News in Brief

Local authorities have greater powers to tackle fly-tipping from this week, as the first raft of measures in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act come into force.

Since Tuesday, fly-tipping has become an arrestable offence, with the most serious cases resulting in a possible 50,000 fine or five years imprisonment.

And those caught dumping waste will no longer be protected by the defence of “acting under the employers' instructions.”

The Environment Agency has welcomed the stiffer penalties for fly-tippers. The organisation has said that people who fly-tip should think again, or pay the penalty.

Ben Bradshaw, local environmental minister, said: “The new rules will give local authorities more power to tackle environmental crime, and make everyone think about the environment around them.”

Network Rail has been using rubber from waste tyres in surfacing products involved in the UK's national rail network.

More than 10 million used tyres have been reprocessed to provide a rubber material for use in surfaces for level crossings, platforms and track access points which are then used by Network Rail.

These products were put in place by Holdfast Level Crossings Ltd, which recently won a Network Rail Environmental Award. The most recent addition to Holdfast's work for Network Rail was at Bicester, where the company set up a level crossing.

Network Rail said using recycled tyres in its products has more than just environmental benefits – the tyres improve the grip on surfaces, preventing skidding.

Iain Coucher, deputy chief executive at Network Rail, said: “Network Rail and the rail industry are committed to caring for and enhancing the environment, and balancing this with the need to deliver a reliable and safe railway network.

“This recycling initiative underlines the efforts being made to ensure the railway is an environmentally positive mode of transport,” he added.

Hartlepool borough council is to run a new waste collection trial in a bid to improve recycling rates.

The pilot scheme, which will be rolled out to 7,000 households, will see residents given a brown wheeled bin for their garden waste and white bags for plastic bottles and cardboard.

And, residents in Teesside have been offered the chance to find out more about the scheme at the next meeting of Hartlepool borough council's south neighbourhood consultative forum.

Dave Stubbs, the council's head of environmental management, will give a talk and then answer questions about the scheme.

Mr Stubbs said: “We are committed to communicating with people as widely as possible ahead of the introduction of the new service on July 4. This meeting is just art of that process, we are also sending leaflets to every home in pilot area and we are also organising a series of drop-in question and answer sessions.”

Recycling and waste container manufacturer Straight has reported that its merger with Blackwall Ltd is going well four months into the partnership.

The companies have now integrated their contact centres at Blackwall's site in Leeds. The newly expanded operation can now handle more than 25,000 enquiries a week.

Straight's logistics team has been re-located alongside its warehouse, while all sales and marketing personnel now operate from the Leeds city centre headquarters.

Jonathan Straight, chief executive of the company, said: “The merger brought together two of the largest suppliers of specialist containers to the waste management and recycling sector in a move that has proved to be popular with customers, staff and shareholders alike.”

“Confidence by the city in what we have achieved since the merger is reflected in our share price, which now values the company at around 20 million,” he added.

A new education pack has been launched in Hertfordshire to help teachers incorporate waste issues in their lessons.

The Challenge Waste information pack, which has been launched by the Hertfordshire Waste Aware Partnership, offers teachers in the Hertfordshire area advice on how to bring more recycling into their lessons. It also contains key information about waste management issues, particularly in the Hertfordshire area.

Every child in primary and special school in Hertfordshire will be provided with packs presented in re-usable bags.

Hertfordshire has already piloted the scheme in two primary schools in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield.

Councillor Stuart Pile, executive member for transportation and environment, said: “Teachers all over the county will be able to benefit from this pack, which provides an opportunity for them to address issues that they may not have tackled in the past.”