DEFRA Proposes a raft of changes for waste regulations in its recent Red Tape Challenge (03/04/2012)
DEFRA recently announced its proposals to streamline environmental legislation following a year of consultation in its Red Tape Challenge. While Defra’s proposals to cut red tape do not just relate to waste, this is where the bulk of the proposals are focused. Proposals include scrapping the requirement to produce Site Waste Management Plans for construction projects, electronic returns for waste transfer notes and Hazardous Waste returns, exemptions from the waste carriers licenses for small businesses, an overhaul of the WEEE Regulations and simplification of the permitting regime.
Specific proposals are in the following areas:
• Waste Transfer Notes. Defra is proposing to scrap WTNs and instead, require businesses to use other forms of evidence that their waste has been collected/transferred correctly. They are proposing to bring in a ‘quick and easy electronic recording system’ from January 2014 that will ‘do away with unnecessary admin’ and save businesses £5m/year.
• Hazardous waste. The EA are proposing an electronic system to upload hazardous waste returns
• Waste Carriers License. A recent EU ruling required Member States to apply the need for a Waste Carriers License to any business that carried waste, even if it was their own. The concern is that it will disproportionately impact on smaller businesses such as gardeners, plumbers etc. Defra will therefore be seeking an exemption for these types of business.
• Fly-tipping.. Defra is planning a Ministerial fly-tipping summit in the summer to bring together major stakeholders to look at affordable solutions. One of the suggestions is that Local Authorities open their doors to businesses at household waste recycling centres.
• WEEE Regulations. It si acknowledged that that there is a mis-match between the charges made to producers and the actual costs of collecting and treating WEEE. Proposed changes will address these concerns by 2014. Further consultation will now take place to overhaul WEEE Regulations to both address this and to incorporate the WEEE Directive recast which will impose a similar target based system to packaging and batteries .
• Batteries. Feedback to the Challenge was that these Regulations impose too much bureaucracy at too low a level. Exemptions for smaller businesses are being proposed.
• Packaging. no changes proposed. The Packaging Regulations were not within the scope of the Red Tape Challenge.
• Site Waste Management Plans. It is proposed that these are scrapped.
• Environmental Permitting A number of proposals are put forward to streamline the permitting process
For the full proposals see http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb13728-red-tape-environment.pdf
Pioneering new carpet waste recycling service launched by 4Recycling Ltd (19/10/2011)
Waste management company 4 Recycling have recently launched a recycling service for old wool and synthetic carpets as well as the offcuts left over from installation. Material is palletised and bulked up back at the retailer for collection
Customers receive a guarantee that carpets are recycled and not landfilled.
Earlier this year 4 Recycling, a member of Carpet Recycling UK, uplifted and removed old wool carpets from all three floors of the 18th century Talbot Hotel at Malton, which is currently undergoing a multi-million pound complete refurbishment.
In the first major contract for the recently-launched service, nearly 1,500 square metres of waste material, including underlay, was taken back to 4Recycling’s Leeds site using a dedicated 7.5 tonne vehicle.
The Stourton site accepts any type of carpet waste, which is then identified, segregated and processed before being sent for recycling. Wool-rich carpets are typically shredded and composted for re-use as a growing medium for ‘contained’ environments, such as plant pots or grow-bags.
Commenting on the project’s success, 4Recycling Director Paul Gilbert says their carpet recycling service offers a convenient, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly disposal route for all types of commercial establishments undertaking renovation works. It also allows them to demonstrate their sustainable, green credentials to existing and potential customers.
“Fitzwilliam (Malton) Estate, owners of the Talbot Hotel, approached us as they were keen to recycle such a large amount of waste carpet and we were delighted to help. The whole process only took a few days and went very smoothly. An added advantage of using the uplift and removal service is that the building is cleared, ready for new flooring,” explains Paul.
Alexia Williams of Fitzwilliam (Malton) Estate, says: “We didn’t like the idea of so much waste carpet going to landfill, so we looked for alternative ‘greener’ options. 4Recycling has provided a great service for us and we hope to work with them in the future when removing carpets from our other properties.”
Other satisfied users of the service include the Floor Store Leeds and Winders Carpets and Beds, Bradford.
Tony Winder, co-owner of Winder Carpets and Beds comments: "The recycling scheme is easy to use and enhances environmental credentials for us and our customers. This service will also save money in the long term as landfill costs rise."
According to Paul, volumes of carpet waste are growing and there is more demand for it to be recycled due to increased environmental awareness, together with rising landfill costs.
“We’re working with Carpet Recycling UK and the various carpet sectors to develop sustainable solutions for re-use of carpet waste and expect to process around 25,000 tonnes in our first year alone,” he adds.
4Recycling can be contacted on 0800 0121 769 or email info@4recycling.co.uk about uplifting and collection of waste carpet from any domestic or commercial outlet.
New voluntary commitment aims to improve businesses’ access to waste and recycling collections (19/10/2011)
A new voluntary commitment that aims to improve businesses’ access to waste and recycling collections by setting out best practice principles for local authorities running trade waste services has been launched today (October 19).
The ‘Local Authority Business Recycling and Waste Collection Commitment’ outlines 12 principles of best practice that local authorities can use to tailor services to local businesses, such as the need to make recycling easy, provide value for money and continually improve services through feedback.
Councils will be encouraged to sign up to the commitment, which outlines the level of service businesses, and in particular small and medium enterprises (SMEs), can expect. It includes a pledge to provide regular and reliable services, while councils will also be able to commit to offer advice on waste prevention, how businesses can reuse goods and how they can access certain household waste recycling centres.
The commitment was first mooted in the June 2011 government Waste Review, and has been developed by Defra along with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Local Government Group.
It mirrors an earlier commitment outlining best practice principles for household waste collections. This was launched by WRAP in 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story) and 111 councils are now signed up to it
Read full article at letsrecycle.com
Associated Waste Management take a step closer to “Zero Waste to Landfill” by opening new recycling facility in Leeds. (17/10/2011)
On November 4th Associated Waste Management (AWM) will open its newest recycling facility in Leeds. This "Super MRF" (Materials Recycling Facility) will edge them closer to achieving their zero waste to landfill ambition – improving the company’s overall recycling rates from 70% to 95%.
Yorkshire’s largest independent waste company, AWM provides Waste Management and Recycling Services to companies throughout West & North Yorkshire and on the M62 corridor between Halifax and Selby. This rapidly growing business has already developed 4 key recycling plants and associated reprocessing capacity in the region including a composting facility in Arthington. Currently around 70 per cent of the 320,000 tonnes of waste received by AWM is recycled including wood, timber, paper & cardboard and plastics. Inert and recycled aggregates are produced and resold. Chipboard plus MDF together with green waste are composted.
AWM believe that they can further refine the quality of the recycled products to reduce this figure to less than 5% per cent through their new investment. The new Leeds “Super MRF” is subject to a £12.5M investment and will be capable of processing over 200,000 tonnes of waste annually, including waste from existing commercial customers and recently awarded contracts from Calderdale, Bradford and Leeds City Council. Improved landfill diversion will be achieved through a combination of improved recovery of commodities generally, diversion of organic matter to composting and production of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).
