A plastic recycling plant has announced it is to create new employment opportunities in the industry thanks to healthy investment.

Wilton based Greenstar WES Plastics Recycling has obtained a second allocation of much needed funding in order to create a waste handling facility in the north.

The company had already secured a government grant, courtesy of the Waste Resources and Action Programme, for 30 per cent of the £4m investment needed to update equipment.
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Britain’s burgeoning woodfuel industry could create 30,000 jobs by 2020, a new report suggests.

A survey by the Forestry Commission of various firms in the wood sector, including woodland management, pellet producers, bulk handling specialists and heating suppliers, highlighted the potential of the growing industry.

It found that 5,500 people are already employed directly and indirectly through the woodfuel market, with this figure predicted to increase by 24,000 over the next ten years – bringing the total employment to more than 30,000.
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The 2010 Budget speech may provided a welcome leg-up to the UK as it seeks to position itself as a world-leader in the sustainable fuels market

In his annual report, the chancellor Alistair Darling pledged a one-off payment of £270 million to be made to the University Modernisation Fund in order to create new course placements in the so-called STEM subjects.

"This will enable [the academy] to create 20,000 more university places, largely in key subjects such as science, technology, engineering and maths, starting in September this year," he revealed.
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Almost exactly one year after a Scottish paper mill was forced into a premature closure the site has been given a new lease of life.

Inverurie paper mill in Aberdeenshire ceased operations in March 2009, resulting in 371 employees losing their jobs, but today International Paper announced it is to create a £60 million green energy centre on the site.

As well as creating much needed employment and investment in the area, the opening of the facility will provide business for the wider bulk materials handling sector as it is redesigned with the appropriate machinery such as chain and flight conveyors.
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It is an item that many of us take for granted and are likely to discard to the humble household bin but now technology giant Samsung is leading the fight in getting people to recycle their mobile phones.

According to the manufacturer, the popular handheld digital device should be the latest focus of the recycling sector as they are easy to dispose of and provide a wealth of re-usable materials.

In a bid to get its message across, Samsung is launching a huge campaign to teach school children, students and businesses about the benefits of returning their gadgets for recycling.
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As Britain’s race to become waste free gathers pace, a number of Bring Bank recycling schemes are being piloted in UK businesses.

The projects, which are funded by the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, are being operated by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in a bid to boost the recycling rate in the small to medium-sized business (SME) market.

WRAP aims to kick start the Bring Bank schemes as early as May this year for an initial trial period of six months.
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The international Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has today launched a two-day consultation process in which they will debate the future of menthol cigarettes.

While advocates of the minty variety argue that the menthol flavouring is just a benign ingredient in the product, which does not alter its affect, some opposition members claim that it makes cigarettes more addictive.

However, with menthol cigarettes accounting for one quarter of overall tobacco products sales, the needs of both the consumer and the tobacco manufacturing industry will need to be heavily considered before a ban is implemented.
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Food manufacturers may soon be forced to offer consumers healthier choices when it comes to packaged and processed foods as a campaign to reverse the supersize culture gathers pace.

Last week the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommended that single portions of some biscuits, cakes, buns and chocolates, which are heavy on sugar and saturated fats, should be sold at a reduced size.

Now the consumer watchdog Which? has backed the initiative, claiming that consumers want more choice when it comes to what foods are passed from the supply chain, down the conveyors and into their ktchen.
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A grain storage company that started commercial life as a small-scale co-operative has seen its business make a £45 million turnover, signaling the expansion of its operations.

Cambridge-based Camgrain, which is now the UK’s largest farmer-owned central storage business, is hoping to create a new facility in the West Midlands to cope with the increase in demand, the Financial Times reports.

The company has over 360 clients for whom it takes grain such as wheat, oilseed rape and barley, handling more than 300,000 tons of crops each year.

An expansion into the west country could create jobs for those in the industry as well as boosting the overall materials processing and handling sector.
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It is often coined as the "bread basket" of the UK, harvesting more food companies than any other area, and now East Anglia’s food industry is said to booming.

According to the Financial Times, 327,000 people work in the region’s food supply chain, with an additional 37,000 in food processing and more than 47,000 on farms.

It reveals that the agricultural sector has seen rapid expansion and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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