The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has launched a consultation to find out what guidance the industry needs to help it achieve Government sustainability targets. (16/07/2008)
Ministers have announced that following the 2016 zero-carbon target for
homes, they also want all non-domestic buildings to be zero carbon by
2019.
UK-GBC is inviting a range of companies and organisations from the
building industry to take part in a task group led by the council's
chief executive Paul King.
The council wants to see a national Code for Sustainable Buildings developed, and the task group will discuss what standards should be included.
Mr King said: "With the upcoming Government consultation on zero
carbon non-domestic buildings, this is an ideal moment to take stock
and consider what kind of code and rating tools we need for the future.
"Industry needs a clear and practical route map and milestones that
are aligned with Government policy to give it the confidence and
knowledge to move forward on a trajectory to 2019.
"We also need to anticipate forthcoming European regulation in this
area, and the growing demand from multi-national clients and developers
for increased harmonisation between international tools."
The consultation has been backed by industry bodies.
Rab Bennetts, director of architects Bennetts Associates, said: "In the same way that the UK GBC is a pan-industry body, so the Code for Sustainable Building
should aim to be just the sort of joined-up thinking that offers
clarity and strategic direction to designers, constructors, owners and
occupiers."
George Martin, head of sustainable development at construction firm
Willmott Dixon, said he supported the idea of a national code for green
building when it was first floated in 2004.
He added: "I was seriously disappointed when it was watered down to become the Code for Sustainable Homes.
"Now is the time for the UK to set an example and deliver a national Code for Sustainable Buildings."
New guidance to help recycling of small-scale construction waste (15/07/2008)
It is now simpler for mobile concrete crushers to obtain air pollution approvals, under new guidance issued in accordance with the government's drive for better, more simplified regulation.
The new guidelines mean that in most cases the new
breed of micro crusher - with its comparatively small pollution
potential compared to conventional models - will no longer need a
pollution permit.
Larger crushers will still need a permit, but
the procedures have been simplified and the costs substantially
lowered. Instead of each customer needing their own permit, hire
companies will now be able to temporarily transfer the permit to the
customer for the hire period.
The new guidelines are published in full at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ppc/localauth/pubs/guidance/manuals.htm
Reducing food waste will help tackle environmental problems as well as spiralling prices, according to Gordon Brown. (15/07/2008)
Speaking prior to the G8 summit in Japan this week, the Prime Minister
said we had a responsibility to face up to the twin challenges of
climate change and global food security - and the solution could start
at home.
The average British family throws away a shocking third of the food it buys, wasting 4.1 tonnes, or £420 worth of produce.
Better planning could reduce that amount, says the government, saving money and unnecessary carbon emissions.
Mr Brown's comments coincide with the release of a Defra report, Food Matters - Towards a Strategy for the 21st Century.
Mr Brown said: "The rise of popular interest in food policy issues,
and growing public awareness of the impact of what we choose to eat on
everything from animal welfare, to our health and the protection of the
environment has seen a massive transformation in Britain's food culture
over the past ten years.
"This cultural change, along with more recent events in global food
markets, has brought new and urgent policy challenges to the fore,
which governments must act to meet."
Environmental groups welcomed the Prime Minister's concerns about
wasted food, but argued it should not distract attention from the more
pressing issue of biofuels
Friends of the Earth food campaigner Vicki Hird said: "Gordon Brown
is right to draw attention to the need to waste less food, but he must
also use his sway at the G8 to urge a rethink on global agriculture and
food production.
"Current policies on biofuels and trade lie behind the global food
crisis. By feeding cars instead of people we are driving deforestation
and pushing up food prices.
"Forcing countries into one-size-fits-all trade deals devastates local food markets and puts small farmers out of business.
"We need a new model of food production that doesn't rely on
techno-fixes like GM crops or biofuels - both of which have failed to
deliver - and allows local food production to flourish across the
globe."
Leaders of the world's most powerful economies have pledged to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050. (15/07/2008)
The G8 group of nations, which is currently meeting in Japan, announced the ambition following a day of discussions on Tuesday.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who is hosting this year's G8
summit, said it was "an appropriate and necessary goal for the earth".
He added that on Wednesday, the G8 will call on other major economies to cooperate with their plans.
"This long-term goal requires the wisdom and cooperation of the entire world," Mr Fukuda said.
He said the G8 will set up a new international initiative to
research and develop low-carbon technologies, and use climate
investment funds to help developing countries.
Environmental campaigners around the world have slammed the announcement.