The new plant, will include 2 Rentec pre shredders at a cost of £350k each from Belgium to size materials and will feed the new plant which when added together represents almost 1 kilometre of conveyors and various screening equipment. “One of the problems with waste is that it comes in all different shapes and sizes,” explains Mr Shapcott, “For example you might have pieces of wood that are seven feet long and you can’t get those up a conveyor belt. By using the shredder we are going to screen everything down from approximately 350mm at the front end down to 12mm at the output end.”
The materials will progress along the plant via a series of conveyors entering several screens and air drum separators, which separate materials according to their specific density. The plant also includes electromagnets for metal items, eddy current separators for non-ferrous material alongside other pieces of kit that will enable increased quantities of smaller materials otherwise not recycled in the past. Automation provides the ability to sort materials where it would prove uneconomic to sort by hand and incorporates infra red and spectrum photography to separate grades of plastic
An opening ceremony with guided tours of the facility will take place on Friday 4th November. This will give interested parties the chance to visit a state of the art recycling facility and discuss the latest developments in waste management. Anyone wishing to attend please contact Richard Jaques on 07958 749975 or email richard.jaques@awmeasyskips.co.uk
Environment Vouchers - Up to £8000 of funding available for Yorkshire based businesses (05/09/2011)
Get up to £8,000 to help your business cut costs and carbon emissions
Businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber can apply for 2 days of free consultancy and up to £8,000 funding for new equipment that will help your business cut costs and carbon emissions.
The funding can be put towards:• water and energy saving equipment
• more efficient machinery
• helping your business adapt to the impacts of climate change
• working with your supply chain to reduce the carbon footprint of your product
You will receive an on-site visit from one of our specialist Environmental Management consultant, who will identify how you could make savings. You will then receive a detailed report that will tell you what you can do to make cost and carbon savings.
You can then apply for funding to invest in new equipment that will help your business to make these savings. We’ll pay for up to half of the cost of this equipment, up to £8,000 – so you could get money-saving equipment for half-price
Your business can save up to £200 per employee, up to 20% off electricity bills and 50% off water bills simply by changing the way you use resources such as water, raw materials and electricity. And now you can earn payments by generating clean electricity or through the Feed in Tariff or the Renewable Heat Incentive.
There has never been a better time to make your business more efficient and cut your carbon emissions.
To apply – email christine.robinson@co2sense.co.uk with your contact details and email address. We will send you an email within 2 days letting you know what to do next.
See http://www.co2sense.org.uk/environment-voucher for further details.
Why Waste newsletters available to download (22/07/2011)
Summer 2011 - including an Feature on office furniture reuse
Christmas 2010 - including a feature on commercial food waste recycling
Summer 2010 - including a feature on wood waste options
Three bins for the price of one (07/12/2010)
This is the approach of Bradford based waste management company AWM who are tackling the issue of commercial food waste head on. AWM are providing food businesses with 3 bins - one for residual waste, one for mixed dry recyclables and one for food waste, all for the price of their original residual waste contract. This not only buffers participating businesses from increasing landfill costs but supports them to achieve much higher recycling rates (up to 90%). Food waste is taken to a state of the art composting facility where is converted into high quality compost for agriculture. Mixed dry recyclables are sorted at AWM’s recycling facilty in Bradford.
In 2009 AWM took on the customers from TEG Environmental’s pioneering collection round, one of the first to be established in the UK. They quickly realized that businesses should tackle food waste as part of an integrated approach which also looked at all other waste streams. One of the benefits of removing food waste is that other waste is kept clean and therefore much more suited to recycling. This approach has kept costs down and dramatically improved recycling rates for food businesses.
This service is available to businesses in Leeds, Calderdale and Halifax.
There are clear environmental benefits from composting food waste. Every tonne of food waste diverted from landfill into composting brings a saving of 223 Kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. That equates the emissions from 1880 km or 5 weeks travel in an average car.
For further information contact Richard Jaques at AWM on 07958 749975
WoJo" fabric wins award for Wools of New Zealand and Yorkshire partners (09/11/2010)
Wools of New Zealand received a Sustainability Award last month for their involvement in the development of "WoJo", an innovative interior textile using jute recovered from Starbucks coffee sacks.
The presentation was made on behalf of the Campaign for Wool 2010, and recognised WNZ's contribution in blending their Laneve sustainable wools with the jute fibres to form the new upholstery fabric. This will be used in 8000 Starbucks stores, and was conceptualised by The Formery, a New Zealand based design company and manufactured by Camira Ltd from Mirfield.
Although this product doesn't use carpet wastes, WNZ's participation illustrates their strong commitment to the re-use of waste fibres.The Laneve wool in Wojo carries third party certification for responsible land management and socially responsible manufacturing and is also available to the carpet trade. WNZ is working with CRUK partner Brockway Carpets on Laneve branded carpet products to be released next year.
Project partner Dell'Orco Villanni also received an award for their part in early stage product development using specialist equipment to recover the fibres from textiles for re-use, which can also be used for carpet recycling. Through CRUK, WNZ were also able to bring in the expertise of Yorkshire nonwoven felt manufacturer and recycler Edward Clay & Son Limited on the project: "Both Camira and Edward Clay have very skillfully worked together to pull off an extraordinary technical challenge "says Steven Parsons, WNZ Innovations Manager. "Without the remarkable vision of the total team this achievement would not have been possible."
Too Good To Waste - new report on food waste from restaurants - 2010 (19/10/2010)
The UK's Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) has just released its Too Good to Waste Report, a pilot study on where food waste in restaurants is coming from and what can be done about it.
The report provides some really useful guidance for restaurants to include as part of their CSR activities. It also shows how much could be saved in terms of food waste and money as a result.
If restaurants targeted food waste as part of their CSR strategy they could gain financially as well as benefiting the environment. Too Good to Waste estimates that if an average restaurant reduced its food waste by even 20 per cent it could generate annual savings of:
•more than 4 tonnes of food waste per restaurant
•more than £2,000 from avoided food costs by using food that would normally have been thrown away
•between £150 - £1,700 on waste collection costs, if food waste is collected for anaerobic digestion
Download the report here.
Free support for businesses to save water - Ripple Effect Programme launched - Join Now (11/08/2010)
Companies taking action to improve their water efficiency can save around 30% on their water and sewerage bills. Register for the Rippleffect and receive free practical support to do this.
The Rippleffect is a free water efficiency initiative that can benefit businesses of all sizes..
So, whether your business is an office, hotel or restaurant, with washrooms and kitchen facilities, or a factory with processing lines, the Rippleffect can help you reduce water use and save money.
How can the Rippleffect help your business?
Time-saving,ready-made step-by-step water efficiency advice that you can easily implement in your business
High quality training materials, developed from years of practical environmental support to UK businesses.
Busy workload? The online training format means you can work through the training materials in your own time.
Practical advice and information, with ready-to-use templates and reports, useful methods of working, and sound advice implemented by other businesses.
Free, and very easy to use. No additional software required.
