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Latest News Stories |
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Emphasis on a 'blue-green' Party with the launch of the Conservative Environment Network
Shadow Environment Secretary Nick Herbert stressed the importance of the Conservative Party being a ‘blue-green’ party at the launch of a new green public policy forum advocating a conservative approach to the environment last night (10 March). The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) is an independent organisation, which will support the leadership on environmental issues and look objectively at policy. Formed in 2008 by a group of green policy advisers and specialists, CEN wants to keep action on climate change and environmental issues at the core of the Conservative Party.
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11 Mar 2010
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Shanks supply agreement for Closed Loop
Waste management firm Shanks will supply plastic bottles collected
from its London operations to bottle-to-bottle recycler Closed Loop
Recycling’s plant in Dagenham, east London.
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11 Mar 2010
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UPDATE: David Workman moves to CPI as BGMC restructures
David Workman, former director general of the British Glass Manufacturers Confederation, has been appointed director general of the Confederation of Paper Industries, while Dave Dalton steps into replace him at BGMC. Workman, who has been with BGMC since 2001, will succeed Dr Martin Oldman who is due to retire from CPI later this year. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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Viridor plans Sutton AD plant with half initial capacity
Viridor has submitted a fresh planning application to build an anaerobic digestion facility in the London Borough of Sutton, after a reassessment found less waste will be produced in the surrounding area than originally thought. Initially, Viridor received permission to build an AD facility capable of processing 75,000 tonnes of waste each year along with other waste management infrastructure in 2008. However, after a fresh assessment of how much waste is likely to be generated by the four boroughs it will serve – Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton – it was concluded that a smaller facility would be more appropriate. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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Advantage West Midlands launches Landfill Diversion Strategy
A new approach to landfill diversion has been officially launched at the House of Commons. The Landfill Diversion Strategy, formulated by Advantage West Midlands as part of its low carbon regional economic strategy, contains a location analysis tool designed to identify sites with potential to host waste technologies as an alternative to landfill. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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Material sectors criticise Government's unachievable packaging recycling targets
Key figures across the recycled plastics, aluminium and wood industries have expressed their concerns over the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs proposed packaging recycling targets for 2020. Some sectors believe the Government’s targets are over-ambitious and need to be revised. They say more infrastructure and work on increasing the recovery rates of materials needs to be put in place before such targets can be reached. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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Inquest into bin truck death begins
An inquest has begun into the death of a teacher who was found among rubbish at a Brighton waste transfer site in July last year. It is thought Scott Williams, a maths teacher from New Zealand, climbed inside a wheelie bin to shelter from the rain. The bin was then picked up by a dust cart and dumped at a Sussex landfill site owned by Sussex Waste Recycling later that morning.
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10 Mar 2010
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Government and third sector to work together to tackle sustainable development
New proposals detailing ways in which the Government and the third sector can work better together to tackle sustainable development and climate change have been outlined as part of a new report. The report, Shaping our Future, is the work of the joint ministerial and third sector task force, involving ministers from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Office of the Third Sector, the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Communities and Local Government and 16 third sector organisations. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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New recycling campaign launched in Derbyshire
A new campaign has been launched by Derbyshire County Council in attempt to encourage its residents to recycle more. The campaign, We’re Not Wasters, places emphasis on reduce, reuse and recycle and asks residents to submit their top reuse tips to the council to be in with a chance of receiving a £10 high street gift voucher. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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LWaRB allocates £28 million to London's waste infrastructure
The London Waste and Recycling Board has allocated £28 million to help develop waste infrastructure in the Capital. The money is to be allocated within a group of 20 preferred projects. These projects will be identified by the board over the next 12 months according to which ones suit the Mayor of London’s preferred approach to waste management. more... |
10 Mar 2010
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City Waste fire extinguished
A “severe” fire which broke out at City Waste’s recycling centre in Campsie, Northern Ireland last week has now been extinguished. Fire crews put out the fire on Saturday 6 March, after the fire blazed for five days. On 2 March, fire crews were called to a fire which had broken out in one of the buildings at the recycling centre, which housed dry recyclables. more... |
09 Mar 2010
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Shanks calls off talks with Carlyle
Shanks today (9 March) announced that potential buyout discussions with the Carlyle Group have ended. Talks were called off after the Carlyle Group offered a final price indication of 120 pence cash per share - a drop from the initial offer of 135 pence per share.