Friends of the Earth International accused the G8 of "spewing futile rhetoric".
Campaigner Karen Orenstein said; "The G8 countries' agreed
long-term goal is totally inadequate and they have failed to commit to
mid-term targets.
"Their demands for developing countries to agree to binding
commitments show total disregard for their own responsibilities towards
the rest of the world."
The organisation also questioned the G8's failure to mention a
baseline year from which the cuts will be measured and argued that 1990
- the year used in the Kyoto treaty - should be used.
In the UK, Greenpeace campaigners also criticised Tuesday's announcement, labelling it a "festival of vacuous black-slapping".
Executive director John Sauven said: "The G8 leaders have failed
the world again. We need tough targets for the richest countries to
slash emissions in the next 100 months, but instead we got ambiguous
long-term targets for the world in general.
"The G8 could and should have ruled out the scores of new
coal-fired power stations set to be built across the industrialised
world."
More than two-thirds of UK households are still putting electrical gadgets in the household waste and 17% do not recycle electrical items at all. (02/07/2008)
Research from electrical specialist Comet to mark the first anniversary of the introduction of the WEEE Directive on Tuesday showed consumers are lagging behind on electrical recycling compared to other household items.
Although awareness of waste electrical and electronic equipment
(WEEE) has increased from 2% in 2007 to 67% today, but Comet said this
did was not matched by action.
UK residents currently throw away enough WEEE every year to fill
the new Wembley six times, and each person throws away 3.3 tonnes in
their lifetime.
Commenting on the findings, Bob Mead, WEEE policy adviser for the
Environment Agency, said the directive is having a positive impact on
the amount of waste electronics ending up in landfill.
"Householders in Britain throw away more than a million tonnes of electrical waste every year," he said.
"However, about a third of this is now collected, treated and
recycled. In fact, in the first six months of WEEE, about 184,000
tonnes of household WEEE was collected and treated, and therefore
diverted from landfill."
Under the directive, retailers such as Comet are responsible for
collecting and recycling old electrical items, and the chain last year
expanded its collection service.
It now recycles more than 400,000 electrical items a year and helps to fund recycling facilities at rubbish tips across the UK.
Toby Lousada, Comet's services director said today's figures were a
big improvement on the amount of people recycling electrical equipment
before the directive was introduced, but encouraged consumers to do
more.
"Although only a third of British households recycle all electrical
goods, the items that are recycled tend to only include bigger
electrical items, for example fridges and dishwashers," he said.
"However all electrical items such as toasters, radios and ice
cream makers can be taken to local electrical amenity sites and
recycled. On the 1st anniversary of WEEE we'd like to encourage more
consumers to do their bit."
MEPs back 'watered down' waste directive (23/06/2008)
Half of household waste and 70% of construction and demolition waste in the EU should be recycled or reused by 2020 after MEPs backed the revised Waste Directive.
The European Parliament voted in favour of a deal that had been hammered out with the Council of Ministers earlier this month.
It also included a definition of incineration as recovery provided it meets certain energy efficiency standards, which has provoked controversy among some MEPs and the recycling sector.
The targets themselves have also come under fire, with some accusing Parliament of agreeing a watered down deal, and arguing the wording of the directive does not make the targets legally binding.
Questioned about these concerns in Parliament, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "If these targets are not met in 2020, the Commission can take Member States to court for non-compliance with the requirements of the directive."
Conservative south west England MEP Caroline Jackson, who led MEPs in negotiations with the Council, told Parliament: "This is a positive incentive to incinerator operators to reach high standards and we would do well to remember, in these fuel poor days, that waste can be a useful fuel.
"But it is important to recognise that the Parliament has now ensured, by writing in targets for recycling and emphasising waste prevention objectives, that incineration of residual waste will have to go hand in hand with recycling."
RREUSE (Reuse and Recycling European Social Enterprises) said the overall result was "disappointing" and MEPs had accepted "watered down recycling targets".
South east England's Green MEP Caroline Lucas said it was "a major lost opportunity" on waste prevention.
She added: "As well as promoting incineration, the compromise also includes two potential loopholes that are likely to haunt us in the future.
"It introduces new definitions for 'by-products' and when 'waste ceases to be a waste'. This creates possibilities to unduly escape waste legislation and may well lead to a new series of court cases."
But the Chemical Industries Association said the vote "makes sense for the environment".