UK: Office furniture project reports success - (19/07/2010)
Most people in offices do not give much thought to where the ubiquitous desk and chair came from, and probably less to its final disposal. The fact is that approximately 165,000 tonnes of office furniture is thrown away yearly from British businesses. Some of this will be the result ofwear and tear, but the majority is in perfect working order and its disposal is largely due to changes in fashion, variations in staff levels, or whole office moves. The Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse estimates that over 50% of office furniture sent to landfill each year is reuseable. Clearly this is a waste of both resources and money. To reduce the impact of waste office furniture, CRR set up a year long collaborative project to identify and address some of the problems associated with reusing office furniture. The strategy was to look at all levels of the industry – engaging manufacturers, third-party reusers, the charitable sector and procurers. By addressing problems throughout the industry, we hope to begin the move to a more sustainable future. Further details of the project along with a downloadable copy of the report can be found on the website of the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse (CRR) at www.remanufacturing.org.uk/furniture
M&S drives down waste to landfill by 33% in a year (10/06/2010)
Marks & Spencer is sending a third less waste to landfill than it was a year ago, the retailer announced today (June 10).
Marks & Spencer is working with Severnside and Shanks to drive down waste at all its stores. In the last twelve months, the amount of waste it sent for landfill disposal fell by 33% while the amount of food waste generated has reduced by 20%. The retailer also collected 133 million clothes hangers and re-used 76 per cent of them with the remainder being recycled.
In addition, the company reported that Birstall, a Simply Food store near Leeds, became the first ‘zero waste to landfill' M&S store in February.
The revelation came in M&S's annual ‘How We Do Business Report', which details the progress of Plan A - the company's eco and ethical programme launched in 2007 - including measures to tackle climate change, use sustainable raw materials, be a fair partner and produce healthier food.
Under the plan, the retailer has committed to stop sending waste to landfill from its UK and Irish operations by 2012.
All waste from M&S stores is handled by recycling companies Severnside and Shanks, under a three-year deal agreed in June 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The report also highlighted that M&S reduced food packaging by 20%, and used 417 million fewer carrier bags in 2009/10 compared to 2006/07.
Read full story at Letsrecycle.com
UK - research shows reclamation of building materials has fallen due to lack of government support (27/11/2009)
Sustainable construction experts have published new research showing that the amount of building material being reclaimed has declined and that reclamation is in fact becoming more difficult in the UK. Government actions are shown to be hindering reclamation, contradicting the government's own policy which gives reclamation a high priority in waste management. The authors recommend that a government reuse champion be appointed to scale up reclamation and its benefits, which range from reduced carbon emissions to more green jobs.
"Pushing reuse" was compiled by environment charity BioRegional and reclaimed building materials experts, Salvo. The organisations undertook the research project to uncover the reasons behind the recent decline in reclamation and they compare this to recycling within the sector which, with major government support, has grown massively despite being less beneficial environmentally.
Jonathan Essex, Reclaimed Materials Manager at BioRegional said: "Pushing reuse clearly shows the benefits that reuse brings over recycling. For example, if we reclaimed 50% of reusable iron and steel the carbon savings would be equivalent to taking 29,000 cars off the road - and that's for just two materials. Yes, reclamation is currently more labour intensive than recycling which makes it more expensive, but it creates green jobs and products that often have a higher value than recycled - for instance reclaimed bricks are worth much more than bricks recycled into aggregate".
The report makes 5 main recommendations to policy makers:
Create a reuse champion To direct investment in new capacity and R&D to make material reclamation quicker, safer and cheaper; provide easy-to-understand publicly available data on the embodied carbon consequences of materials choices; and work across government to promote the following policy recommendations:
Invest in kick-starting reuse capacity One of the main barriers to the reclamation of construction products in the UK is the lack of storage and reprocessing capacity. The government should match its capital investment in recycling with a commitment to provide the land and broker the partnerships to establish facilities that can store and reprocess reclaimed materials.
Direct local government and planning to reuse - Local government planning guidance should support reuse through relevant Planning Policy Statements. - A new National Indicator as part of Local Area Agreements should be created; requiring that local government monitors, reports and sets targets for reusing business and particularly construction waste in its local areas. - Local authorities should require or provide temporary holding facilities for reclaimed products, pending their subsequent use.
Put materials in the EU Emissions trading scheme The Government should explore the possibility of making construction materials tradable, so that the reclamation and reuse industries could be incentivised. For example, the UK reclaimed brick sector should be recompensed at the rate of £10/tCO2 saved[5] which would have allowed around £15m to have been reinvested in the sector between 1998 and 2007.
Direct landfill revenues to reuse before recycling The UK government pays WRAP for each tonne of waste diverted from landfill. For example, had it recompensed the UK reclaimed brick sector in this way the sector would have received government support, which could have been invested in new technologies to increase reclamation.
Reuse is the new recycling. The government can and should create a new reuse agenda.
Download the report Pushing reuse - towards a low-carbon construction industry (0.7 MB) from:
http://www.bioregional.com/files/publications/PushingReuse.pdf
or we can email you a copy.
YORKSHIRE HOSPITALITY SECTOR FAILS TO CHECK-IN (22/09/2009)
Hotels and restaurants in Yorkshire could be missing the opportunity to improve their environmental performance because they wrongly assume it is a costly process.
Research by the Institute of Hospitality and sustainability experts Envirowise found that more than half of managers surveyed in the hospitality sector felt ‘going green’ would increase their costs.[1] And around 40% also said that the current economic climate was an added barrier to change.
However, Envirowise experience has shown hotels and restaurants could save around £250 per employee per year by taking action to reduce waste – not to mention improving their green credentials for eco-conscious tourists.
Envirowise Regional Manager for Yorkshire, Elin Crebbin, says: “An estimated four out of five British tourists stayed in the UK on August Bank Holiday weekend, despite the changeable weather.[2] It’s crucial to ensure this hard-earned revenue is not going down the drain through unnecessary waste.
“The average UK restaurant disposes of more than 100 tonnes of waste each year, including paper, cardboard, plastic and food waste,” continues Elin. “Yet simple steps could help the hospitality sector reduce waste and save money.”
Institute of Hospitality Chief Executive, Philippe Rossiter, adds: “While some managers do regard the introduction of more sustainable operating methods as adding costs to their business, there are also encouraging signs from the survey that the industry does increasingly recognise the importance of reducing its environmental impact.
“Of particular note are the welcome steps towards higher levels of recycling now seen throughout the sector. Nevertheless, there is no room for complacency, and much more can be done by the hospitality sector to reduce waste in all areas"
A series of practical factsheets are available from Envirowise covering a range of business areas including Food Preparation, Drinks Service, Guest Room Facilities and Grounds Maintenance. They offer advice on everything from energy use to water efficiency, including the benefits of using flow restrictors on taps or water displacement devices in toilet cisterns. For premises using cooking or refrigeration equipment, careful monitoring of heating and cooling processes is also essential to ensure energy – and money – is not being lost unnecessarily.
For more information visit www.envirowise.gov.uk/hcfactsheets or call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Davinia Livock or Eleanor Collins at Trimedia on 0117 929 2311 or email davinia.livock@trimediauk.com or eleanor.collins@trimediauk.com
Notes to Editors
The survey was conducted by the Institute of Hospitality in partnership with Envirowise. More than 450 responses were received from IOH members working in the hospitality industries across the UK
About Envirowise
Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of UK business practice.
