When our client Willmott Dixon told us they had volunteered to create an environment garden for pupils at New Monument Primary Academy in Woking free of charge, we were only too pleased to help.

Before the Willmott Dixon team could start creating the garden in an unused corner of the school grounds, they needed to clear away years of overgrown trees, shrubs, brambles and rubbish. So we sent in a free 10 yard skip to hold all the waste – and took it away to be recycled.

The new garden has provided a brilliant place for the children to learn and play. They can now use this area to learn about the environment, play in a new sandpit and reap the benefits of working in teams and being in the fresh air.

Saif Masud, Apprentice Build Manager at Willmott Dixon, explained: “We transformed the unused corner of the school into an environment garden complete with new footpath, fence and sandpit.

“The idea for the garden came to us whilst building the new Hoe Valley School and community leisure facilities development in nearby Egley Road. It’s Willmott Dixon’s policy to leave a lasting legacy in our local communities – and this garden seemed the perfect way to do it.

“Big thanks go to Chambers for providing the skip and taking away all the overgrowth. They provided 350 skips to the Hoe Valley school project, so we knew we could rely on them.”

Mrs Judy Hall, headteacher of New Monument Primary Academy, added:  “Every member of the teaching team expressed delight when they saw the wildlife garden during the first staff meeting following completion of the project.  Their discussion generated many ideas for how this great new resource will benefit learning.  Thank you very much to every person and supplier who contributed to making a wonderful new learning space for our community. “

Chambers has a range of skips available for hire, and we recycle up to 98% of the materials recovered so it is a sustainable way of removing waste. For more information see our website or call 01483 504 595. @ChambersRecycle

It’s that time of year again when we are glued to our seats watching the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)!

Chambers is a proud sponsor of  2013 BTCC champion Andrew Jordan – and we are always thrilled to see our logo on his bonnet and roof as he speeds around the event’s 10 English and Scottish circuits in front of sell-out crowds.

Andrew enjoyed a podium start at the dramatic opening weekend on April 7 – 8 at Brands Hatch. Driving for Pirtek Racing in a BMW 125i M Sport. Andrew took third place on the slippery track in race 1, and ended the weekend in 13^th position overall.

The second round at Donington Park saw Andrew start the opening race in 30^th place due to a mechanical issue with his car. He finished the race in 21st place before taking 18th in race two. In race 3, after avoiding an accident ahead at the start, Andrew quickly worked his way up into the top ten and crossed the line in an impressive fifth spot – salvaging vital championship points that could prove key come the end of the season.

During the third round at Thruxton at the weekend, Andrew managed to bring home a pair of top six finishes, despite suffering from food poisoning. The illness meant  he took the difficult decision to withdraw from race three, but the points achieved earlier in the day meant that he has now moved up to eleventh position  in the championship standings ahead of the next rounds at Oulton Park and Croft.

Details of the next rounds are June 9th-10th Oulton Park, Cheshire; June 23rd-24th Croft, North Yorkshire; July 28th-29th Snetterton, Norfolk; August 11th-12th Rockingham, Northamptonshire; August 25th-26th Knockhill, Fife; September 15th-16th Silverstone, Northamptonshire; September 29th-30th Brands Hatch GP, Kent

Watch this space as we follow Andrews’ bid for a second BTCC title!

Following a recent tender process, we are delighted to have retained responsibility for the delivery of waste and recycling collection services to the University of Surrey at their Stag Hill and Manor Park campuses.

This is an enduring partnership that has seen us deliver  long-term environmental benefits  to the University’s stakeholders for over 15 years and we now look forward to working with the University in the coming years to introduce further improvements to the high level of service that they have come to expect from us.

The five year contract was awarded on a best value for money, quality of service, high levels of health and safety, compliance and a ‘zero to landfill’ solution.

We will be providing a six days a week service servicing over 1200 containers per week using our innovative pay by weight system which sees them only paying  for the amount of waste and recycling we take away.

Our state of the art Materials Recovery Facility in Guildford enables us to deliver a Zero to landfill solution to the University and to all our Customers.

Gary Connelly, Industrial and Commercial Waste Manager at Chambers Waste Management Plc, said: “We are really pleased to win the University of Surrey contract after working closely with them and we are extremely proud that our ability to over the best value for money solution and the high quality of our service over the last 15 years was a key factor in us  successfully retaining this highly valued and prestigious contract.”