Dr Anne-Gaëlle Collot, CIA's environmental protection policy advisor, added: "Being able to use our by -products means the chemical industry can use fewer virgin resources and contribute less to landfill."
testing testing 1, 2 (06/06/2008)
testing news items
Government to miss 60% of eco-targets, think tank says (14/05/2008)
Government looks set to miss more than half of the green targets it has set since 1997, according to a new study.
Of 138 high level targets, 60% have been missed, are unlikely to be achieved, or are worded too vaguely to make a meaningful analysis, according to right-wing think tank Policy Exchange.
Biodiversity, and climate change and energy are the two worst areas, while waste is the sole area where the researchers say a majority of targets will be met and Government policy has undoubtedly made an improvement.
Green Dreams: a Decade of Missed Targets calls for ministers and their counterparts in the opposition parties to set fewer and more achievable targets.
Target setting is too often made without the policy drivers - most notably the finance and interim benchmarking - needed to achieve them, researchers at the think tank concluded.
Tara Singh, head of Policy Exchange's environment unit and one of the authors of the study, told edie: "I have no doubt that Government had genuine targets for the environment.
"But I think Government underestimated how much policy work needed to go into it. Energy policy, for one, is a nightmare."
She called for Government, as well as the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, to set more realistic targets and set them over the longer term to give businesses the ability to meet them.
Ms Singh said: "They have got to set far fewer targets and make them genuinely ambitious but set things that are not so aspirational as to be unachievable."
The report also criticised the changing of targets over time, such as those to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
In one example, the report says the 1999 Pre-Budget Report said Government would reduce C02 emissions by 20% on 1990 levels by 2010, but by 2005 this target had instead been applied to emissions of all greenhouse gases.
"As the targets get closer and closer, instead of being honest and saying we are going to miss it, Government started to spin it a bit," Miss Singh said.
Businesses still confused by WEEE (14/05/2008)
More than a third of UK businesses think that small companies are exempt from WEEE regulations and many believe the regulations affect manufacturers of electrical products more than importers.
Waste electrical and electronic items are still confusing some companies.
More than a year after the introduction of the regulations, research by the Environment Agency showed that 76% of businesses are aware of the regulations and the environmental cost of electrical and electronic waste.
But there are still some major misconceptions about the rules which could put businesses at risk of breaching the regulations and incurring a fine.
One of the major areas of concern for the agency was that many UK businesses do not realise they are classified as electrical producers.
Some companies also mistakenly believe that if their offices are not in the UK they do not need to join a WEEE compliance scheme in the UK.
The Environment Agency also found some of those businesses questioned believed manufacturers are affected more than importers, although WEEE regulations apply equally to all businesses involved in the supply chain, from manufacturers to distributors.
Adrian Harding, producer responsibility policy advisor at the Environment Agency, said: "It is encouraging to see good overall awareness of green issues across electronics manufacturing businesses.
"However, it is concerning that many businesses in the sector have not made full use of the guidance that's been put in place to help them comply with the WEEE Regulations.
"As we step up our enforcement of the regulations, many of these businesses are putting themselves at an increasing risk of being fined."
The agency is urging businesses to use its step-by-step guide to help them comply with the rules and choose a compliance scheme to join.
More information on the WEEE regulations from the Environment Agency can be found here.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/1745440/444663/1106248/?version=1&lang=_e
Recyclet Ltd expands the region’s plasterboard recycling capacity. (06/05/2008)
Plasterboard recycling in Yorkshire and the Humber has been boosted by a new facility operated by Recyclet Ltd – specialists in plasterboard and gypsum based wastes. Their 60,000 square feet site, based at Brigg in North Lincolnshire, has capacity to process in excess of 25000 tonnes of plasterboard per annum into useful products – gypsum powder and shredded paper. The gypsum powder has a number of markets including agricultural, cement manufacture and plasterboard remanufacture whilst the paper has a market as animal bedding or fuel. In terms of agriculture gypsum is an effective soil improver and is proven to improve crop yields. It can also be used as a beneficial additive to mushroom compost, a soil stabilizer and growing medium Recyclet Ltd are currently trialling different collection methods including bag-based, take back schemes and containers at household waste recycling facilities. They offer tailor-made services to construction companies at competitive prices.
Warren Forthergill – Manager of Recyclet explains...
“Construction companies are coming under increasing pressure to minimise waste. Landfill costs are increasing and new regulations mean that all businesses including the construction industry need to improve their waste management practices.
In July 05 new Environment Agency rules reclassified plasterboard waste as ‘non-inert’ in line with the EU Landfill Directive. This means that loads containing over 10% plasterboard waste now have to be landfilled separately at designated sites at increased cost. In addition, since April 2008 all construction projects with a value over £300,000 are required to produce a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) outlining their measures to minimise waste and increase reuse and recycling.