Since 1994 Envirowise has helped UK businesses save over £1bn by enabling them to significantly reduce their environmental footprints.
Envirowise offers businesses of all sizes and sectors a wide range of free, independent and practical advice designed to genuinely improve their processes, profitability and competitiveness. Services include:
· The Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585794
· An encyclopaedic website (www.envirowise.gov.uk) of valuable and relevant information
· Over 200 events each year, from Product Design Workshops to major exhibitions
Online game to promote Yorkshire Dales and tackle climate change (08/09/2009)
An online game promoting the Yorkshire Dales National Park and raising awareness of the effects of climate change has been launched.
The game, created by Sense Internet, supports schools teaching key stage two and three, but is also fun for other users.
The game which can be found here works on a snakes and ladders style with environmental questions to test players.
Sense Internet's managing director, Aidan Cook, said: "We saw an interactive game as the most cost efficient way to engage web users of all ages and help them think about the effects of climate change.
"The outcome of the game depends partly on a throw of the online dice, echoing the real-world situation of the risky economic and environmental climate we're living in at the moment.
"The game also addresses related issues such as litter and recycling, all of which, alongside predicted higher temperatures, can impact on the dales."
Old blankets to be recycled for dog charities (19/08/2009)
A council campaign aimed at getting students to reuse or recycle unwanted household bedding has been an overwhelming success.
Manchester City Council collected six van loads of blankets and old duvets left by students who left at the end of last term.
The vans collected the old bedding from homes and halls of residence across the south of the city.
The City Council also arranged a pilot scheme, organising extra collections and sending information packs to student homes throughout May and June, resulting in 10tonnes of paper, card and glass being sent for recycling and 50 bags of textiles being given to charities.
Students also donated boxes of cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils to the university, and these have now been given to charities such as Oxfam, the Mustard Tree and the Wesley Community Furniture.
Lisa Graham from Manchester Dogs' Home said: "The duvets have been put to excellent use by our elderly and injured dogs that require a thicker, softer bed to support their injuries and joints.
"A big thank you from the dogs and staff at Manchester dogs home to all who donated their duvets."
Nigel Murphy, the council's assistant executive member for the environment, said: "This shows students are keen to contribute to the city's recycling drive."
Nappy waste to make roofing tiles (05/08/2009)
Roof tiles will soon be made from recycled nappies when the Birmingham Knowaste plant opens
Knowaste, the recycling specialist, will open the plant next year and the roofing products will be made by Mailbox Mouldings and distributed by Knowaste's spin-off company Small Planet Building Products. Until the plant is up and running, the tiles will use recycled plastic from a variety of sources. The roof tiles will be available in black, green, grey, red and brown.
The recycling process turns the waste into plastic and cellulose organic residue for green energy. The plastic will also be used for decking and cladding.
Roy Brown, president and chief executive of Knowaste, said: "More than 750,000 tonnes of nappy waste is disposed of in the UK each year - a figure that highlights the importance of developing alternative uses for post-consumer nappies.
"There is an obvious potential for synergy between the material waste produced by industry and householders and the raw materials required to produce construction products."
No health implications' for fortnightly waste collection (04/08/2009)
Switching from weekly to fortnightly waste collections would not pose any increased risk to health nor cause a greater nuisance to householders, according to a report commissioned by an industry body and Government advisers.
The idea of alternate weekly waste collections, with recyclables being picked up one week and residual waste the next, has obvious appeal in that it tends to make the job easier while boosting recycling rates.
In many areas residents have balked at the idea, however, claiming that storing rotting waste for two weeks would provide a breeding ground for rats and disease.
The government-funded Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP) teamed up with industry body the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) to commission research into the health risks associated with waste collection, focusing on changes in collection frequency.
Reviewing over 150 existing papers, the study found "no evidence of actual harm to householders and waste collectors or of any increased health risks or nuisance for householders that could not be dealt with by existing good practice advice for councils."
Phillip Ward, director of local government services at WRAP, said it is important for local authorities to ensure the public is kept informed on how to store waste between collections.
"Whatever the collection system, it needs to be well designed and appropriate for the local area," he said.
"Particularly in the warmer summer months, it is important that councils remind householders how to keep waste collections safe. This advice could include not keeping food waste in the house for long periods and wrapping it before putting it in the bin."
The full report can be found at www.wrap.org.uk/healtheffectsstudy.
Come clean on supermarket packaging waste totals (29/07/2009)
The Local Government Association is demanding supermarkets come clean about the packaging they produce.
British supermarkets are still making multi-million pound profits despite other companies feeling the pinch of the recession.
Information on packaging is logged on behalf of supermarkets and the Government by its waste watch dog WRAP, but this is not publicly available.
The LGA, which speaks for more than 350 councils in England, believes consumers are therefore unable to make fair and informed decisions on which supermarkets are truly green.
In a letter to Hilary Benn, the environment secretary, the LGA calls for the information to be published so that shoppers can 'see hard evidence to back up supermarkets' claims they are taking the problem of packaging seriously.
Of the eight supermarkets the LGA contacted, only M&S, Waitrose and Morrisons revealed details about how much packaging they produce.
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Co-op all referred councils to WRAP, which responded but did not disclose how much packaging each supermarket produces while Lidl did not reply at all, according to the LGA
Council leaders say that while people are recycling more rubbish, their efforts are being undermined by supermarkets using excessive packaging, which adds to the estimated £1.8bn local authorities will spend on landfill tax between 2008 and 2011.
In her letter to Hilary Benn, Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, said: "Supermarkets must be open with people about how much packaging they are producing. It is vital that consumers can make informed choices about where they shop and which products they buy.
"The public needs to see hard evidence to back up the claims of supermarkets that they are taking the problem of packaging seriously, that their claims to be cutting packaging are real and that targets are effective.
"Until it is clear each supermarket is playing its part, how can we assess whether the targets are tough enough?
WRAP said it published details of the industry as a whole not for indivdual supermarkets.
A summary of findings of the last LGA study of food packaging available on its website.
Businesses advised to 'reuse' tyres (29/07/2009)
A new campaign is being launched to promote the use of reconditioned tyres as an environmentally-friendly alternative to new tyres.
The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is urging business and fleet managers to use retreads- worn tyres which have had the tread rubber replaced to extend their life.
The campaign is focusing on promoting the use of the tyres, which can be 10% cheaper than new budget tyres, for Light commercial Vehicles.
Retread tyres are manufacturer from similar compounds to new tyres and are required by law to be manufactured to the same performance criteria and safety standards.
Jacks Guinness, marketing project manager at WRAP, said: "The use of retread tyres on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) is already well established in the UK, but WRAP has identified a significant opportunity for encouraging their increased specification by those with responsibility for fleets of LCVs.
"By highlighting benefits of retreads and tackling misconceptions attached to their use, we can bring the opinions of key decision-makers up to date and persuade them to look at retreads in a new way."
