James Norvill - Managing Director

Newport-based waste management specialist, GD Environmental has today announced the successful takeover of Countryside Skip Hire in a deal which values the company at over £5million.

The takeover will see GD Environmental increase its share of the domestic skip hire market in Wales, while also acquiring 3 chain lift skip lorries and a range of domestic skip containers worth in excess of £200,000.

James Norvill Managing Director of GD Environmental said: “The acquisition of Countryside Skip Hire will significantly increase our ability to service new waste management contracts across South Wales. We are confident this strategic decision will improve our response times for emergency skip hire deliveries and provide a foundation to further expand the GD Environmental brand to new regions of Wales and the West Country.”

Following the acquisition of Countryside Skip Hire, GD Environmental has began planning the expansion of its existing waste disposal facility in Newport where the business recycles all forms of private and commercial waste streams which include wood, metal, plastic, gypsum, hardcore and cardboard. The company has also recruited 3 new staff to manage additional contract work.

James Norvill continued, “ Since the business began we have always made bold strategic decisions to move the business forward and provide a one stop solution for any waste management requirement. This latest acquisition will sustain further growth for the business during the busy summer months.”

This latest development at GD Environmental follows a successful year that has seen the business successfully tender the 2010 Ryder Cup waste management contract and develop the tournaments award winning driving range at the Celtic Manor Resort.

GD Environmental has bold ambitions to become the UK’s first carbon positive waste management company by 2015 through offsetting its carbon footprint through investing in pioneering green technologies.

Ends

Words: 294

Image Attached: James Norvill, Managing Director of GD Environmental.

Written By

Gerwyn Holmes, CMS Marketing Services, 07738902169

Approved by James Norvill, GD Environmental Services 01633 2777555

Synopsis

A multi award winning waste management company, GD Environmental provide a comprehensive waste management services across Wales, South East England and the North East. Under the guidance of young entrepreneur James Norvill, the business strives to become a one stop shop for any waste management requirements and has bold ambitions to become the UK’s first carbon positive waste disposal specialists.

For more information please see http://www.gd-environmental.co.uk

Waste Transfer Station Newport

We are all guilty of purchasing more than we actually need. However, all this impulse buying has a dramatic effect not only home storage but on a more serious note, the environment.

This summer instead of adding to the pile of accumulating clothes, shoes, CDs think green!

Donating unwanted clutter is a fantastic way of reducing your carbon footprint whilst playing a vital role in much needed charity fund raising.

When rummaging through your old belongings it is key to remember that anything goes…almost! It may not be your prize possession any longer but for a shrewd bargain hunter it could be their lucky day. To get you started – some charities that each help to raise money for many different appeals;

Oxfam

A global charity which is involved in helping those who are living in poverty. www.oxfam.org.uk

Marie Curie Cancer Care

Marie Curie raises fund in order to provide care and support for those are terminally ill, either within the patients home or a hospice. www.mariecurie.org.uk

Barnardos

A children’s charity which aims to help children living in proverty, young families.www.barnardos.org.uk

There is charity for almost every item in your home. So have a heart, donate some love.

Waste Transfer and Recycling Station

For bulkier items that remain unsuitable candidates for charity donation, there is no need for them to be left out of your recycling overhaul. How about renting a skip with a few of your friends and having a summer clear out together? Renting a skip with a group of people is kinder to your wallet and of course eco – friendly!

Please see the range of skips on offer by GD Environmental at our skip hire Newport page here.

Or alternatively for things such as cardboard, wood, and metal wood waste why not visit a waste transfer and recycling station to dispose of your waste?

Visit http://www.gd-environmental.co.uk/waste-disposal-services/dry-waste-services/recycling-services/ for more information.

Happy Recycling!

Follow these ten simple steps…

1. Recycle any old mobile phones with companies like Envirophone.
2. Sell your old ink cartridges for cash at cashforcartridges.com
3. When out shopping remember to bring an old plastic bag or reusable bag to avoid paying for non recyclable plastic bags in supermarkets and stores.
4. With the cost of fuel at an all time high. Why not embrace your bike or share a lift to work with a colleague to both save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
5. Trade in your used cans for cash at local recycling depots at thinkcans.com
6. With stacks of old CD’s gathering dust in the spare room. You can sell your old CDs/ books and games via companies such as Music Magpie, Green Metropolis, play.com and Amazon
7. With food wastage a common problem in homes across the UK, put a food planner on your fridge to plan meals and reduce food being left in the fridge to go off.
8. Looking for a fresh new look this summer? Donate old clothes to local charities or take your M&S clothes to oxfam and you’ll recieve a £5 M&S voucher in exchange.
9. Visit https://www.government-grants.co.uk/ for eco incentives to make your home more environmentally efficient.
10. To reduce packaging waste, take a lunchbox to work to avoid paying for packaged meals including packaged sandwiches during your break.

