The Council said that there have been other . . . → Read More: NE Somerset and Bath are recycling over 50% of their household rubbish]]> Over half of the household rubbish in North East Somerset and Bath is now being recycled. The publication of new figures has shown that the amount recycled has increased from 46% to 52%, partly due to a new doorstep collection for food waste which was started in October 2010.

The Council said that there have been other major contributing factors, including a new waste treatment plant. The public’s new commitment to environmental issues has also been increased by the extension of other collections at curbside, including collections of tetra packs.

Approximately 14,000 tonnes of waste have been cut from the amount that was sent to landfill in the past year. Almost 4,300 tonnes of food waste was sent last year to be used as agricultural compost. In the past this would have been dumped into landfill and so the council has saved £118,000 in landfill tax.

However 30,000 households, about 42% of the houses in the area, are not using the scheme to recycling their food waste. David Dixon, Oldfield’s Lib Dem representative, is a cabinet member for the neighbourhoods and claims that it is important that people take more responsibility. He is reported to have said that the council has invested heavily in the food waste collection; however they do urge more residents to use the system, whilst the council continues to work for a higher level of compliance.

Recycling in this way reduces the amount going to landfill, which means there are less harmful gases released into the air and it also saves on the amount of tax. This in turn releases more money to be spent on other council issues.

Conservatives on the council, who had been in charge when the scheme was started, praised the effort of the local residents and their commitment to the waste scheme.

They are suggesting that the present . . . → Read More: Urge for government to change recycling targets to protect UK plastic recyclers]]> UK plastics recyclers are hoping that the government will alter recycling targets to prevent a move to foreign markets. British Plastics Federation’s Recycling Group, which includes CK polymers, Eco Plastics and Jayplas – claim that the system makes it less attractive to recycle in the UK than to export the material.

They are suggesting that the present material-specific target for plastics be altered so that a percentage of it must stay in the UK for processing, whilst another amount is met by export. They are also suggesting that, in time, the amount exported will be decreased.

In 1997 Packaging Regulations were introduced. They said that producers had to pay towards recycling costs by buying Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRN’s) from UK processors. The money was to be used to expand the amount of material recycled. But shipping documents began to be accepted as evidence of recycling overseas; these are known as Packaging Waste Export Recovery Notes, or PERNs.

SEPA and the Agency claim that the system provides a huge boost in favour of export as contamination within waste which is exported earns PERN income, however PRNS are only given for material actually recycled in UK reprocessors, also disposal costs of contaminants is much higher in the UK.

British Plastics Federation also say that using the PERN system is more profitable to waste management companies, as they receive the income, however if it is passed to a reprocessor, the PRN income is given to the reprocessing plant. The market is distorted as the reprocessors have to pay more to prevent export.

BPF propose a slight change to the Packaging Regulations which would follow the example of the glass sector. From next year more emphasis will be put on the remelting of materials.

The Council have targeted a recycling rate of 50 percent within the . . . → Read More: Hackney Council consider swapping recycling bins for sacks]]> Negotiations are currently taking place at Hackney Council about whether they are going to be replacing the green recycling bins everyone is familiar with with new orange sacks. The council is hoping that by introducing these orange sacks, people are going to start recycling more.

The Council have targeted a recycling rate of 50 percent within the next eight years, with currently around 25 percent of waste in the area being successfully recycled. By introducing this new system of orange sacks many people feel that the council is moving in a bad direction.

The current system of using a green box allows different materials to be sorted in the home before they are sent off to the recycling facilities. This is known as curbside recycling and is a very different process from that which would occur with the orange sacks. The orange sacks would co-mingle all of the recycling together and they would later be separated at a factory through a mechanical sorting process.

While this might seem that it would make people’s lives easier for recycling, it would actually lead to a reduction in the amount being recycled as there is a higher amount of contamination with the commingling sort of recycling.

The mixed recycling would mean that the recycling facilities which buy this sort of material would be less likely to do so. It would most probably lead to much of this material being shipped abroad for sorting elsewhere, which can itself, have an environmental impact.

Furthermore, less recycling would take place because less materials would be acceptable to be put in the orange sacks. Unlike the current recycling bin, it cannot accept batteries and old clothes. This means that these items which were previously being recycled are more likely to end up in landfill.