David Wilson, director of the Retread Manufacturer's Association, which is supporting the campaign, added: "Retreads are a safe, reliable and green solution, as well as being good value for money.
"I'm sure they will be seen as an excellent option for decision-makers once they become aware of their performance and benefits."
Argos and Tesco are among the well-known companies that have already switched to using retreads.
WRAP will be contacting fleet and CSR managers to offer advice on using retreads.
Further information is also available on the WRAP website at www.wrap.org.uk/tyres or by calling 0808 100 2040.
The UK's largest anaerobic digestion plant given green light (29/07/2009)
The UK's largest anaerobic digestion plant capable of treating 165,000 tonnes of food waste a year and powering 10,800 homes has been given planning permission.
The building, which will generate enough power to run the town of Selby where it's being built, will have a state of the art pre treatment hall to treat all packaged food waste.
The £20m project will also create 120 new jobs for the town 40 directly and an additional 80 jobs indirectly.
Construction is due to get underway in September and, as long as there are no delays, the plant, built by the Selby Renewable Energy Park, will become operational in 2010.
The plant will be built on eight acres of the former Tate & Lyle Citric Acid Plant in the south of Selby
Business Development Manager for the Selby Renewable Energy Park, Shaun Flynn, said: "Anaerobic Digestion is widely recognised by the government, DEFRA and Friends of the Earth as one of the best solutions for disposing of food waste.
"Everyone wins as the waste is treated in a sealed process reducing the generation of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; a clean, renewable fuel is produced which can be used to create electricity and heat; and we are returning a green, sustainable fertiliser to the land which will in turn grow our crops for food.
"This project will provide a significant boost to the local economy by creating jobs and will also make available a cheap non fossil fuel heat source that will attract businesses to the area."
Manchester City Council pledges to halve its construction waste (17/04/2009)
Manchester City Council has become the first local authority to sign up to a voluntary agreement to slash the waste from its own construction projects.
The council has joined leading companies such as Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, Asda and Marks & Spencer in joining a voluntary scheme set up by the government-funded Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Organisations that sign up to the scheme are set and pursue a target for reduction in construction waste to landfill and set corresponding standards for their contractors.
They are also expected measure their progress and report results annually to WRAP.
John Frubin, programme design and sustainability manager for Manchester City Council said: "We are absolutely delighted to be the first English council to sign up to WRAP's voluntary agreement.
"We are keen to make the council as green and sustainable as possible in all aspects of our work and signing up to WRAP's Construction Commitment: Halving Waste to Landfill is a demonstration of our drive to achieving the target of halving the amount of waste we send to landfill by 2012."
The commitment refers to the council's own building waste and that of its contractors, not that of households and companies within the city's boundaries.
The council was invited to discuss the extent of the in-house construction projects that will be covered by the agreement but had not responded to edie's questions at the time of publication.
WHY WASTE USER SELBY-BASED ECOPLAS HELPS FABRICATORS TO COMMIT TO RECYCLING (25/03/2009)
Avoiding the landfill trip for those post-consumer windows and doors
To do business in the commercial, social housing or refurbishment sectors, contractors manufacturers and installers must be able to demonstrate a commitment to energy, waste reduction, sustainable manufacture and responsible disposal of waste materials.
Ecoplas is at the fore front of both collection and recycling of redundant
PVC-U materials which includes end-of-life windows and doors. Preventing post-consumer windows and doors going to landfill is both environmentally beneficial and cost-effective. Current costs to landfill can be up to £100 per ton.
Ecoplas has the capability to process old window frames and convert them to reusable material which can be used as a raw material in the manufacture of new building products.
The process involves breaking up the frames before passing through a hammer mill which reduces the pieces into fragments. The down-sized material has the metal components removed and is then passed through separation and cleaning processes to remove all none PVC-U materials. The clean PVC-U can then be converted into granules, powder or pellets and reintroduced into the extrusion process, thus completing the closed loop from original manufacture to recycling and finally reuse.
Ecoplas use their fleet of vehicles to collect post-consumer waste which includes 50cu yd roll-on roll-off skips. They have arrangements with waste transfer stations and waste management companies, who collect post-consumer waste in their locality, then separate the PVC-U windows and doors and send bulk loads to Ecoplas.
Ecoplas can also assist fabricators who have a commitment to recycling and have placed skips on-site at a number of companies who bring back the old frames and doors they have replaced and load them into Ecoplas skips which are then collected.
Two fabricators who have embraced this concept are Alternative Windows in Leeds and Nationwide Windows in Rugby. Both companies are showing a real commitment to deal with their post-consumer waste responsibly which obviously sets them apart when negotiating for new contracts with the public or private sectors where environmental considerations are key.
Ecoplas is keen to expand its operations in this area. If you would like to take advantage of the service they offer and boost your recycling capacity as well as eliminate landfill charges, contact the service team on 01757 282828
Waste companies get free business advice (25/03/2009)
A government programme set up to stimulate recycling is offering free support to SMEs working in this field.
The Waste Resources & Action Programme (WRAP) has expanded its business development service to that recycling and reprocessing businesses can call upon advice from regionally-based experts.
The organisation says that it is especially important for these companies to develop robust business plans in these challenging economic times to ensure their sustainability.
WRAP's business development service offers wide-ranging support from raising finance, market information, access to funding for equipment, opportunities for staff training through to marketing, business planning and much more.
Marcus Gover, director of market development at WRAP said: "Equipping the UK's recycling businesses with the skills they need to become sustainable businesses is critical to developing our excellent domestic recycling industry, in the face of many global challenges.
"WRAP's business development service provides access to skills, knowledge and resources for SME recycling businesses - all available from a team of local business advisors."
Businesses interested in help, support, advice or just a conversation about how their operations might benefit from WRAP's business development service can call 0808 1002040 or visit: www.wrap.org.uk/recyclingbusiness.
University of Bradford and Crank It Up join forces (18/03/2009)
9:20am Sunday 15th March 2009
A cycling group which collects old and unwanted bikes for re-use is to open a shop at the University of Bradford.
‘Cycle re Cycle’, a project of Bradford-based Crank It Up Cycling For All, will be selling recycled bikes from the police and members of the public at the shop which opens on Wednesday.
The group hopes the shop will bring in a valuable income to allow it carry on voluntary work while playing a part in seeing more environment-friendly forms of transport increase.
The group uses the bicycles, recycled by a team of volunteers, to teach young people how to cycle. They are also given to under-privileged people to enjoy the benefits of cycling, sold to bring in income or used in the organised-cycling session of Crank It Up.
Crank It Up chairman Chris Evans said: “The bicycles have been donated by the police and members of the public who want to see their old bicycle have a new lease of life.
“Not all the bicycles we are given can be recycled but they can be broken down for parts which in turn are recycled on other bicycles.”
Mr Evans said damaged frames and buckled wheels can be sold to a scrapyard to bring in income while still being recycled.
He said: “Cycling is a fun way to enjoy yourself while taking valuable exercise and it’s kind to the environment.
“It is also recognised as one of the best ways to combat obesity. We will be selling adult bicycles including folding bicycles, recycled bicycles and some nearly-new bicycles.”