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09 Mar 2010
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Drax calls on Government to change co-firing regulations
The Government needs to change biomass co-firing regulations which restrict competition and create an uneven playing field for independent electricity generators, power plant owner and operator Drax believes. Britain’s biggest and most efficient coal fired power plant, is concerned that its plans to further increase its co-fired coal and biomass capability are being damaged by regulations restricting the number of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) from co-firing with regular biomass that electricity suppliers can present.
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09 Mar 2010
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Packaging waste targets
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has set ambitious targets to recycle more than 70% of packaging waste by 2020 and to make the packaging recovery note system more transparent. more... |
08 Mar 2010
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Biffa to sell off landfill gas business
Privately-owned waste management firm Biffa, is seeking a buyer to purchase its business which generates electricity from landfill gas for £350 million, according to media reports. The Financial Times said that those familiar with Biffa believe the money from the sale will be used to finance the construction of new cutting-edge waste facilities in the UK.
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08 Mar 2010
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Straight acquires Helesi for £1.65 million
Waste and recycling container supplier Straight has acquired the business and some assets relating to the UK manufacturing operations of Helesi for £1.65 million in cash. Straight has acquired assets, including moulds and presses, relating to the manufacture of Helesi’s most popular wheeled refuse and recycling containers in the UK. It will be the first time the firm has sold its own brand of wheeled bins.
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08 Mar 2010
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Campaign to get MPs to support UK Manufacturing
MPs are the target of a new campaign to support the UK manufacturing industry launched by the Confederation of Paper Industries. The campaign involves mailing all MPs in the run up to the general election with a flyer made of corrugated board which asks them to encourage the growth of the UK manufacturing industry. more... |
08 Mar 2010
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Improve productivity and save money on waste and recycling services
Improving productivity and efficiency on bin rounds could lead to cost savings for local authorities according to a new guidance document. Introducing a no side waste policy and reducing the number of vehicle passes per household are just two of the measures suggested in More for Less, guidance for local authorities on saving money in waste and recycling services, published by the Waste Improvement Network. more... |
08 Mar 2010
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Bristol submits waste incentive proposal
Today (8 March) Bristol City Council submitted its proposal to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to trial a waste incentive scheme. Under the scheme householders would receive 50 pence for each kilogramme of waste reduced from its average waste levels but householders would only be able to receive a maximum of £17.50 a year.