There is no better time for these companies to start segregating and recycling their waste plasterboard.”
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that the amount of plasterboard waste from UK construction and demolition sites is around 900,000 tonnes per annum whilst the UK’s current recycling capacity is around 500,000 tonnes per annum. WRAP also estimates that a staggering 10% of all new plasterboard used on construction projects is wasted.
(www.wrap.org.uk)
If you are a construction or demolition company with waste plasterboard Recyclet Ltd want to help you save money and improve your environmental performance.
Contact Recyclet Ltd on 01652 651144 Email: info@recyclet.com or visit their website at www.recyclet.co.uk
£310m in PFI credits for waste schemes (29/04/2008)
Millions of pounds of funding is being made available for four waste projects under Government's Private Finance Initiative scheme.
Defra has announced PFI credits will be awarded to Leeds City Council, Suffolk County Council, Bradford Metropolitan District Council, and a partnership of local authorities in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham.
The projects are expected to involve building either incinerators or facilities for Mechnical Biological Treatment (MBT), which would use a process such as composting or anaerobic digestion to treat the waste.
Leeds City Council, which has been awarded 68.6m of credits, said it has not yet decided which treatment process will be used.
Environment chief Councillor Steve Smith said: "Given the advances in waste treatment technologies, we feel that a decision on the actual solution should not be taken until after the evaluation of all potential solutions brought forward during the procurement process."
Bradford Metropolitan District Council has secured £62.1m for a project collaborating with neighbouring Calderdale Council. The two authorities currently send about 75% of their household waste to landfill.
Ian Bairstow, Bradford Council's head of waste management, said his council was also keeping an open mind about what technology the PFI funding will support.
He added: "This funding to support the long term solution is good news, although it still only represents a very small proportion of the increasing cost of waste treatment."
Suffolk County Council, which will receive £102m, favours an incinerator on a site at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, but has not fully committed to this plan.
A spokeswoman said: "We are still open for other technologies to come forward when the tenders go out."
Local authorities in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham - which together produce enough waste each year to fill Wembley Stadium - will receive £77.4m.
The three authorities are currently drawing up a Joint Strategic Waste Development Plan which will map out sites across the borough that could house facilities to process waste.
Kate Martin
Britain bins billions - food waste under spotlight (29/04/2008)
According to figures published by the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, fruit and vegetables account for almost half of the 6.7 million tonnes of food being binned each year, most of which could have been eaten.
A study carried out by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) the main reason food is thrown out is, unsurprisingly, because our eyes are bigger than our bellies and it is going off before it can be eaten.
The problem is aggravated by the fact that most fruit and veg is being stored at room temperature, when putting it in the fridge could add up to two weeks to its edible lifespan.
Dr Liz Goodwin, WRAP's chief executive said: "These dramatic figures show that although we are all keen to do the right thing buying plenty of fruit and vegetables, the benefit is clearly being lost when food gets thrown out untouched.
"By following some simple tips and advice which can be found on our website, we can all be saving money as well as helping the environment."
In an effort to persuade consumers to reduce their waste, WRAP has teamed up with supermarket giant Sainsbury's to run a series of in-store promotions advising customers on the best ways to store perishable produce and suggesting new ways to use fruit and veg in an attempt to offer inspiration.
Apples top the list of wasted food stuffs, followed by potatoes, bananas, tomatoes and oranges.
Sam Bond
TEG ENVIRONMENTAL OFFERING FOOD WASTE COLLECTION IN YORKSHIRE AND LANCASHIRE. (02/04/2008)
Recent research by the Government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme has shown that about one-third of all food in the UK ends up being wasted – that’s more than 6.5 million tonnes of food per year. Now, companies in Lancashire and Yorkshire are being offered a green alternative to landfill to recycle their waste food. Composting specialist TEG Environmental is launching a commercial food waste collection service, which will provide a cost effective and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional disposal routes.
TEG will provide participants with a separate wheelie bin to be used exclusively for food waste, which it will collect on a designated day and transport to its state of the art commercial composting plants at Todmorden and Preston. There, the food waste will be mixed with garden waste before feeding into TEG’s Silo Cage composting systems. The end product can then be used as a soil enhancer for agricultural and horticultural purposes.
The new service will cover Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Luddenden Foot, Sowerby Bridge, Halifax and Bradford but businesses within a 10 mile radius of any of these towns could be eligible to join the scheme.