Accessories such as inner tubes and cables, belts made from tyres, clocks made from disc brakes and key rings of bicycle chain will be available.
The shop will be in the Communal Building in the university campus. It will be open each Wednesday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm and on Fridays from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Chris Wilson, volunteer centre manager at the university, said the university ran a similar scheme to Crank It Up, so it made sense for them to use the space.
“At the same time we will be able to do not-for-profit servicing and repairs,” he said. “We are looking at putting a whole ‘start-to-finish’ product together.”
Visit cycle-re-cycle.org.uk or e-mail cycle-re-cycle@hot mail.co.uk for details.
Concerns over construction waste code (27/01/2009)
Since the introduction of the Waste Code of Practice for the
development industry in September, not one single company has made a
declaration to the Environment Agency.
The voluntary code, which applies in England and Wales, was developed
to provide guidance on sustainable reuse of excavated soils on
construction sites without getting tangled up in waste legislation.
The code requires the company involved in the development of the
site to send a declaration to the Environment Agency before excavation
works begin to confirm that they have followed a series of steps to
assess the material that will be reused on the same site, or
transferred to a hub site that is part of a cluster.
However, although it is believed that companies are using the code
for guidance, none of them have completed this part of the process to
date.
Speaking at a London conference, Peter Witherington of the RSK
Group said: "There must be many hundreds of sites which are removing
soils out there which should technically fall under the scope of the
Code of Practice, but are not submitting declarations."
He said that he believed firms were using the code to some extent,
but found that it limited their options for reuse because it did not
cover the reuse of soils on other sites, unless they are part of a
cluster arrangement.
"My suspicion is that many companies will say 'we will follow all
the requirements of the Code of Practice but we will not submit a
declaration to the Environment Agency and say we are not following all
of your advice'," he said.
"Because [the Code of Practice] omits a fairly major area of where
people are reusing soil, people will not submit their declarations."
Jonathan Atkinson, from the Environment Agency's Groundwater and
Contaminated Land team, said: "We are looking now to do site audits on
construction sites and if they are not following the Code of Practice
and do not have Site Waste Management Plans, they could be in trouble."
CL: AIRE is helping construction firms to form cluster
arrangements, allowing them to transfer soils to other sites within the
cluster for reuse while still complying with the code. It is expected
to publish guidance on clusters in the coming months.
Campaign to stop food waste is working (27/01/2009)
Householders are eating up a campaign designed to cut the quantity
of food going straight in the bin, according to its organisers.
The Love Food, Hate Waste campaign aims to provide tips and encouragement to those wanting to cut down on food waste, and therefore their shopping bills.
Run by Government-funded Waste & Resources Action Programme
(WRAP), the campaign was launched in 2007 and claims to have helped
close on two million households reduce their food waste, amounting to
savings of almost £300 million and stopping 137,000 tonnes of waste
going in the bin.
While the statistics are impressive, they are a mere drop in the ocean against the true scale of the problem.
WRAP suggests that 6.7 million tonnes of food is thrown away from
UK homes each year - a third of the food we buy - and this costs us £10
billion annually.
Liz Goodwin, chief executive of WRAP, said she was encouraged by
the impact the Love Food Hate Waste campaign has been making: "At a
time when every penny counts, saving nearly £300 million is a great
achievement for hard pressed consumers.
"Food which ends up in landfill produces damaging greenhouse gases
and is a terrible waste of resources. We're delighted that the Love
Food Hate Waste campaign is helping individual households enjoy more of
their food, help the environment and save money."
She continued: "We recognise that although the results of the first
year are encouraging, there is much more to do, and we're confident we
can continue to support the growing number of households cutting back
this waste."
The campaign has been promoting practical advice and tips to help
people make the most of the food they are buying, and waste less of it.
Many of these can be found on its website.
Environment Agency issues new gypsum waste guidance (19/01/2009)
New science confirms there is no acceptable limit for gypsum to be deposited with biodegradable waste.
Firms dealing with gypsum waste, such as plasterboard and plaster, are being encouraged to recycle and reuse more as new guidance on gypsum going to landfill has been announced by the Environment Agency.
The landfilling of gypsum and other wastes with a high sulphate content together with biodegradable waste has been banned in England and Wales since July 2005.
This is to prevent the build up of hydrogen sulphide gas which is both toxic and odorous. However, where construction waste contains up to 10 per cent gypsum, separate disposal has to date not been required.
From 1 April 2009 the ten per cent guideline will be scrapped and gypsum waste that cannot be recycled and is sent to landfill must be deposited in a separate cell with non-biodegradable waste.
Liz Parkes, the Environment Agency's Head of Waste, said: "In response to calls from industry we have up to now been taking a pragmatic view that separate disposal was not necessary for construction waste containing low levels of gypsum.
"However, our position is changing because new science confirms that the relationship between the amount of sulphate in waste and the production of hydrogen sulphide gas is complex.
"We cannot therefore set an acceptable limit within which gypsum can be deposited with biodegradable waste without creating this gas.
"We are also aware that some were relying on the disposal guideline at the expense of segregating and recycling their construction waste. But the guideline was never intended to be a limit to allow producers to add gypsum up to ten per cent.
"In line with the Landfill Directive, which is about minimising the impact of landfilling on the environment, we want to encourage the reuse and recycling of more gypsum and other high sulphate-bearing waste while reducing the potential production of hydrogen sulphide gas at landfill."
The new guidance, Landfilling of gypsum waste including plasterboard, which can be found at www.environment-agency.gov.uk, means that from 1 April 2009, producers of construction and demolition waste must:
Meanwhile, landfill operators must:
As well as revising its position on gypsum, the Environment Agency is working with industry to develop guidance on the management of other wastes with high sulphate content which it hopes to make available in spring 2009.
Industry views are also currently being sought on the draft Quality Protocol for gypsum from waste plasterboard. Unveiled last month by the Waste Protocols Project - a joint Environment Agency and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) initiative - the Protocol would see gypsum lose its waste tag once it has been recycled to an agreed standard.
This would help boost the market for gypsum recycling.
Could You Profit From Reducing Waste - Free Envirowise Workshops (11/12/2008)
Envirowise, Business Link Yorkshire and Groundwork are offering businesses a unique opportunity to find out how reducing your waste can help you achieve cost savings and improve your competeticve advantage.
Many businesses spend around 4% of their turnover generating waste. The cost of waste is not cost of disposal but also includes wasted energy, water, raw materials, consumables and labour. In this challenging climate the business case to seek cost advantages through resource efficiency is now stronger than ever.
Who Should attend?
These seminars have been designed to benefit businesses who are ready, thinking about or taking the first steps to becoming resource efficient in order to reduce waste and save money. The events are non-technical and perfect for managers, directors, environmental representatives and operational staff alike. The sessions are suitable for any sector although the majority of the case studies used will be from the manufacturing sector.
Why attend?
To get practical advice on how your business can move forward and start seeing the benefits of resource efficiency.
Gather practical hints and tips on how to identify opportunities and plan improvements effectively.
Find out how to achieve business benefits through better environmental management.
Visit a 'drop in environmental clinic' to speak to environmental proffessionals about questions specific to your business.