Remember Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

http://www.gd-environmental.co.uk

Bird Waste Disposal Team

Messy situation at the Westgate Hotel gets cleaned up!

The historic Westgate Hotel in Newport, central to the Chartist uprising of 1839, has once again found itself under attack, but this time from a different sort of danger

Pigeons, who have taken up residence in the top three floors of the hotel, have been posing a serious concern to public health owing to the amount and toxicity of their waste.

Although some of the hotel is in use, the top three levels of the hotel had over 50 years worth of accumulated bird waste. Owners Peter Gunning & Partners Ltd called in specialist waste management company GD Environmental to clear up the waste and make the hotel safe for human use and the subsequent filming of the Doctor Who Christmas special.

James Norvill, managing director of GD Environmental, said: “I often see sites where bird waste is a real problem. As well as the Westgate Hotel, in Newport there are several other sites which are also a bit of a mess, including the John Frost memorial outside the hotel.

“Although you can see how unsightly the waste is, people often don’t fully understand the health risks posed by this problem. Pigeons in fact carry more diseases than rats, but despite this people often encourage these flying pests by feeding them.”

Harmful organisms found in bird waste can cause lung and blood diseases such as histoplasmosis, aspergillosis and listeriosis. The birds also carry dangerous bacteria which can cause salmonelliosis and pseudo-tuberculosis.

Julie Barratt, Director of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in Wales, said: “It is rare for members of the public to contract disease from pigeon droppings, but as a carrier of disease the droppings do have the potential to cause illness, particularly if found in large quantities. Members of the public should be vigilant to wash their hands after coming into contact with bird droppings or after handling the birds themselves. People should take particular care with children who may encounter droppings in playground toys and park furniture.”

A specialist team from GD Environmental spent two weeks cleaning out three levels of the hotel including the attic space. There is strict legislation from the Environment Agency regarding the clean-up of bird waste due to its high levels of toxicity. The team safely removed all birds and sealed all access points, they then proceeded to bag and seal all waste and disinfected the area to prevent further contamination.

James Norvill said: “We were able to take on this job at relatively short notice as the Westgate Hotel were finding it difficult to find someone who could complete the job in the time required. We have the equipment necessary to take on a job as specialist as this, while ensuring that any public health risk is avoided.”

The Westgate Hotel found itself at the centre of a violent protest as part of the Chartist’s call for greater voting rights for the working classes. The Westgate were concerned about the damage the birds waste could have on some of the hotels history.

GD Environmental is a complete waste management company which specialises in all forms of wet and dry waste disposal, as well as offering skip hire, drain services and recycling facilities. After a merger between two other companies in 2004 GD Environmental has grown to be one of the largest companies of its kind in the area and now operates in markets across Wales and the South West, as well as in Europe.

Drain Cleaning

Waste firm helps Welsh firms out of their wellies

Drainage firm removes the water and helps businesses remain afloat

XX July 2007: The rain clouds have a silver lining for one Newport drainage firm, as its latest investment is helping Welsh firms survive/manage during the unexpected summer downpours.

Purchased in May this year, GD Environmental’s new £90,000 vacuum tanker lorry has been working flat out/continuously for 12 hours a day for the past six weeks, helping businesses across Wales remove waste water, contaminated sludges and other liquid waste from their premises.

According to The Metrological Office (see note 1), Wales received five times more rainfall this June compared with the same period last year.

James Norvill, managing director for GD Environmental, says that they invested in the the 2,000-gallon capacity lorry primarily to empty cesspits and septic tanks.

“The summer period has never been the busiest time for flooding, but we are relieved that this investment has helped so many of our clients,” says Mr Norvill.

“Compared with the same period last year, we are treating and disposing 30% more waste water directly caused by the flooding.

“The phone has not stopped ringing for six weeks. Anxious business owners across Wales and the West Country can see the water levels rising and need help urgently.

“We have been able to provide a same-day service for every emergency so far and, in one case, we were draining contaminated water within an hour of the phone call.”

According to James Norvill, we need to plan for the longer term in Wales.

“This recent weather pattern is an indication that global warming is having a significant and unpredictable effect on climate in Wales. It is something that a lot of businesses will need to consider when planning their operations over the next 12 months”

-ends-

http://www.gd-environmental.co.uk

XX July 2007, Newport: A leading Newport (Welsh) recycling facility welcomes its 5000^th landmark delivery this week, and is on track to recycle, in its first year, the equivalent weight of every person living in Gwent (see editor’s note 1).