TEG decided to launch the service after realising that many commercial food organisations such as restaurants, take-aways and food retailers combine their food waste with their general waste, which then has to go to landfill. TEG’s Commercial Director, Jayne Pierre, explained how the scheme works: “Any company within the designated catchment area that produces food waste is eligible to join. We will provide either 240lt or 1100lt wheelie bins designated exclusively for food waste which will collected regularly.”
TEG is expecting an enthusiastic response to the service as companies recognise the benefits of a more environmental approach to food waste. Added Jayne: “Landfill taxes are due to increase dramatically this April the Government has stated that they will double by 2010. Removing food waste from the general waste bin and sending it for composting should prove a more cost-effective option than landfill for most companies. They will also find that other wastes in their bin, such as cardboard and plastic, will stay clean once the food is being dealt with separately and so could have a positive value if recycled.”
Companies requiring further information about the food waste collection scheme should call Jessica Stewart on 07825 426484.
Environmental Grants for Businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber Region (28/01/2008)
The Business Resource Efficiency Improvement Grant (BREIG)scheme helps businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber region to improve their resource efficiency; providing grants and access to third party expertise to target reductions in waste, energy and/or water whilst at the same time delivering a boost to a business’ bottom line profitability. Funded by Yorkshire Forward through the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme, BREIG helps offset the costs of capital investment or consultancy that results in the greater use of recycled or environmentally friendly processes and materials, reduced energy, fuel or water consumption, reduced landfill waste and improved production efficiencies.
Businesses can apply for a capital grant of up to £8,000, a consultancy grant of up to £2,500 and a training grant of up to £1,000 to help put in place measures which will cut waste and usage of energy and water.
BREIG grants are available until 31st March 2008 or until funds are exhausted – so apply now for a BREIG grant and start building a better future for your business. For further details or for help applying for a Business Resource Efficiency Improvement Grant, call 0870 125 3311. Email: kevin.cassidy@yfmgroup.co.uk see http://www.breig.co.uk/project_availability.htm
Purification company filters their waste stream and saves pounds at the same time (28/01/2008)
Purification Products are now diverting over 120 tonnes of waste a year thanks to Why Waste. Through the site they have set up exchanges of 50 pallets and 12 I.B.Cs (intermediate bulk containers) each month and 3 tonnes of Carbon powder each week.
The carbon powder and pallets are going to Nutramulch who specialise in recycling organic waste back into agriculture and as soil conditioners. Their belief is that there is a demand in the market place for purpose built, fully licensed composting facilities specifically for the many organic and mineral waste streams suitable for recycling into agriculture and top soil.
Purification products save up the pallets and then use a local transport company to carry them to Nutramulch where they are composted. They also send odd ones out to schools who are interested in using them to make compost bins. The Carbon powder, (which had previously been put in plastic bags and land filled) is stored on site in paper, biodegradable bags and saved in a skip until ready for transport to Nutramulch for composting.
The I.B.Cs are going to two companies - Skymark who use them for storage and British Hardwoods, who make bio diesel and will be using them to store it in. Previously these large, plastic containers had been broken up and sent to landfill so it’s great to see them being reused.
Deborah Walton, Operations manager at Purification Products said “The website is a very easy and effective tool in recycling waste. The service has greatly reduced the amount of waste we send to landfill and its associated costs.”
And those costs were starting to mount up. Deborah continues...
“We estimate that in disposal costs we are saving approximately £9000 per year and with landfill tax set to rise, so will the amount we are saving.”
First class honours to Bradford Uni recyclers (18/01/2008)
Bradford University Clearances
The University of Bradford isn’t only teaching students to be green – it’s actively doing its bit too.
A big refurbishment programme recently carried out by Bradford University has seen students re-housed in newly furnished accommodation. Two massive clear-outs, covering 280 student rooms, went ahead in Summer and Autumn 2007, which left the University staff with a headache. As an 'Eco-Versity' with a sustainability policy, they wanted to keep waste to a minimum but finding outlets to get the items reused was not easy.
Enter CHAS Housing Aid and Shires Removals. These two organisations got in touch with the University through the Why Waste website and arranged collection of nearly all the furniture.
About 150 wardrobes and 64 fridge-freezers were good enough to go straight to homes in Bradford through the CHAS shop in Manningham. That was over 8½ tonnes saved for reuse in the local area. The rest – about 30 tonnes of beds, shelves, chairs, desks and tables - found homes in the North, thanks to Shires Removals distributing through charity shops and other outlets.
