richards.

• Brigade Electronics to Launch Wireless Camera-Monitor System at the CV Show.

  Brigade Electronics demonstration truck will be on display at the CV show this year with all its latest vehicle safety products including its new wireless camera monitor system.

• Smart dye kit finally cracks age-old “false positive” problem for UV leak detection

  A new fluorescent dye from Spectroline is being hailed as a solution to a problem that has long prevented engineers on hydraulic and oil systems enjoying the benefits of ultraviolet (UV) leak detection.

• Allet Buffalo Mower joins Top Gear on a “trading” mission to India

  An Allett pedestrian cylinder mower has featured in the BBC’s Top Gear motoring show as one of a number of uniquely-British products selected to accompany the three presenters on an unofficial trade mission to India.

• Prevention is better than cure

  In today’s era of landfill charges and LATs reporting, the weighbridge is at the heart of a waste organisation’s data collection. Downtime can bring an operation to a halt - with direct repercussions for both cash flow and adherence to legislation - making an effective preventative maintenance programme vital, says John Coughlan of Avery Weigh-Tronix.

• Sweden brings ownership of waste back to the public

  Louise Murphy visited several Swedish waste operators to see how they turn their waste into a valuable resource.  NTM’s Quatro system makes ipossible to recycle a staggering 90% of all materials, with only 10% being sent to the incinerator.This vehicle is now also available in the UK.

• Johnston Sweepers switch tyres to lower operating costs

  A new Continental RV20 tyre is to be fitted to Johnston’s C200 compact range of sweepers. The switch is designed to reduce whole life tyre costs while also giving exceptional performance and operator comfort.

• Bulk diesel supplies – strategic resilience and cost management

  Fuel is the most significant on cost for all transport operators. As the business grows, so does the fuel bill and its potential to impact on profitability. If there is space for a storage tank on the premises, then there will be a case for purchasing bulk supplies, comments Stephen Hannan from Merridale.

• New smartphone and tablet holder mounting solution hits the UK

  Ram Mount UK introduces the RAM X-Grip Spring Loaded Universal Smartphone and Sat-Nav Holder the new RAM X-Grip II Universal Spring Loaded Tablet Holder.

• Manchester City Council brings weed spraying back in house

  After 18 years of outsourcing the highway weed spraying, Manchester City Council last year decided to bring the weed spraying programme in house along with seven other local authorities. Spraying in-house allows councils to respond quickly to their residents, they can pick the best weather conditions to spray in and target specific areas when required. In addition to this they can make substantial savings. 

• Cumbria Waste takes on a Volvo frontline machine for its new MRF

  Cumbria Waste Management Ltd has taken delivery of the first Volvo L110G to be sold in Great Britain as part of a significant investment which includes the completion of their brand new materials recycling facility on the outskirts of Workington.

• Optare launches new Solo bus

  Optare has announced the end of production of its original Solo design after some 14 years. The original model is being retired in favour of the new look Solo SR for both UK and exports markets.

• Nissan’s battery-powered zero-emission version of award-winning NV200 to undergo FedEx Express trials

  A prototype zero-emission all-electric delivery vehicle is ready to start extensive real-world testing on the streets of London. FedEx Express and Nissan are collaborating over a two month period to evaluate how the NV200 electric vehicle (EV) prototype copes with the rigours of daily duties in the capital.

• Sorting it out at the kerb

  This year’s RWM – held at the NEC in Birmingham – saw the launch of an unusual new vehicle that is set to revolutionise recycling practice in the UK and Ireland, writes Ann-Marie Knegt.

• New vehicle solution keeps Havant BC’s plant on the go

  Paul Stanley’s grounds maintenance team at Havant Borough Council traditionally used panel vans with 16ft trailers to transport mowers to and from site. Paul recognised that the vans weren’t used to their optimum. So he approached KFS Special vehicles, and together they came up with a solution that delivered tangible efficiency savings, reports Ann-Marie Knegt.

• Zero Carbon Futures is set to deliver a growth in low carbon vehicle production

  Gateshead College has established a new company; Zero Carbon Futures, to deliver a range of local and national programmes all geared up to advance the region as a European leader in the production of low carbon vehicles. This follows the College’s £6.2m Regional Growth Fund bid to create 5,000 jobs over the next decade, including 1,500 apprenticeships in the low carbon vehicle sector.

• John Deere announces changes in dealer network

  A number of changes have been made to the John Deere turf dealer network as part of the company’s Dealer of Tomorrow initiative. In the south-east of England, Godfreys is set to acquire Golf & Turf Equipment; in the Midlands, Chris Tallis Farm Machinery has joined forces with Parks & Grounds Machinery; and in the east of England, Adamsons has taken over responsibility for Lincolnshire from the Burdens Group.

• R2C online cuts £70k from an annual workshop bill

  Iveco reports encouraging results across its UK dealer network after five years development of “Advisor’ – an electronic workshop management system. Provided by FDTEK and based on the ‘R2C Online’ management compliance system, the Advisor programme was developed with Iveco as a means of stream-lining workshop procedures while cutting administration, improving efficiency and reducing costs.