Sessions will run 9.30 - 16.00 on the following dates:
Thursday 22nd January 2009 - Doncaster
Wednesday 18th Feruary 2009 - Huddesfield
Thursday 5th March 2009 - Skipton
Wednesday 18th March 2009 - Willerby
Call Business Link Yorkshire 0845 604 8048 for further details.
Ainsworth: Going green is essential for competitive economy (10/12/2008)
The UK must go green to rebuild the ailing economy and ensure its
future global competitiveness - and the environmental industries will
play a key role in building a low carbon economy.
That was the message from Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth
as he addressed the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) in
London.
He announced that in the New Year the Conservative Party is set to
publish a paper setting out how the Tories will create a low carbon
economy in the UK.
He said: "It will outline clearly the market signals and regulatory
changes that are needed to increase energy efficiency in homes,
businesses and in farms.
"It will show how new networks can be created for decentralised energy and the mass use of sustainable transport.
"It will address the barriers to reducing emissions and it will map the pathway to our ambition for a zero-waste Britain."
Mr Ainsworth told delegates that the UK had lots of ambition and
innovation but was so far failing to deliver low carbon technologies,
particularly in comparison to countries such as Germany.
"The future of our economic competitiveness is inseparable from our environmental competitiveness," he added.
"If we want more jobs in this country today, and economic advantage
in the world tomorrow, we must develop our environmental industries.
"We need new industries rooted in new green, British workers with British know-how and scientific excellence behind them."
New Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, who was also scheduled to
appear at the conference, was unable to attend after being called into
a meeting with the Prime Minister.
He was replaced by Hugh McNeal, director of Low Carbon Solutions at
the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, who
urged EIC members to take part in the development of Government's Low Carbon Industrial Strategy.
"My challenge to you is get involved," he said. "Come to
consultation events if you can, let us know what opportunities exist
for you and how we can help you to take advantage of them. Let us know
the barriers you face and how we can help you get over them."
Lord Smith: UK must stay green through recession (10/12/2008)
The UK must hold its nerve during the financial crisis and stick to
its environmental goals, the chairman of the Environment Agency has
said.
Speaking at the Environmental Industries Commission's annual
conference, Lord Chris Smith said one of the major reasons for
continuing the green agenda is that it holds some of the answers to the
financial crisis.
"We need to hold our nerve on the climate change agenda because it
is so fundamentally important and because buried within it are also
some of the answers to the global financial and economic crises," he
said.
The world is facing three major global crises - financial, energy
and climate - he said, and although they did not have the same causes,
they had a lot of other factors in common.
He added: "In each, there has tended to be a collective denial of
the problem amongst decision makers over a long period of time despite
growing concern and evidence from scientists and experts."
But he warned that in some areas, the green agenda was already at risk of being neglected because of economic troubles.
"What we are now seeing is, because of the economic downturn,
there's a fall in demand for recyclable material that can be made into
other products, particularly around the rest of the world.
"As a result, the chain is backing up and there are some local
authorities saying 'We can't carry on collecting recyclable material,
we are going to have to dump it all in landfill instead'."
Hear his full speech to the EIC's annual conference below.
IT industry urged to rethink concept of 'green' (19/11/2008)
Making IT and technology more green is about more than just
switching your monitor off at night - it is also about all the
environmental, social and ethical issues surrounding production of the
equipment.
That was the message from Miriam Kennet, director of the Green
Economics Institute, as she addressed the Green IT Expo, in London, on
Wednesday.
"Being 'green' is about providing social and environmental justice
at the same time" she said. "It is up to the user and the buyer to make
sure that what they are doing is not causing harm."
Mobile phones are one example of a widely-used piece of technology
which is linked to the exploitation and suffering of people in
developing countries, she told delegates.
Mobiles use coltan, an ore produced from the mineral tantalum, which is mainly found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the United Nations, smuggling and exportation of
coltan has helped fuel the war in the Congo, a crisis that has resulted
in millions of deaths since 1998.
The mineral is often mined by prisoners in exchange for early release or by child labour, Ms Kennet said.
"We are all complicit in this - everyone who has a mobile phone,"
she said. "If we want to live in this high-tech world we have to think
about these supply chains.
"It's up to us in the high-tech world to see if we can engineer our supply chains to make them more green."
But this does not mean that companies and individuals should ignore
the more obvious ways to help the environment, by reducing their energy
use and CO2 emissions, Ms Kennet added.
"It's going to be one of the big stories, I think, as IT develops," she said.
A report produced last year by UK charity Global Action Plan
revealed that the ICT sector has a carbon footprint similar to that of
the aviation industry
Waste materials used in mainstream washing machines (19/11/2008)
A leading manufacturer of household appliances has taken the first steps towards making its machinery out of recycled materials.
Indesit, perhaps better known in the UK for its Hotpoint product line, has been working with the government-funded Waste & Recycling Action Plan (WRAP) and Axion Recycling to find ways that waste material can be recycled and used in a large scale in its products.
The company is now sourcing plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) produced in the UK and using it for the front plates in two of its top end Hotpoint washing machines - the Aquarius and Ultima.
The material has been produced using shredded plastic waste recovered from domestic fridges, and made into a high grade polymer that has a similar weight to the virgin plastic it is replacing.
As a result, the CO2 emissions, cumulative cost and raw material savings from this activity are significant.
The company is hoping the greener washing machines will be a hit with customers and WRAP has recently released research saying many consumers claim they would favour an electrical product which used recycled materials, providing its performance and price were not adversely affected.
Peter Maddox, head of manufacturing at WRAP said: "This groundbreaking project has demonstrated that closed-loop recycling in electrical equipment from UK WEEE is commercially viable on a large scale for the first time, with no negative effect on performance.
"We encourage other manufacturers to follow this example.
"Our recent research has also demonstrated that some consumers are willing to buy products that contain some recycled content over those that do not - further strengthening the business argument for this approach."
Mike Birch, environment manager at Indesit, added: "Having successfully completed the trial, we now plan to roll out the innovation to a range of our washing machines and washer dryers that are produced each year. The cumulative cost and raw material savings will be significant.
"For us the improved price was an enabler to help deliver a project with environmental benefits - we felt it was the right thing to do.
"We are now considering how further environmental improvements and savings can be made by using recycled content within other components and parts, throughout our manufacturing operation."
England is already beating its 2010 target to reduce the amount of biodegradable household waste heading to landfill. (19/11/2008)
An Environment Agency report released to mark the third anniversary of
the beginning of the Landfill Allowances and Trading Scheme (LATS)
showed local authorities are surpassing the target of a 25% reduction
from 1995 levels.
In 2007-08, local authorities were required to landfill no more
than 13.6m tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste, but only sent 10.6m
tonnes to landfill.
No authority was liable for a penalty for exceeding its landfill allowance.
Dr Paul Leinster, chief executive at the Environment Agency, said:
"We recognise that exceptional market conditions could make it more
challenging for local authorities to meet recycling targets.
"However, the LATS scheme is unique in Europe in giving local
authorities flexibility in how they meet their landfill diversion
targets by buying, borrowing and selling allowances as market demand
fluctuates.
