Glass recycling specialists Raw Glass Ltd. have won a new contract with Basildon Council, in Essex, south-east England, to collect the empty bottles left out on the street by pubs, clubs and restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights in the town. The council“s initiative is an attempt to solve the unsightly and sometimes dangerous problem of broken glass on the streets, and, in its public safety aspect, can be seen as part of wider UK trend: In November 2003 Glasgow City Council started a move to ban fast-food outlets and food stalls from selling soft drinks in glass containers on Friday and Saturday nights. Raw Glass founder and managing director Andrew Wong said: “(Basildon Council) recognised we have developed an expertise in handling glass and in the whole recycling process and could offer a very cost-effective service.” “Broken bottles can now become an asset rather than an eyesore and a menace.” The new contract marks the end of a fast-growing debut year for the company. Set up in May 2003, Raw Glass specialises in the collection of used bottles from pubs, clubs and restaurants. The glass waste is then taken to a plant in Harlow for recycling. The service is free.

Dartington Crystal (south west England), which cut 40 jobs in October 2003 as part of wider restructuring, announced the appointment of a new managing director along with other changes to the company …

Dartington Crystal (south west England), which cut 40 jobs in October 2003 as part of wider restructuring, announced the appointment of a new managing director along with other changes to the company management team. Chris Thompson takes over as managing director with immediate effect. He succeeds Robin Pugh, who was the chairman and managing director for most of 2003. In his role as chairman, Mr Pugh will focus on enabling Dartington to re-finance successfully to secure its long term future. Mr Thompson was previously operations director and has been with Dartington for 24 years. Human resources manager Sheridan Whalley has been named operations director following a successful four years playing an integral part in the day-to-day running of the business. In addition Malcolm Easton will become the firm“s financial controller. A Dartington Crystal spokeswoman said: “These changes reflect the company“s ambitions and progress towards returning the company to profitability. “Dartington Crystal are actively pursuing the sale of their redundant land assets and enjoy excellent support from their customers, the local business community and the Devon and Cornwall Business Council.”