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08 Mar 2010
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New guidelines to assess the potential for biomass and other renewables in the English regions
Biomass development in the English regions could be set to increase following the release of new guidelines from the Department of Energy and Climate Change designed to aid regional authorities in assessing their potential for renewable energy. The guidelines should help the English regions, of which there are nine, set themselves ambitious renewable targets in their new regional strategies. more... |
08 Mar 2010
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New report slams BREW
The Committee of Public Accounts chairman Edward Leigh MP has slammed the Government’s Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme for having “little perceptible impact” in helping to tackle business waste. His scathing comments follow the publication of a report by the National Audit Office entitled Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Reducing the impact of business waste through the business resource efficiency and waste programme (5 March). It states that the amount of business waste sent to landfill has fallen, but it is not possible to say how much of this reduction is down to the £240 million funded BREW programme. more... |
05 Mar 2010
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Government miscalculates battery figures
The Government has underestimated how many tonnes of portable batteries the UK places on the market annually, new figures show.Last year, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published an impact assessment review on batteries. It estimated that the UK sells 30,000 tonnes of portable batteries each year of which approximately 3% are sent for recycling. more... |
05 Mar 2010
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Bristol to lead the way with waste incentive scheme
Bristol City Council has become the first authority in the country to apply for the Government’s financial waste incentive scheme. Following a series of discussions and meetings with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Waste & Resources Action Programme, the city council is taking a formal proposal to Defra on 8 March to seek funding and support for a pilot incentive scheme that would give residents the chance to receive cash incentives of up to £40 depending on how much they manage to reduce their waste. more... |
05 Mar 2010
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TfL Metro contract ambiguous about recycling measures
The lucrative contract retained by the Metro on Transport for London’s network includes new measures to further encourage newspaper recycling, TfL has claimed. The contract, which begins on 6 April, allows distribution of the free morning newspaper on weekday mornings at around 250 underground stations and 14 London bus stations for the next seven and a half years. more... |
05 Mar 2010
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Courtauld Commitment 2 targets unveiled
The Waste & Resources Action Programme has officially launched Courtauld Commitment 2 (4 March) which aims to achieve a more sustainable use of resources over the entire lifecycle of products, throughout the whole supply chain. WRAP has confirmed that it has set a “WRAP-owned” 10% carbon reduction target for signatories to meet. Signatories will have to reduce their packaging by weight, increase recycling rates and increase the recycled content of all grocery packaging, as appropriate. more... |
04 Mar 2010
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WEEE Advisory Body calls for views on IPR
The WEEE Advisory Body is urging all interested WEEE stakeholders to participate in a consultation for a planned report on Individual Producer Responsibility.IPR gives producers the responsibility for their own items and may help to provide an economic incentive to adapt the design of their products to the prerequisites of sound waste management.The aim of the consultation is to provide the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with an overview of opinion within the industry about this issue. The report will set out how IPR might be “practically and realistically” implemented in the UK. more... |
04 Mar 2010
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Tesco announces new packaging initiative to save carbon
Retail giant Tesco has revealed new initiatives to help cut the carbon impact of products in its stores in conjunction with the launch of Courtauld Commitment 2 (see MRW story).The supermarket will use plastic bottles for its own-brand spirits instead of using glass. By moving its own-brand brandy into plastic bottles it has made an 86% reduction in packaging. Tesco has also launched, what it claims to be, the lightest ever wine bottle following the completion of a collaborative project with WRAP and suppliers. The new bottles are 300g, 30% lighter than the supermarket’s previous lightest own-label bottles and save 560 tonnes of glass annually. more... |
04 Mar 2010
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SLWP announces four bidders through to next stage of process
Four bidders have successfully made it through to the next stage of the South London Waste Partnership’s procurement process. Resources from Waste, Viridor, Veoila and Waste Recycling Group have all made it through to the Invitation to Submit Detailed Solutions stage of the process. more... |
04 Mar 2010
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Cuts in council spending won't necessarily mean cuts in recycling
Projected budget cuts in council spending, highlighted in a recent BBC survey, will not necessarily affect waste and recycling services. The BBC survey on the future of council spending, published on Monday, highlighted the estimated percentage cuts in services local authorities expect to face over the next three to five years. more... |
03 Mar 2010
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Corus fined £5,000 after worker "severely" injures leg
Corus UK has been fined £5,000 after a worker “severely” injured his leg, while trying to clear a jam in a machine. Team leader David Harrison was working on the mill floor rolling steel into long beams at the Corus Special Profiles factory in Skinningrove, East Cleveland when the accident happened in May 2008. more... |
02 Mar 2010
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Greenstar WES announces record r-HDPE plastic flake production
Greenstar WES has announced record production levels of food grade recycled HDPE plastic in December 2009. Nearly 700 tonnes of food grade recycled HDPE plastic flake was produced at the end of last year, boosting its overall 2009 production total to 5,900 tonnes.
