Packaging prosecution in Poole
In a case brought by the Environment Agency, CMUK (Visual Safety) Limited of Poole was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £2,609 costs, as well as £768 in compensation, by Bournemouth magistrates last Thursday (August 28). The company pleaded guilty to three offences under the Producer Responsibility Obligation (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005 and had failed to register with the Environment Agency or sign up to a recognised recycling compliance scheme despite having the required annual turnover and handling over 50 tonnes of packaging waste.
Tessa Bowering of the Environment Agency said: “It is important companies are aware of their waste packaging responsibilities and do all they can to reduce the amount of packaging they use and take all necessary steps to ensure packaging is recycled.”
Merton awards recycling centre contract
Merton borough council has announced a 14 year contract with Environmental Waste Controls (EWC) to manage two of its recycling centres.
Councillor David Simpson, Merton cabinet member for the environment, said: “We are looking forward to working with EWC and to providing our residents with a much more customer focused service and increasing our recycling rate.”
Norfolk launches “waste evasion” challenge
Norfolk councils are inviting residents to try to avoid waste for a week as part of a challenge to make people think about what they throw away.
Organised by the Norfolk Waste Partnership, the ‘Waste Free Week' challenge will run during the autumn school's half term, from October 27 to November 2, and aims to get residents to find new ways to avoid producing waste through recycling and composting with the goal of shrinking the amount of waste going in their bins each week. A guidance pack advising residents how to take part and reduce waste will also be made available, allowing residents to prepare for the week.
Barry Coleman, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and chairman of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, said: “We hope that taking the challenge will really open people's eyes to the sorts of things they buy and throw away every day. It should also help us discover new ways to save money by simply being less wasteful.”
Final bins rolled out for new Wakefield service
Sixty thousand households in Wakefield are to receive new recycling boxes, bins and information in a final rollout before the council changes its recycling service.
Councillor Clive Hudson, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We have had an excellent take up of the new service in other areas achieving a 50% recycling rate – and we hope to the same, if not better, in this final part of the scheme.”
Peterbrough holds EFW roadshows
Residents of Peterborough have been invited to attend roadshows explaining the city council's plans to develop new waste management and energy-from-waste facilities.
The shows, which will take place across the authority from September 6, will explain the council's intention to achieve a 65% or higher recycling rate by 2020 and comes shortly after Peterborough announced a £60 million overhaul of its waste management facilities. (see letsrecycle.com story) Prior to the roadshows residents will be issued with a consultation brochure explaining proposals to build new facilities in the Fengate area, including a £38 million energy-from-waste facility to handle the authority's residual waste.
Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, cabinet member for the environment, said: “Peterborough residents have helped make the city one of the UK's top recyclers by using our recycling centre, bring banks and three-bin household collection service to full advantage. However, we still need to achieve more to prevent the environmental damage caused by landfill.”
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