Welcome to the latest edition of the Rubbish Talk Podcast Newsletter! In Episode 39, we are thrilled to have a special guest, Nigel Tomlinson, who serves as the Commercial Director at GAP Group, Northeast Limited. Nigel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his diverse career journey, we are excited to dive into the world of waste management with him.
Nigel Tomlinson has an intriguing career path that has led him to become a key figure in the waste management sector. After studying history at university, Nigel wasn’t quite sure where his career would take him. He started at Humberside County Council, thanks to his sister, and then moved on to a lengthy tenure as a buyer at Arco. During his 11 years at Arco, Nigel travelled extensively, sourcing products from countries like China and Sri Lanka. After taking redundancy as the business evolved, a recruitment agency introduced him to the waste industry, and he began working for Valpak Ltd. Nigel joined GAP Group in March 2023, and he describes it as the best decision he ever made.
GAP Group Northeast Limited is a leading approved authorized treatment facility (AATF) specialising in the treatment of waste electrical equipment. Their expertise includes handling fridges, freezers, and other appliances, with over 700,000 units processed last year alone. GAP Group’s process involves removing oils and gases from cooling systems and shredding the objects to separate materials like plastics, foams, metals, and gases. On a monthly basis, they handle several tons of rotting food waste from these appliances.
Nigel’s roles in the waste sector have profoundly changed his outlook on the environment and recycling. Previously, he didn’t think much about these issues, but now he is deeply concerned about the environmental and health risks posed by disposable vapes. GAP Group is at the forefront of addressing such concerns, with up to 20 people working on recycling 100,000 disposable vapes each week.
In July 2023, GAP Group launched a new venture, “Renew 2 U,” a business focused on refurbishing appliances. This innovative approach offers refurbished appliances online through platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Shopify, aiming to become the refurbishment partner of choice for brands in the UK.
Nigel emphasizes the potential of the waste industry for young people, challenging the misconception that it is outdated and male dominated. He stresses the importance of health and safety, urging new standards and innovative perspectives to move the industry forward.
Useful Links
Connect with Nigel on Linked In
Environmental News Updates
Tent company launches buyback scheme to reduce festival waste – letsrecycle.com
As the UK enters festival season, Decathlon has announced its ‘No Tent Left Behind’ campaign, meaning customers can return their tents after use, in a bid to an effort to reduce festival waste. Decathlon has said 250,000 tents are left behind at festivals each year, with most going to landfill. Those that return their tent will receive the value of their purchase in the form of a gift card.
A post by Mike Barry on Linked In explains the buyback scheme in more detail.
Golf club fined after it allowed illegal waste dumping | MRW
Two West Sussex firms and the owner of a golf course have been fined £38,000 in total for illegal waste dumping. An anonymous tip-off led the Environment Agency (EA) to almost 700 lorry-loads of waste dumped illegally at Rusper Golf Club, near Dorking. Owner Rusper Leisure allowed haulier Cook and Son and Bell and Sons Construction to offload the waste without EA approval.
At a rough calculation at 20 tonne loads, and disposal £160 tonne (landfill tax and gate fee) looks like offenders will have saved £2.24 million – who says crime does not pay?
Wales second in global recycling league
Wales has placed second in a global recycling league table by consultancy Eunomia with a recycling rate of 59% for municipal waste. Austria topped the table, with Northern Ireland placed ninth with a 45% rate. England lay in 11th place at 44% while Scotland was 15th at 39%. Click here to see the report more in depth with a visual diagram.
First minister of Wales Vaughan Gething said the country’s climb to second in the world was “fantastic news”. Click here to read more about Wales reaction to this amazing accomplishment.
Albion News
Alasdair has recently returned from his travels,
where he journeyed through Holland with a card, which he had to access underground storage bins to distribute some waste,
Click Here to see pictures from Holland!
He then headed to Morocco to take part in a 3-day race, which he
thoroughly enjoyed.
Click Here to see pictures from Morocco!
We recently had our RMAS Pop-up Event last week,
which we were thrilled to be hosting. More details on this will be released with Episode 40, so stay tuned!
We would like to apologise to those who have sent in messages and requests through our “Join the Conversation” segment,
we had ran into some technical difficulties, meaning we were unable to track the incoming messages. We now have full access and will be replying to all messages as soon as possible. Please keep in touch, we really appreciate feedback from our listeners!
And for the avid listeners Alasdair made a mistake at the end of this recording – if you spot it please let us know!
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