Noor Meah of CHAS said:
"We were particularly interested in the items which we knew families who use our services would want. The electrical appliances in our shop always go like hot cakes and the quality of the wardrobes was also very good. Our thanks to the University and to Why Waste for making the match. We hope there will be more opportunities like this from the Why Waste site in future."
Government looks at public willingness to go green (16/01/2008)
Defra has been looking at public attitudes on the environment in an effort to draw up plans on how people might most effectively be persuaded to make positive changes to their lifestyles.
Changes in individual's car use could make a significant impact.
The department has been conducting research which looks at why individuals and communities change their behaviour and how they might be persuaded to do so more often.
The research is supposed to improve Government understanding of the public's attitudes on the environment and help policy makers support different groups of people's efforts to take action.
It also identifies 12 areas where campaigns to encourage the public to take action are likely to meet with the most success.
These 12 areas are:
# use more efficient vehicles;
# use cars less for short trips;
# avoid unnecessary short haul flights;
# use water responsibly;
# install insulation / microgeneration;
# management of energy usage;
# recycle more;
# waste less food;
# buy energy efficient products;
# eat more food that is locally in season;
# adopt a lower impact diet.
Environment Minister Joan Ruddock said: "We all need to do our bit to tackle climate change. Most people want to do something but sometimes don't know how. This report will help Government and stakeholders reach people and empower them to make changes in their lives today that will make a big difference tomorrow."
In recognition of the important role the voluntary sector plays in influencing pro-environmental behaviour, Joan Ruddock also announced that a new grant scheme will be set up to support voluntary organisations to encourage people to adopt a greener lifestyle.
Stephen Hale, Director of the Green Alliance, a coalition of NGOs, said: "2008 can be a landmark year for government action to help every one of us reduce our environmental impact. Government has a critical role in enabling us to act.
"This report demonstrates public support for action, and contains the evidence needed to design and implement new and successful policies."
Trendy trees add to waste mountain at Christmas (04/01/2008)
The fashion for new decorations every year is helping create an eco timebomb.
Traditional Christmas tree trimmings involving a box of mismatched baubles, homemade paper chains, and a string of fairylights with a broken bulb dragged from the loft have been ditched, with families buying new decorations each year - a trend which is creating an environmental timebomb, according to green campaigners.
In recent years people have bought into the idea of themed, colour-coordinated decorations which are updated each year. Two years ago there was a penchant for black trees; last year the cool colour for baubles was silver; this year classic colours are back, although 'antique gold' is the new gold and platinum is the new silver. Tinsel is out.
Yet these festive fashions are adding to the growing burden of waste and using up vast amounts of energy and chemicals. 'Toxins and energy: they are the big things,' said Stuart Bond, head of research and metrics for the environmental charity WWF. 'It's people somewhere else in the world or people who have not been born who will pay the costs for these things, while we're happily putting up our decorations. A decoration would last 30 to 50 years if it was looked after and cared for. If you felt the negative effects, the externalities of production and manufacture, you'd be more mindful about it.'
Christmas has become an annual opportunity for environmental campaigners to wring their hands about the cost of the huge consumption, be it energy, food or packaging. Some estimates claim that an extra three million tonnes of waste is generated at Christmas in the UK alone.
Christmas trees have already come under critical fire for the environmental damage that they can generate - mostly to wildlife habitats through mass tree plantation and the associated use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
Now it is the turn of Christmas decorations, says Bond: 'There's a sense of obsolescence, both planned on the part of manufacturers and perceived obsolescence; unless you're keeping up with the Joneses, you're a nobody.'
Christmas trees were popularised in Britain by the royal family in the mid-19th century. In recent years the traditional spruce fell out of favour to make way for firs, largely because people believe they do not drop their needles. It was only a matter of time before decorations fell victim to the whims of taste.
'The trend aspect has only really come about in the last five years - probably as people are more used to fashion trends and translating this into their home,' said Francesca Colling, spokesman for Woolworths, which sells £10m of Christmas decorations every year. Two years ago the incipient fashion became a stampede when John Lewis sold out of black Christmas trees in mid-November. This year, the department store says, hot items include upside-down plastic trees. These originated in New York, where floorspace is tight in most apartments: the topsy-turvy spruce allows decorations to hang freely and out of the reach of small children. 'Oriental splendour' decorations, partly in tribute to next year's Olympics in Beijing, are popular, and so, once again, are traditional colours.
Woolworths reports that tree-top angels are losing ground to stars. John Lewis is stocking no tinsel this year, while Woolworths has a small range.