The . . . → Read More: Tesco to test innovative food packaging aimed at reducing waste]]> The largest supermarket in the UK, Tesco, is about to start testing a new packaging which it is hoped will reduce the amount of food waste that the supermarket produce. The packaging is going to be able to help the shelf life of avocados and tomatoes increase; two of the types of vegetable most often wasted.

The supermarket currently estimate that a significant amount of food will be saved by the utilisation of this new packaging. They estimate that around one and a half million packets of tomatoes will be saved, and around 350,000 packs of avocado. The supermarket has stated that if the initial trial is successful, then they are going to be introducing it to 80 percent of their other products offered in store.

The new packaging has a special strip that is capable of absorbing the specific hormone which makes fruit ripen. The strip contains a chemical which is capable of absorbing this and the product is created by Fresh Ltd. This company have stated that the product they offer is 100 times more effective over any other similar products currently on the market.

It has already been suggested that the packaging is going to be very useful, not just for tomatoes and avocados, but many other types of fruit and vegetable as well. Tesco have said that there is going to be no additional cost to consumers as the new type of packaging gets introduced in the country.

A scientist working for Tesco, Steve Deeble has commented, “Tesco are constantly working to combat the amount of food that people waste. By keeping products fresh for longer using this new technology, we are going to be able to ensure that people have a longer time to consume the fruit and vegetables, before they have to throw them away.”

This . . . → Read More: Councils given extra funding to address food wastage problems]]> Additional funding is going to be given to councils in the UK in order to help tackle the problem of the 7 million tonnes of food that is thrown away every year. Last year around £250 million was provided to councils in order to reinstate bin collections on a weekly basis for the next five years.

This move was something that was met with hostility from green groups as they said that it would reduce the amount people are recycling as they can easily send more to landfill. Since bins have been being collected less regularly, the amounts people are recycling has gone up and many people fear that once weekly bin collection is reinstated, these beneficial recycling figures will be reduced.

The new solution that has been revealed by the government is that another bin is going to be introduced that can collect household waste that can be used for composting or other sorts of re-use. The government are currently entertaining bids in order to find the most affordable way of launching the scheme. This new method is something that has been welcomed by the Green community as they believe it will increase the amount of recycling in the future.

There are . . . → Read More: BAE Systems announce the development of new battery device]]> The British defence company, BAE Systems has recently announced they have developed a new battery technology which is capable of storing an electrical charge within the gadget itself. The company have called this a structural battery and it is capable of working with any device that requires electricity, from a car, to a mobile phone.

There are many applications expected for this type of technology as it can reduce both the weight and size of the device. One of these uses, which is particularly appropriate to BAE Systems, is the ability for it to lighten the load of a soldier’s backpack.

The idea behind the technology is that the charge is stored in a specific composite material which can be moulded into 3-D shapes. This material is capable of holding the battery charge required for the device, and this can be moulded to be the shape of the device. So far the technology has been demonstrated by the company in an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The Ministry of Defence has already said that it is interested in British troops utilising this technology and has acknowledged that it will also be useful in non-battlefield applications. It allows electronics to have a much more efficient design

The council are currently distributing . . . → Read More: Households in Aylesbury to get new garden waste collection service]]> Aylesbury District Council are about to start offering a new service which is going to allow people to have their garden waste specifically collected separately. The current service, where waste is put into green bags, is going to be ceased this September, and the new service is going to come into effect.

The council are currently distributing leaflets with information about the service so that households will be aware of it by the time the first phase of the new system takes place. The council are also running promotional events at markets and garden centres in order to inform people about the changeover.

There is going to be a charge for the service which is going to cost just over £35 a year and is going to include a collection that takes place every two weeks between February and November. The idea is that the service is going to be most useful to those who do not have their own transport and are unable to get to recycling centres.

Those who choose to take advantage of the service will be given a large wheelie bin which will be able to take small branches, twigs, cuttings, weeds, as well as hedge trimmings. All of this waste will be collected and taken to a large composting facility.

There are certain items which cannot be put in the bin and this includes soil, stones, concrete, food scraps, household wastes and other obvious things, such as plastic. The scheme is something that is optional for residents and if they don’t want the service, they don’t have to pay for it.

The council have encouraged people to sign up however saying that it is part of an important move towards a better recycling system in the county which will allow them to be more environmentally friendly in the future.