Welcome to another insightful episode of the Rubbish Talk Podcast! In this milestone 40th episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Nick Noble, the Chief Marketing Officer of Danu Robotics. Nick brings a wealth of experience to the table with his 30-year career in marketing, design, and business development within the technology sector. Tune in as we delve into his journey and vision for revolutionizing the waste industry.
Nick Noble is not just any marketing professional; he originally studied at Glasgow School of Art, and uses his skills to seamlessly blend design with marketing and business development. His career trajectory is impressive, spanning from his early days at Pure Digital, where he helped pioneer digital radios, to his current role at Danu Robotics, developing robots to sort waste. Despite being relatively new to the waste industry, Nick has already made significant strides in refining Danu’s value proposition.
Nick’s transition into the waste sector began when he mentored Amy Ma, the founder of Danu Robotics, at the STAC accelerator. His approach is rooted in understanding customer needs, as demonstrated by his engagement with RMAS members in Scotland to identify their requirements for robotic sorting. His key takeaway? Listening to the customers and focusing on cost efficiency are paramount.
Danu Robotics is one of the two UK manufacturers of waste sorting robots. Their mission is to sort waste, significantly reduce carbon footprint, and offer cost-effective solutions. Nick shares an enlightening anecdote about a company that had to conduct 400 employee inductions in a year to maintain just 16 jobs on the picking line. This highlights the inefficiency and lack of appeal in manual waste sorting jobs, making a strong case for robotic solutions.
Nick is passionate about AI and sees it as a natural progression in technological evolution. Danu Robotics’ robots are equipped with advanced data integration systems that identify materials on the conveyor belt and sort them into the correct bins. This not only boosts efficiency but also ensures accurate data collection about waste materials.
Nick admits he was surprised by how fascinating the waste industry is. Despite its unglamorous nature, he finds it incredibly rewarding to contribute positively to the planet. His goal is to create a larger scale of less expensive robots, making the technology accessible and transforming the industry. Danu Robotics aims to gain widespread acceptance in Scotland before expanding across the UK and Europe.
Useful Links
Connect with Nick on Linked In
Environmental News Updates
Fire Hits Enva WEEE & Battery Plant
Enva’s waste electricals and battery recycling facility at Linwood, Renfrewshire, has been hit by a major fire. The company said the blaze was reported on Sunday night (23 June), and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was on-site and dealing with the incident, which has now been contained. There have been no injuries, and the cause of the fire will be the subject of an immediate and thorough investigation, Enva said.
Scotland Passes Circular Economy Bill
Scotland’s Circular Economy Bill, aimed at enhancing reuse and recycling efforts, has passed its final stages without opposition. The bill includes several significant measures:
– Civil Penalties for Vehicle Owners: Vehicle keepers will face fines if litter is dropped from their vehicles. Additionally, authorities will have the power to seize vehicles involved in specific waste crimes.
– Restrictions on Unsold Goods Disposal: Powers to limit the disposal of unsold goods and impose charges on single-use items, with beverage cups being the initial target.
– Local Recycling Targets: Inspired by Wales’ success, statutory local recycling targets will be established.
– Support and Investment: Backed by the £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund, the measures will be reinforced with support and investment.
To read to full Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill Click Here.
New CIWM President Calls for Better Design to Reduce Waste
Tim Walker was inaugurated as CIWM president in Belfast before launching his presidential report, Turning off the Tap: Why better design can increase resource resilience and reduce consumption.
Tim Walker has said “It is time to seriously address the role of design and development in the creation of ‘stuff’ and recognise how there sources and waste sector, which is at the nucleus of circularity, can support better decision-making to effectively protect our precious resources.”
His presidential report said the CIWM was ideally placed to support this change to circular models, developing feedback loops to designers and highlighting the economic impact of waste on the public sector.
Review of Enforcement of Litter and Flytipping Offences Final Report
This research report was commissioned by Scottish Government in 2022 and completed by Anthesis in Autumn 2023 and has now been published almost a year later.
To read the full report, click here.
Albion News
Alasdair has returned once again from his travels,
this time Croatia! He said it was very clean and no waste to be seen, although the toilets were rather strange. Another thing he noticed in Croatia was the number of expectant Mums!
Jane Bond and Susan Deakin took a trip up to Glasgow City Chambers
for a visit, where they were stunned by the beautiful building. Keep an eye out for social media posts for more information on their trip!
Two weeks ago, we hosted a Resource Management Association Scotland (RMAS) Pop-Up Event
for all our incredible RMAS Members, and it was a huge success! We had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with so many wonderful individuals from a variety of businesses. We had the opportunity to showcase all the different work we do and share it with our guests, highlighting the diversity and impact of our projects. The connections, and the shared ideas truly made it a memorable event.
Our Solar Panels are now up and in use and we are very happy with them!
We can track our daily/monthly intake of electricity usage through an app, which Alasdair seems to be having fun with! Thanks again to
Lochlie Construction Group for all their hard work.
Have you had a look at our Tik Tok Account yet?
We have recently introduced a fortnightly video called “Meet the Team Monday” where we interview our staff and to find out their job roles, favourite part about their job, favourite/funny memory and a “which colleague is most likely to…” question to add some humour. Make sure to follow us and check out our videos.
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