That’s the tough lesson Lord Sugar’s candidates on The Apprentice learnt on a recent episode of the hit-TV show, as they were tasked to turn scrap into cash to win the task to get through to next round.

“Commercial junk can be a goldmine” the apprentices were told, as they bartered with scrap merchants to turn copper, stainless steel and metals into priceless pounds for Lord Sugar.

And yet, whilst Team Venture and Team Logic saw the task as a chance to win and take a step closer to the prize, Fly-tipping Action Wales would urge us to seriously think twice before using such services as they launched a new campaign last week (13 June) to tackle fly-tippers.

The problem of fly-tipping hit the headlines across newspapers and TV screens in Wales, as the partnership, funded by the Welsh Government, hosted a media event to launch an innovative GPS tracking system to track fly-tippers in the Valleys Regional Park.

The pilot scheme co-ordinated by Fly-tipping Action Wales is part of the Valleys Regional Park initiative, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government.

Launched in Merthyr Tydfil with the County Borough Council, the pilot scheme will be trialled across nine local authorities in The Valleys to gain valuable intelligence on fly-tippers across borders.

Fly-tipping by its very nature is a visual problem, and these images and this video link are just some examples of the cases blighting our communities, as you see at the launch

So, what advice would Fly-tipping Action Wales give householders?

• Contact your local authority and be aware of your  waste collection dates and civic amenity opening times over the bank holidays
• If you’re getting rid of large household items such as sofas, contact your local authority to find out about their bulky waste collection
• Food and green waste is compostable. Check with your local authority about green waste recycling schemes
• If you are getting rid of large amounts of waste from your home, use a registered waste carrier who has the necessary licences to dispose of waste. Call 08708 506 506 or visit www.flytippingactionwales.org for details.

Want to know more about fly-tipping and playing a role in tackling this social problem?  Visit www.flytippingactionwales.org for further information.

Welcome to new look Equinox and our new blog.

Over the past couple of years we have seen some big changes within the communications sector- the economic downturn, the way companies trade and changes in clients’ needs, to name but a few.

To respond to this changing landscape a strategic decision was made to transform and diversify Equinox into a full service communications agency, specialising in PR, marketing, design, online media, communications training and crisis management.

To complement this transformation, a new brand has been developed for the agency and a new, bilingual website has been launched which has everything you need to know about the agency, the team, clients, news and case studies. We now also make short films for our clients and a selection of these can be viewed on our website.

In recent months Equinox has been commissioned by some high profile clients which include Fastnet line, The Valleys – Heart & Soul campaign and Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme, and to meet this demand we’ve also created new posts within the agency, recruiting two new members of staff. In fact we’re still recruiting and on the lookout for a PR Assistant so if you know anyone wanting to join a very busy, dynamic consultancy, let them know about Equinox!

We have also invested heavily in new services, equipment and IT, branding and staff to ensure we offer the very best service to our clients.

Finally, as part of this transformation the agency has adopted a new identity and will now be known as Equinox Communications.

We hope you will find the new website and content interesting but, as always we would welcome your feedback or comments, so just email us or pick up the phone if you have any queries, we would be happy to hear from you.

Watch this space for regular blogs and follow us across all social media channels.

Eryl and Zara