Having launched its purpose-built £1 million waste treatment plant in November last year, Newport’s GD Environmental has welcomed around 30,000 tonnes of commercial waste. During the past 6 months the award-winning business has recycled more that 28,500 tonnes of the waste, an astonishing 90% of all waste received on the site.

The majority of commercial waste is from the firm’s successful skip hire business, and comprises a mixture of wood, metal, plastic, stone, mud, metal and glass.

James Norvill, managing director of GD Environmental and (BCC Welsh Entrepreneur of the Year) Western Mail Young Achiever of the Year, says that his team has worked long hours to process the high levels of incoming waste over the last 6 months many of which have been working nights to meet demand.

“Our team is passionate about recycling and we are fast building a reputation as the greenest skip hire and waste treatment company is Wales,” says Mr Norvill.

“We started recycling material from local builders, but have since taken on 15 new staff to deal with increasing daily deliveries from as far afield as Carmarthen and Bristol.

“It is a pleasure to see more and more businesses around Gwent (Wales) who are so concerned about landfill, that they are actively seeking out alternative greener options.“

“In fact, as one of the only holders of an asbestos licence in Wales, there is very little that we cannot accept,” he says.

Around three-quarters of the 330 million tonnes of waste dumped in UK landfill sites every year comes from construction, demolition, sewage sludge, farm waste and spoils.

According to James Norvill, new regulations on waste management will help reduce this figure dramatically.

“At the moment, builders and others can take their waste directly to a landfill site. However, the new Landfill Directive, coming into force on 30^th October 2007, asserts that all waste must be pre-sorted in advance, allowing treatment plants like ours to recover all recyclable material,” he says.

When waste arrives at GD Environmental, it is sorted and separated into its constituent elements of wood, metal, plastic, stone, mud, metal and glass.

GD Environmental recycles its waste wood into fuel for energy plants, or it is chipped for animal bedding. Any stone or aggregate is used for road lining and raising land levels.

Plastic is bailed and exported to China, along with scrap metal, for recycling.

-ends-

GD Environmental has achieved remarkable success in this years ngb2b awards winning Young Company of the Year and Director James Norvill picking up the national award for Entrepreneur of the Year for Wales.

Starting as a Drainage business in 2003, GD Environmental has expanded into a complete waste management company offering Skip Hire, Asbestos Management, Hazardous Waste Treatment and has began operating in specialist niche markets across Europe.

James Norvill’s ambitious reinvestment strategy has been critical to maintain the company’s phenomenal growth, currently on target to reach a £2.5m turnover this financial year. To maintain a green image and reduce the amount of waste disposed via landfill sites GD Environmental has development a £1m waste transfer and recycling station with the capacity to hit its ambitious 80% recycling target and assure that GD Skips are the greenest in Wales.

A thrilled James Norvill hopes this can be the start of something a lot bigger “since starting GD Environmental it has been my sole ambition to provide the best customer service within our industry and make GD the household name for any waste requirements. Winning these awards have given us a platform to start making this dream a reality”

James Norvill Welsh Entrepreneur

Newport man voted best young entrepreneur in Wales

“I will use this as a springboard to help shape a greener Wales,” he says

A leading Newport businessman is celebrating his crowning as the nation’s ‘Young Business Achiever of the Year’ with a call for the Welsh Assembly Government and leading businesses to work with him and shape a greener Wales.

James Norvill, 26, managing director of leading Welsh waste management company GD Environmental was awarded the title at the auspicious Western Mail Business Awards for Wales, held on 18^th May in Cardiff’s International Arena.

Mr Norvill adds this new honour to his British Chamber of Commerce ‘Welsh Entrepreneur of the Year’ award from late last year.

Having enjoyed a meteoric rise James is fast-becoming a face for environmental issues in Wales.

He founded GD Environmental in 2004, which has since developed from a small drainage company into a complete provider of waste disposal services including skip hire, asbestos and hazardous waste disposal.

James now tells the South Wales Argus exclusively that he wishes to use this new-found recognition to make a passionate plea for leading bodies in Wales to work with him in his bid to help recycle 90% of Welsh waste.

“We have a duty of care to protect this land for future generations,” he says.

“At present, we sing songs of our nation’s green, green grass, but unless we embark on serious measures to protect our nation, then this grass will be suffocated under needless hills of rubbish,” he says.

“Our ambition is to be recognised as a leading UK recycling company and we have several exciting projects underway. However, we are very disappointed that the Welsh Assembly Government is not backing us.

“We asked for their support towards our £1 million investment build a waste transfer and recycling station in Newport; a state-of-the-art facility that can recycle over 90% of commercial and public waste. We were offered none. Despite creating in excess of 22 Jobs”

“We have recently asked the Welsh Office for support towards another multi-million pound project that will reshape the way in which waste is recycled in Wales. Again, they tell us very little support is available for environmental projects as there is little job creation. But I believe if we don’t prioritise and create a sustainable future for Wales, then there won’t be any jobs available in the future, as the effects of global warming would have taken their to le. ”

“We seem to talk a lot about protecting our future in Wales, but it needs public investment if we are to move forward.