The fight against plastic waste has gained some serious traction in recent months. Late last year an episode of the BBC’s Blue Planet series highlighted how a desperate lack of recycling is leading to 8 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans each year, destroying marine life. Since then the UK government and major retailers have been pledging real support to reduce plastic pollution, with initiatives including:

• The UK Plastics Pact –  40 major businesses including Sainsbury’s, Nestle and Coca-Cola have pledged to eradicate single-use plastics from packaging by 2025
• Government’s 25-year environment plan –  extends the 5p plastic bag charge to small retailers and could see a ban on plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds
• Morrison’s and Tesco will soon allow shoppers to bring in their own containers to collect their raw meat and fish, to cut down on plastic bags
• Bottle deposit scheme: Customers will pay more for drinks in the shop – and will then be able to claim the money back if they return their drinks containers to be recycled

The main goal of these initiatives is to reduce use of single-use plastic which includes items like straws, coffee stirrers, water bottles and most food packaging, which are thrown away after one use. While we might discard these items into our recycling bins with the best intentions, not all plastics can be recycled due to their varying quality so end up in landfill and the sea. And while some plastics can be down-cycled into fibres that can be used for fleeces, textiles or carpets, this will likely be the end of their useful life because most recycled plastics can’t be recycled more than once.

Our opinion is that it’s best to avoid buying single use plastic altogether – so here are our top ten tips on how to avoid it:

1. Carry a reusable bottle and / or a coffee cup
2. Carry a reusable shopping bag
3. Buy loose, package-free fresh fruit and vegetables
4. Choose greetings cards that aren’t covered in plastic film
5. Buy bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner, which you can buy package free from shops like Lush
6. Use only 100 % biodegradable wet wipes
7. Make your lunch and store in a plastic container rather than buying packaged sandwiches and salads
8. Refuse plastic straws,  plastic cutlery and plastic cups
9. Choose paper cotton buds over the plastic version
10. Use a bamboo toothbrush

We were delighted to lend a free skip to St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School in Guildford for its spring Ground Force Day – when children, teachers and volunteers rolled up their sleeves and transformed outdoor areas.

The army of helpers got stuck into a range of projects such as clearing away brambles and rubbish to make space for a new compost area; getting rid of rotting old fence posts and installing new ones; creating a stunning wild grass section and cleaning up the sensory garden – which involved sweeping up lots of leaves and clipping back overgrown shrubs and plants.

Joanne Potgieter of the school’s PTA said:  “We cannot thank Chambers enough for donating the skip, it was invaluable to us as we really got rid of so much! As a charity, our PTA relies heavily on the generosity and kind spirit of local businesses and for that we are so grateful.

“It was such a joy to walk into school on Monday morning to see all our hard work and beautiful spring-ready school grounds. Best of all the children loved the day. They really got involved in all the work and loved making a difference to their school.”

Emma Chambers, from Chambers, added: “The Ground Force Day has really improved the outdoor environment at St Thomas of Canterbury Primary and we are really pleased to have been able to help. We lent a 6 cubic yard skip and it proved to be just the job! As a Guildford business we are always keen to support local causes.”

Chambers has a range of domestic skips available for hire, and we recycle up to 98% of the materials recovered so it is sustainable way of removing waste from your home. For more information visit see our website or call 01483 504 595.

Great news from Amsterdam this week – where a supermarket has launched the world’s first plastic-free aisle.

As reported by The Guardian, shoppers to the store launched by Dutch supermarket Ekoplaza and environmental campaign group A Plastic Planet will be able to choose from around 700 products in the aisle, including meat, dairy, chocolate, snacks and fruit and vegetables.

Products that need to be wrapped – such as meat and dairy – come in packaging made from new compostable bio-materials as well as recyclable materials like glass, metal and cardboard – at no extra cost to the customer.

This is a ground breaking moment for the fight against plastic waste – which can take 1,000 years to decompose and is ending up in the world’s oceans, destroying marine life.

And when it comes to fruit and veg – it also makes simple common sense. Why do bananas, apples and potatoes in our local supermarkets need to be wrapped in plastic anyway?

Before the end of the year, Ekoplaza reportedly intends to introduce the plastic free aisle to each of its 74 stores. Hopefully supermarkets in this country will soon launch a similar initiative in a bid to cut down on the nation’s plastic packaging waste – which Wrap estimates to be a whopping 2.4 million tonnes per year.

The plastic free aisle is a fantastic start of something that must become second nature to us all in the future. Plastic plays a big role in our lives, but our use of single-use plastic needs to be seriously reduced.

What plastics does Chambers recycle?
Bottles, including water, milk, shampoo, soap and bleach
Hard plastic, such as plastic water pipes, road cones, bollards, buckets and PVC window frames

What happens to the plastics that Chambers recycles?
We carefully sort them, bale them and send them off to a specialist recover operation, where they are separated, cleaned and granulated  for direct use in the plastic manufacturing industry. The recycled plastics could become: bottles, new clear sacks, car parts, home composters, garden furniture, fleece jackets and hats or fibre filling for sleeping bags and duvets.

Any plastic residue that can’t be recycled is still a valuable resource. It is baled, wrapped and goes to a Waste to Energy plant to generate electricity.