The Essex County (United Kingdom) Council (ECC) has awarded Veolia Environmental Services plc an eight-year, integrated waste management contract that will result in Veolia becoming the sole supplier managing the county’s RCHW network.

Starting November 2013, Veolia will manage 21 recycling centers that will handle waste from the county. Additionally, Veolia will add 10 more sites in the southern part of the county to maximize the company’s service.
Veolia also will operate five waste transfer stations currently in development in Harlow, Great Dunmow, Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester.

In a release, Keith McGurk, Veolia’s regional director for the East, says, “We are very pleased to be able to develop the existing partnership between Veolia and ECC. The new contract should produce economies of scale and increase sustainability with the aim of helping the Council to turn more waste into a resource.”

Councillor Roger Walters, ECC’s cabinet member for waste and recycling, says, “Our new integrated waste services contract will ensure that we continue to deliver the best waste management services whilst providing value for Essex residents.

“We are determined to deliver sustainable waste management solutions while increasing recycling rates, and our new partnership with Veolia will help us to achieve this,” Walters added.

Redeem Holdings Ltd., based in the U.K., has acquired the mobile phone recycling firm UPR Global, based in Estonia. UPR is Redeem’s Estonian partner in recovering, reusing and recycling mobile phones.

Redeem currently operates in 10 European, the Middle East and Africa countries. The company specializes in wholesale mobile electronics, recommerce and recycling. The acquisition will add six Nordic and Baltic countries to its coverage area. The company claims it is the largest mobile recycler in Europe.

UPR Global, which was formed in Estonia less than 3 years ago, expanded into Lithuania, Latvia and Finland. Last year a partnership agreement opened up the Norwegian mobile phone recommerce market.

Jorgen Berg, newly appointed CEO of Redeem OU, says, “Being part of the Redeem family allows us to access a lot of knowledge and experience. This brings us a unique opportunity to help grow Redeem as a global player by supporting MNOs and major enterprises in the Nordic Baltic region.”

Urvo Männama, founder of UPR and recently appointed business development director of Redeem OU, says, “Since our launch, UPR has enjoyed considerable operational successes and in the process delivered a great experience to our customers and clients. This acquisition brings together two great companies which are growing considerably. The combination of UPR Global and Redeem Holdings Ltd., reinforced by the successful Redeem brand, will be a powerful force in international recommerce.”

The aluminum rolling and recycling firm Novelis, based in Atlanta, has announced a number of senior executive moves designed to further accelerate its "One Novelis" global integration strategy.

Company executives Marco Palmieri, Tadeu Nardocci and Erwin Mayr have been appointed regional presidents for North America, South America and Europe, respectively, and Brad Soultz has been named head of global strategy and commercial activities.

In a news release, the company notes that the changes will be made to strengthen its business in fast-growing regions of the world.

"With assets on four continents and operations in 11 countries, we have been steadily growing our reputation for being a globally oriented company, focused on providing innovative, sustainable solutions to our customers," says Phil Martens, president and CEO of Novelis. "As our customer base becomes increasingly globally organized, having senior executives who understand our business around the world will ensure that we are providing our customers with a seamless experience, wherever they are."

Palmieri, who joined the company in 2011, has been named senior vice president and president, Novelis North America, effective June 1. Palmieri will have responsibility for all aspects of the company's largest region. He previously served as senior vice president and president, Novelis South America. During this time, he built an integrated management team and led a $300-million investment to expand Novelis' aluminum rolling and recycling operations to serve South America's beverage can market.

Novelis named Nardocci senior vice president and president, Novelis South America. Nardocci will lead all aspects of the company's business in South America, including the ongoing expansion of aluminum rolling and recycling operations at Novelis' plant in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil.

Nardocci was most recently senior vice president and president, Novelis Europe, where he led the revitalization of the company's business in the region, including increasing its focus on the automotive market and on closed-loop recycling agreements with automotive customers. Under his leadership, Novelis announced a $250 million investment in Nachterstedt, Germany, to build an aluminum recycling center.

Nardocci joined the company in 1978 as an engineer in Brazil. He has held positions of increasing responsibility with Novelis, including managing director of the company's operations in Malaysia; senior corporate vice president in charge of innovation, technology and strategy; and a previous assignment as senior vice president and president, Novelis South America.

In Europe, Novelis named Mayr senior vice president and president, Novelis Europe, effective immediately. As head of Novelis' second-largest region, Mayr will have responsibility for all aspects of the company's European business, including sales, operations and strategy implementation. 

Mayr was previously senior vice president, chief strategy and commercial officer, with responsibility for creating the company's global strategy and overseeing all of its key customer relationships and other commercial activities. He joined Novelis in 2002 as vice president, business planning and strategy. During his tenure, he has also served as business unit president, Advanced Rolled Products, for Novelis Europe.

Soultz succeeds Mayr as vice president, chief strategy and commercial officer, effective immediately. He will be responsible for developing Novelis' global strategy and leading the global commercial organizations, with a focus on growing the company's sales and customer base.

Soultz has a multinational background, having worked in Asia, Europe and North America. Prior to Novelis, he was managing director with Cummins Inc. Since joining Novelis in 2005, he has held a number of leadership positions, most recently serving as vice president, global supply chain. He has also served as vice president, Global Specialty Products; vice president and general manager of Novelis' Automotive and Specialty Products businesses in North America; and vice president and general manager for Light-Gauge Products in North America.

"We have made considerable investments to further develop our people and strengthen our leadership capabilities over the past few years," Martens says. "As a result, we have built a world-class senior executive team that is well-prepared to accelerate Novelis' growth and execute on its global business strategy."

The board of Avondale Advanced Waste Treatment Ltd., based in Avondale, Scotland, has reached a decision to close its Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), located in Polmont, Scotland, by May 31, 2013.

In a press statement, John Holt, director of the firm, says, “Following consultation with employees on the proposals to close the MRF and after assessing all viable options, it’s with regret that the board of Avondale Advanced Waste Treatment Ltd. has announced that it will be closing the facility from the 31st May 2013.”

Holt cites a weak economy, increased operating costs, the reduction in the volume of material, a decline in the value of the recyclables and the lack of facilities able to handle the refused derived fuel processed as reasons to close the plant.

The MRF, which opened in early 2012, was designed to handle up to 200,000 metric tons per year of municipally generated waste. The MRF was expected to divert around 60 percent of the material to recycling and reuse applications.

In the statement, Holt adds, “while the short term outlook is poor, the company is positive about the longer-term opportunities for the MRF when economic and infrastructure circumstances improve. We believe that ultimately it will play an important role in helping to support Scotland's Zero Waste Ambitions. We’ll continue to maintain the MRF until it becomes viable to reopen it.”

The company will continue to operate its landfill at the location.