"England has tough but important targets to reduce the amount of
household waste rotting in our landfills, which contributes to climate
change by releasing methane gas into the atmosphere."
Environment Minister Jane Kennedy said: "Local authorities are to
be congratulated on the way they are tackling the diversion of waste
from landfill."
She added: "The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme gives them the right flexibility to meet their allowances year on year.
"This flexibility is enabling local authorities to achieve the major goal of reducing the waste ending up in landfill."
The report shows that the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
landfilled 26.2% more than its allowances, but bought allowances to
avoid fines, while Hampshire County Council had the most surplus and
sold 22.8% of its allowances to other authorities.
Twelve authorities landfilled more than their allocations in 2007-08.
Show workers the bottom line, Envirowise says (05/11/2008)
Seeing the bills could stop employees leaving their green habits at the office door, Envirowise said Bosses should tell their employees how much they are shelling out for gas, electricity, water and recycling to encourage them to reduce the impact of their business.
Sustainable business experts Envirowise are calling on employers to be more transparent about the impact that their workers are having so that they adopt the same approach to cost cutting at work as they do at home.
According to Envirowise research, people who are committed to cutting waste at home are lapsing into bad habits as soon as they get to work.
A survey of more than 1,800 UK office workers found that a third took no action to reduce the amount of resources they use during the working day.
"This research sends out a clear signal to UK businesses that good domestic environmental practices do not necessarily translate to the workplace," said Mary Leonard, Envirowise's marketing director.
"By ensuring gas, electricity, water and recycling bills are not cloaked in mystery, staff will have a greater understanding of how their actions can help reduce costs."
She added that the current financial climate should provide businesses with another incentive to cut their bills.
"With the credit crunch continuing to bite, cutting costs through better resource efficiency and minimising waste have never been more important," Ms Leonard said.
"Those businesses that make positive changes to reduce their environmental impact and reduce costs now will be better equipped to survive and thrive during the current downturn."
Envirowise recommended businesses should appoint "champions" to lead environmental incentives, urge employees to switch off lights and computers at the end of the day, and install water saving devices in toilets and kitchens.
It has also recently produced a guide to help businesses decide whether rainwater harvesting would be a suitable way to save resources in their workplace
Could landfills resurrect Britain's mining industry? (20/10/2008)
Imagine an air-tight dome with teams of robots working alongside
people in space suits as they sift through the corrosive waste of past
generations, looking for scraps of plastic and nuggets of precious
metals.
This isn't the opening scene of the latest Sci-Fi movie to hit our
screens, but the vision of one of the leading thinkers of the British
waste industry, describing how landfill mining might look a few decades
down the line.
Freelance waste consultant Peter Jones, until recently a director
at waste giant Biffa, was among the speakers at a London conference
looking at likelihood of our old rubbish dumps becoming the mines of
the future.
With raw materials becoming increasingly scarce and the price of
oil rising it isn't stretching credibility too far to assume that what
we threw away in times of plenty might be seen as a valuable resource
in the not-too-distant future.
But is digging up this booty technically and economically feasible,
and what will be left after years of decomposition in a hole in the
ground?
Mr Jones warned that it might be a while before its safe to unearth
these tarnished treasures, describing the grim reality of the rotting
mess that remains underground for years after a landfill is capped and
the fields above landscaped.
"This is not a friendly or benign environment - it's an extremely corrosive atmosphere," he said.
"[When you open these things up] you will certainly discover that it's pretty awful in terms of decomposition.
"We won't be able to go into any landfill that's closing today for about 30 years."
He said the waste would need to be sorted in air-tight domes and
those inside would need to wear hazmat suits, or leave the work to
machines.
And when it comes to recovering materials, there will be a fairly short list of useful resources left, he said.
Organics will have decomposed - and hopefully the subsequent
methane burnt off as fuel - and all but the most inert of metals will
be eaten away in the corrosive soup.
But one waste stream of today could still be a major resource tomorrow.
"When you dig up landfills the only recoverable tonnage material is going to be plastics," said Mr Jones.
And these, he added, would not be found in large sheets but rather
shreds of different polymers here and there, making sorting for
recycling an almost impossible task.
This still leaves the option of using the oil-based plastics as
fuel however, most likely using relatively clean technologies such as
gasification rather than simple energy-from-waste incinerators.
In today's market, the cost of excavating a landfill and
re-processing the waste in the hopes of extracting plastics for fuel
does not quite stand up - those who try it are likely to break even at
best - but existing drivers are already making the prospect more and
more attractive as time passes.
Rising landfill gate fees, growing incentives to find low-carbon
fuel and pressures on existing resources are all tipping the scales
towards landfill mining.
While the process has potential benefits for the environment, not
everyone is going to be happy with the develop - including those living
near former landfills who thought they'd seen the back of large-scale
waste management on their doorstep.
"They're used to looking out on a grassy knoll that looks a bit like the South Downs," said Mr Jones.
"And suddenly they find out they're in for another ten years of hell and anguish."
Trials suggest AWC boosts food waste collection performance (20/10/2008)
Switching to controversial alternate weekly collections could boost participation in separate food waste collections.
Food waste collection trials carried out by WRAP (the Waste &
Resources Action Partnership) found that local authorities using AWC
recorded higher participation rates than those picking up
non-recyclable rubbish every week.
One council, the London Borough of Bromley, switched to AWC during
the trial and found participation rates shot up from just over half to
more than three quarters.
Speaking at an MRW conference in London on Thursday, Chris Mills,
from WRAP's Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team, said:
"Statistically, with a background of alternate weekly collection, we
are finding a much higher rate of food waste collection."
John Woodruff, head of waste services for Bromley, said the use of
separate weekly food waste collections had helped to reduce public
opposition to AWC.
"If your food waste is going weekly in a separate bin, there is not
so much of a problem with the other waste, so it's an easier sell," he
said.
WRAP's food waste trials covered nearly 100,000 households across England and Northern Ireland.
The trials also found that residents were reluctant to use
collections that combined food and garden waste, and that people
throwing away out-of-date food frequently did not bother to take it out
of its packaging.
Average participation was about 62%. Of those who did not
participate, the main reasons were that residents believed they did not
produce enough food waste, they were concerned about hygiene or vermin,
or they composted at home.
David Mottershead, head of waste policy and processes at Defra,
said Government still believed that anaerobic digestion was the best
way to deal with food waste once it was collected.
"The UK needs the contribution from renewable energy that it can get through the anaerobic digestion of food waste," he said.
He added that ministers were very pleased with the widespread and positive coverage that the Love Food Hate Waste campaign had received
Don’t skip the plasterboard – recycle it (13/10/2008)
The publication of a new ‘publicly available specification’ (PAS) means that waste plasterboard can now be recycled into quality-assured gypsum.
The Specification (PAS109:2008) – which is published by the government-backed Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in collaboration with industry and the British Standards Institution (BSI) – provides guidance for processing waste plasterboard.
This is good news for two reasons: plasterboard recyclers will be able to advertise that their recycled gypsum product meets the PAS109 quality requirements, giving purchasers confidence in the quality of the product; and as confidence in the end-product grows, so too will the market for waste plasterboard.