But not everybody has been sucked in: Woolworths still gets letters from customers saying they are using decorations they bought 15 years ago, said Colling. 'If you enjoy following the trend and updating your look each year, we would recommend storing decorations safely until a trend comes back round and you can re-use them,' she said.
Eco-friendly tree tips
· Buy British trees certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
· Buy 'living' trees and replant in the garden (and remember to water during the summer).
· Recycle your tree after Christmas.
· Remember: an artificial tree is for life, not just for Christmas.
Eco-friendly decorations
· Use old, misshapen ones from the loft.
· Make your own.
· Check out 'free' websites such as Freecycle.
· Look for secondhand and Fairtrade decorations in charity shops.
Offshore wind 'could power UK homes by 2020' (04/01/2008)
Up to 7,000 new wind turbines could be built around the British coastline to provide enough energy to power every home in the UK by 2020, according to Government.
Business Secretary John Hutton revealed the vision at a conference for the European energy industry in Berlin on Monday.
Mr Hutton made much of Britain's unrivalled wind resources though his speech was firmly focused on aspirations and possibilities rather than any concrete plan which would be implemented.
"The challenge for the government and for industry is to turn this potential - for our energy and economy - into a cost-effective reality. This will be a major challenge," he said.
"The UK has some of the best offshore wind resource in the world, a long history of design, installation and operational expertise in the offshore environment and the skills and manufacturing capability to transfer to this exciting new sector."
If the vision became a reality, it would mean an average of two turbines for every mile of coastline.
The secretary said that it could be possible to deliver up to 60 times as much power from offshore wind as is produced at present by 2020 - an ambitious, but not-unrealistic target.
Next year, he said, the UK would overtake Denmark as Europe's biggest producer of offshore wind power.
The targets form the basis of a scoping document will set out Government's expectations for future offshore wind farm sites in UK waters.
The plans have been welcomed, as might be expected, by the British Wind Energy Association.
"This is a decisive step towards delivering Britain's share of the EU 2020 renewables target," said Maria McCaffery, chief executive of the BWEA.
"We welcome the Government's effort to place wind energy on a sound footing and promote Britain into a leader in this sector. This expansion will mean that by 2015 the UK's offshore market will be twice the size of any other national offshore wind market."
New Year brings green pledges (04/01/2008)
As another New Year dawns, many people in the UK will be thinking up their pledges for 2008 - but how many of those New Year resolutions will be to become more green and combat climate change?
According to a YouGov survey, just 6% of people think that resolutions to become greener are the most important pledges they can make this year.
A quarter of those questioned said that getting fit was top of their list, followed by aiming to be a better person and get on better with family, friends and colleagues.
However, a poll by electricity supplier npower said 69% of people planned to make being greener their number one New Year's Resolution.
The study of 1,000 people found that 45- to 54-year-olds are leading the green charge with 98% claiming to make a huge effort to be green.
Defra ministers encouraged everyone to change their behaviour in 2008 with the help of the Government's online carbon calculator.
Environment secretary Hilary Benn said: "It is imperative that we all do our bit to try to limit the effects of climate change.
"More than 500,000 people have already logged on to www.direct.gov.uk/ActOnCO2 to find out how they can reduce their carbon footprint and we're hoping many more will do the same throughout 2008."
In the City, a survey of FTSE 100 companies found that creating more sustainable offices is the top green New Year's resolution for 2008.
A quarter of the UK's leading businesses said they want to make their offices more energy efficient, while 23% plan to reduce carbon emissions from operations and 13% have resolved to incorporate renewable energy sources.
Nick Warren, from Chatsworth Communications, which carried out the survey, said: "Climate change has swept the social, political and media agenda in 2007 and there has been a corresponding sea change in UK business' stance on sustainability."
Waste & Recycling - Review of the Year 2007 (2 January 2008) (04/01/2008)
The WEEE Directive and the Waste Strategy Review for England took centre stage in the world of waste this year, with the latter sparking debate over the best ways to tackle the country's rubbish.
The Local Government Association complained that the UK was the dustbin of Europe.
Local authorities were granted powers allowing them to team up on waste management to create efficient 'super-sites' to treat and dispose of municipal rubbish.
Defra mandarins told the waste industry that winning the hearts and minds of the public would be vital if Britain is to build the facilities it needs to meet targets.
After many months of gearing up for WEEE Day, the directive came into force in the UK, with producers forced to take responsibility for their e-waste.