We are a growing Welsh success story and I would like to keep it that way. Wales is my home and I am very passionate about securing its future.

“But if we, and other like-minded growing companies, cannot win support from our political leaders for recycling and waste management projects, then we will struggle to develop our businesses further. While companies across the border have funds readily available. Its something I believe the Welsh Office needs to reconsider to assure the long term sustainability and economical growth in Wales.”

Newport’s GD Environmental is a true success story. It has expanded at a rate of 126% year-on-year, increased its full-time staff from 2 to 47, established a client base of more than 350, and grown revenues to £2.6m this year.

Future plans include the building of waste transfer stations in Monmouthshire and Cardiff, and reaching a £9m turnover by 2010

Skipcar RBS 6 Nations

BBC SPORT SKIPS A BEAT WITH GD ENVIRONMENTAL

South Wales waste specialist GD Environmental is celebrating one of its most unusual jobs to date – to supply a motorised rubbish skip to BBC Sport to help mark the launch of its Six Nations rugby coverage today <c, corr Sat>.

Newport-based GD Environmental is the owner of the world’s only fully motorised skip. The Skipcar which is based on a powerful Subaru Impreza engine has an incredible top speed of 140mph.

In the last few weeks, the skip attracted the interested of BBC bosses who came up with the idea to use it to transport presenter John Inverdale around French landmarks ahead of the opening weekend of the Six Nations Championship ..

“It was a huge success over in Paris filming for the opening feature for the Championship,” explains Gerwyn Holmes, Marketing Manager of GD Environmental.

“We nearly caused quite a few accidents around the Arc de Triomphe from people staring at the skip car while driving, at times it was quite scary”

“The GD Skip car has attracted increasing interest since we launched it last summer – but agreeing the deal with BBC has been the icing on the cake for us.”

“BBC’s sports presenter John Inverdale was with us throughout the filming and he loved the car.

GD Environmental Services provides waste management and drainage services to business clients and public authorities across the UK. And has more than 35 years experience within the industry.

“Our Skipcar is rapidly becoming an icon within the waste disposal industry, and it’s great that a growing welsh company enjoying national coverage on such a magnificent spectacle,” added Gerwyn.

Businesses across Wales are under increasing pressure to lower their carbon footprint and recycle where ever possible. Recycling has become a serious focal point on the political agenda across the UK with ambitious targets being set for businesses and local councils to reduce waste disposed via landfill sites and to recycle waste where ever possible. With the general election scheduled later this year Environmental Issues will be one of the key topics of discussion but what will the future hold for recycling in Wales?

Over the last 3 years there has been a significant change in the way domestic waste is recycled with the introduction of household collection services. But for many businesses the responsibilities to recycle and reuse materials has become a costly process which has very little financial benefit. The introduction of the WEEE directive has produced considerable costs on any company producing, distributing and reselling electrical equipment in the UK as they are now required to assist in the recovery and recycling of all end-of- life products. But this may prove to be the first of many directives of its kind that will have a knock on effect on businesses and consumers.

GD Environmental one of Wales’s leading waste disposal and recycling companies identify the importance of each individual to make a difference by recycling where ever possible.

Director James Norvill explains “last year an estimated 5 billion cans were used in the UK. The energy used to produce one new aluminium can is enough to make 20 recycled cans. It’s not asking a lot for the public to recycle cans in the appropriate bins, if everyone contributed to this it can make a big difference”

GD Environmental has set ambitious targets to recycle as much of its skipped waste as possible this year with the objective being to reuse over 85% of all transferred waste and become one of the most environmentally friendly skip businesses in Wales.

James recognises there is very little waste that cannot be recycled but believes we should look at our existing recycling methods and consider how successful they have been?

James continues “if you look at how countries in the rest of Europe particularly in Scandinavia approach recycling it is very different from the UK as they give incentives to recycle. Wile visiting Sweden last year I noticed a local supermarket had a facility to insert old plastic bottles and repay them in change. I think this would be a big success if introduced in supermarkets across the UK. I think in the future governments will be faced by a tough decision to either continue to promote recycling or start to enforce recycling. This decision may not be to far away”

Education from an early age is an option to assure a more environmental consideration in the future. James identifies the need to teach children at a young age to recycle and questions whether it should become part of the national curriculum.

“It’s important to educated students from an early age about the impacts of global warming amongst other environmental issues facing Wales today. Over the next 30 years there will be significant changes in the way businesses will need to operate and we will be depending on the next generation of employees to become more environmentally considerate”