We are delighted to announce that BuilderScrap has an exciting new identity.  From today the company is called recipro.

We still stand for all the same values – promoting and aiding the re-use and redistribution of construction materials, providing reciprocal benefits for the construction industry, local communities and the environment.  Our member base is now over 5000 around the UK and Ireland, and as well as construction and trade companies of all sizes, it includes charities, community groups, schools and many more.

The exciting growth and change for the company has led to the launch of the new identity- recipro.

You will still find all the same fantastic features you had with BuilderScrap, and watch this space for updates and features coming soon.  Remember it is completely free to use the website to pass on and find left over and re-usable construction materials!

Our new website is www.recipro-UK.com and all your login details will remain the same.

Managing Director, Les Owens comments on the re-branding: ‘We are really excited about the change as it demonstrates how far we have come from our beginnings as a website purely for small building companies to exchange left over materials amongst themselves. They can still do that, and it is those 5000 plus members who have helped us to realise the potential and need for the service to encompass all levels of the industry, as well as local communities’.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us on 0844 225 3000 or info@recipro-UK.com

Let us know what you think!

For twitter how about something like – Launched today – the brand new face of BuilderScrap – we have now rebranded as recipro http://recipro-UK.com

A UK recycling company has achieved 100% materials reuse in a landfill recovery scheme believed to be the very first of its kind in Europe.

Mytum & Selby Recycling has excavated a site which was used to be a landfill site in Goole, East Yorkshire, so they can build a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) that will open in 2012-13, providing 225,000 tonnes capacity for local authorities and businesses in the area.

Mytum & Selby Recycling’s managing director, Steve Carrie, said: “Landfill is often an issue nobody wants to tackle, but because we have invested in the latest technology, we see it as a great opportunity. At Goole we have been able to treat, reuse and recycle all the old landfill waste to help with levelling, landscaping and building the new centre.”

” The project involved recovering and refining construction materials, and reusing stone and tiling to build the MRF. All plastics, paper and glass were reclaimed and reprocessed. Any remaining food and organic waste was treated at the company’s own organics plant and converted into compost.”

Mytum & Selby will also be looking into other technologies to accompany the MRF on the 17-acre site to create fuels and energy from the residual waste after the bulk segregation process.

BuilderScrap sourced this article from Edie.

Tax officials have confirmed they will be taking on the issue of false self-employment as part of a major crackdown on labour agencies.

Last month it was announced that HM Revenue Customs would be appointing 100 extra inspectors to find agencies believed to be dodging £500m in tax payments.

The Revenue has now confirmed it will also be examining the tax status of workers as part of the campaign.

The news will shock employment agency chiefs who were hoping the spotlight had shifted from employment status as the Government encouraged a flexible workforce due to the current economic climate.

Union chiefs were delighted the net will be increased to include the problem of agencies wrongly applying employment status laws so they are able to avoid paying employers National Insurance contributions and other benefits such as holiday pay.

George Guy Acting General Secretary of Ucatt, said: “The confirmation that the HMRC is cracking down on false self-employment being undertaken by employment agencies is welcome news.”

“False self-employment is endemic in agencies operating in construction and is costing the taxpayer millions of pounds every year in lost revenue.”

“Employment agencies must realise that they can no longer get away with falsely self-employing workers and denying them the most basic employment rights.”

Kevin Green, Chief Executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “We are committed to working effectively with the Government to address examples of bogus self-employment.”

“However, it is also critical for the UK economy that we promote legitimate self-employment.”

“If we want to retain a dynamic construction industry in the UK we need to retain its use of a skilled and flexible workforce.”

“Payroll companies help the self employed particularly with the administration of pay. Together with the review of iR35, we urge the Government to look into this whole area as part of their commitment to help small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

BuilderScrap sourced this article from Construction Enquirer.

The amount of energy used during the Royal Wedding was much greater than predicted according to figures released by the National Grid.

The National Grid had predicted lower interest in last Friday’s event, but a surge in TV viewing meant it was the fourth highest energy sapping event in UK television history.

Electricity use peaked at 2,400MW as television coverage followed the newly married Mr and Mrs Windsor back to Buckingham Palace following their wedding in Westminster Cathedral at around 12.40pm.

It was predicted that Charles and Diana’s wedding would remain the most watched royal wedding but their son and his beautiful wife managed to top even theirs. Charles and Diana’s wedding saw an energy surge of 1,800MW which is the equivalent of 720,000 kettles being bottled simultaneously, William and Kate’s was the equivalent of almost one million kettles.

National Grid’s power system manager, John Carnwath, said: “This impact in demand was broadly in line with our forecast, although the final surge was larger than expected, reflecting the huge interest in the event.”

“It was a fascinating day to work in our control room, seeing the huge impact on electricity demand of millions of people across Britain being brought together by William and Kate’s wedding.”

The only TV events to top the wedding were:

·The record of 2800MW set at the end of the nail-biting penalty shoot-out after England’s World Cup semi-final against West Germany in 1990.

·The 2600MW surge in demand after a 1984 episode of The Thornbirds.

·The 2570MW surge at half-time during England’s quarter-final match against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup.

BuilderScrap sourced this article from Edie.

Small contractors are worried about the amount of work they will receive through the Government’s Green Deal.

Members of the Federation of Master Builders fear that the financial incentives are not large enough for homeowners while energy companies and retailers will squeeze them out of the market.

A federation survey showed that almost half of their member contractors thought homeowners were unlikely to take advantage of the Green Deal when it launches in autumn 2012.

Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: “The Government is hoping that its Green Deal will persuade homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient but almost 44% of our members, small building firms that are in contact with homeowners on a daily basis, think homeowners are unlikely to take advantage of it.”

“If the Government wants the Green Deal to be a success it should start by offering additional incentives. 70% of respondents to our survey believe that cutting VAT to 5% on all energy efficient materials and work would increase homeowner interest.”

“More than a quarter also believe that council tax reductions would be the biggest incentive for homeowners.”

“Small, local building companies should be the natural choice for homeowners wanting to retrofit their property or make it more energy efficient.”

“However, nearly half of FMB members are worried that they will be squeezed out of the Green Deal market by the major energy companies and retailers and 58% felt that it was either very unlikely or unlikely that small and medium sized building companies would see their workloads increase as a result of the Green Deal.”

“The FMB is therefore calling on the  Government to  help small building companies have equal access to the energy efficiency market by allowing an independent third party financial provider to handle Green Deal finance packages.”

“This would help ensure that small building companies can compete fairly with the larger companies who will be offering ‘one–stop-shops’ to consumers.”

BuilderScrap sourced this article from Construction Enquirer.