The Environmental Services Association made a plea for a zero tolerance stance on waste crime to provide a level playing field for the vast majority of those working in the industry who play by the rules.
The pros and cons of alternate weekly collection was one of the year's hot debates, with Defra publishing research allegedly dismissing the primary objection - that leaving rubbish lying about for two weeks is a health risk.
Public opinion hit back when Dartford Borough Council decided to give residents a vote on the issue - an overwhelming 95% voted against AWC.
Proposals to make Site Waste Management Plans for large construction projects compulsory were announced while battery recycling trials showed the UK could meet its targets in that area with a bit of encouragement.
The Devonshire market town of Modbury became the first in the UK to ban plastic bags while painting recycling bins to look like Friesian cows saw recycling rates rocket in London's New Cross.
The public complained that over-complicated instructions for sorting household waste were sapping their will to recycle while a Chinese town tried to boost public health by offering a bounty on the head of each fly - of about 3p.
In Westminster the council went to war with publishers of the free newspapers which often litter the streets, calling for a contribution to help with the recycling or face a distribution ban.
Peace talks finally led to the involved parties agreeing on a deal which allowed distributors to keep handing out the papers but to fund a share of the waste management.
The smoking ban also raised concerns in council chambers across the land, as while the benefits to indoor air quality were welcomed, there were fears of additional waste from cigarette butts as smokers congregated outside pubs, stations, offices and other public places.
Rubbish building nominated for national architecture award (02/01/2008)
WWW.WHYWASTE.ORG.UK are delighted to announce that their Space Of Waste building - made from other people’s rubbish - has been nominated for the prestigious Architects’ Journal Small Projects Award with winners to be announced on the 4th March followed by an exhibition of the nominated entries is running at the Building Centre, London from 5th March for six weeks.
The innovative architecture project, which aims to raise awareness of diverting waste material from landfill, was commissioned by WWW.WHYWASTE.ORG.UK, the free online waste exchange for businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber and was designed and built by postgraduate architecture Students from the University of Sheffield with structural calculations by Arup.
The project ran for six weeks from delivery of the brief to the temporary building’s opening to the public in Sheffield’s Tudor Square. Finding and using reclaimed and recycled material from the waste exchange set an interesting challenge for the young architects as form most definitely followed available material with exciting results. Some of the walls are made from the waste ‘skeleton’ sheets of birch plywood left over from the manufacture of children’s furniture while another is made from bailed blocks of polythene bags. The roof comprises 900 scrap carpet tiles otherwise destined to be dumped. Even the building’s lighting is recycled, with chandeliers made from cylindrical Perspex offcuts from a shop-display manufacturer.
Sarah Hunt, one of the architecture students involved in the project said, “The construction industry is one of the UK’s most wasteful. By taking an unconventional approach to the design process, we were forced to rethink the way in which materials can be used. Architects and designers have the potential to divert a lot of waste from landfill and create building and objects that are both beautiful and original.”
The building is designed to be demountable and is going on tour this spring to cities throughout the region raising awareness for the valuable resource currently misnamed ‘waste’.
Dan McTiernan, from WWW.WHYWASTE.ORG.UK, said: “We’re extremely proud of this award nomination. Space Of Waste clearly demonstrates that something beautiful can be made from what most of us perceive as rubbish. We hope that this will make other people aware that materials otherwise destined for landfill can be used to construct buildings which are low in cost and environmental impact, and high in aesthetic appeal.”
Retail Recycling Project in North Yorkshire Offers Free Recycling Service (18/12/2007)
Retailers in Northallerton, Knaresborough and Skipton are being given the opportunity to
increase profits whilst minimising their environmental impacts. Sixty retailers in the three towns will receive free paper, cardboard, plastic and metal recycling collections for eight weeks starting in January 2008.
Leeds based consultancy Resource Futures, is visiting retailers in Northallerton, Knaresborough and Skipton to promote recycling and resource efficiency. In partnership with Leeds Paper Recycling, they are offering a recycling service to retailers in the area. The Retail Recycling Project is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, through the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme (BREW).
Resource efficiency involves making better use of energy and water, reducing, reusing or recycling waste to reduce bills and also looking for efficiencies in supply and delivery chains to reduce costs.
The town making the biggest commitment to resource efficiency will benefit from a tree planting event, which is a great opportunity to improve the local environment.
For further information about retail resource efficiency or to sign up for recycling collections, contact Emma Kerrigan at Resource Futures on 0113 243 8777 or email emma.kerrigan@resourcefutures.co.uk