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02 Mar 2010
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AWS receives planning permission to rebuild plant
AWS Eco Plastics has been granted conditional planning permission to rebuild the sort line, which was destroyed after a fire at its Hemswell plant. Unanimously agreed to by the council and recommended by the planning committee, recycled food grade PET producer AWS is set to begin building immediately with the goal to be fully operational by September 2010. more... |
02 Mar 2010
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Veolia drops injunction to bring fresh proceedings against Thurrock Council
Veolia Environmental Services has withdrawn its application for a High Court injunction against Thurrock Council and is instead launching fresh legal proceedings. A Veolia Environmental Services spokesperson said: “We are issuing fresh legal proceedings against Thurrock Council in the Chancery Division of the High Court. These new proceedings relate to what we believe to be the council’s unlawful termination of the procurement process. We are also maintaining and pursuing our damages claim against the council, issued on February 8.”
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02 Mar 2010
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Scotland launches £5 million plastic recycling fund
Zero Waste Scotland is launching a £5 million capital grant scheme to develop plastics recycling infrastructure in the country. The scheme was launched on 26 February on behalf of the Scottish Government as part of its Zero Waste Scotland programme. The money will be awarded to facilities capable of sorting, recycling and reprocessing a range of plastic waste, with a focus on plastic packaging and bottles from household waste. more... |
02 Mar 2010
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WRG expands into wind energy sector
Waste Recycling Group, together with its Spanish parent company FCC, is planning to build wind turbines on its landfill sites. Investing £100 million into the project, WRG and FCC expect the wind turbines will produce 80MW of electricity once they are built.
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01 Mar 2010
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Companies "completely under-prepared" for new environmental fines
Thousands of small to medium-sized businesses in the waste industry are completely under prepared for a new regime of strict environmental civil penalties that come into force on 6 April, warned a legal expert.The Environment Agency will become one of the first regulators to be given greater flexibility to enforce environmental law, such as the Hazardous Waste, Packaging and Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations under the Environmental Civil Sanctions Order 2010. Any firm found breaking the above laws could be subject to a new regime of civil as opposed to criminal fines and penalties (see MRW story). more... |
01 Mar 2010
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Call for Schedule 2 premises not to dump their rubbish on council taxpayers
The Government must close the “legal loophole” to protect council tax payers from picking up the bill from Schedule 2 premises such as schools and hospitals, according to the London Councils.Its call follows on from a joint statement by four Government departments urging public bodies like hospitals and schools not to seek changes to the way their rubbish is collected to take advantage of the service provided by councils for local residents (see MRW story). more... |
01 Mar 2010
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Plans to increase recycling rate for M&S clothes
Retailer Marks and Spencer has announced that it intends help boost the number of clothes its customers recycle as part of its drive to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015. Currently M&S customers recycle around two million garments every year through the retailer’s partnership with Oxfam, although it wants to increase this number to 20 million to help reduce the tonnage of clothing being sent to landfill. more... |
01 Mar 2010
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Ignorance and inconvenience blamed for low furniture and electrical recycling rates
A lack of awareness and inconvenience are being blamed as the main reason why people fail to recycle furniture and large electrical goods, according to a new survey. The research commissioned by the British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Stores found that 17% of people surveyed did not recycle such items because it was too much hassle and a further 16% of people said it was because they didn’t have any facilities nearby. more... |
01 Mar 2010
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IPC starts to take applications for energy projects
The Infrastructure Planning Commission has started to consider applications for energy projects including energy-from-waste plants that produce more than 50MW. The IPC was formed in October 2009 as part of a move to strip local authorities of the ability to block or delay projects considered to be of high national priority. It aims to separate national decisions from individual planning concerns. Planning Minister John Healey said: “If we are to be competitive in the global economy and have a good quality of life, it is clear we need a better system for planning and building the infrastructure the country needs." more... |
01 Mar 2010
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