Torbay Green Points incentive scheme launched
Torbay council in Devon is the latest to launch its ‘Green Points’ recycling incentive scheme aimed at encouraging residents to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Launched yesterday (July 20) the scheme will see every household in Torbay receive a welcome pack, containing information about the scheme and how to recycle.
The incentive scheme has been launched after Torbay council successfully applied for funding under an £11 million recycling reward scheme from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
The project, which is wholly funded by the DCLG scheme, will enable Torbay’s 65,000 households to collect reward points in exchange for recycling their household waste from summer 2015.
Once residents have activated an account they will be sent a Green Points card and key fob that they can use to get discounts in over 60 local businesses across the borough.
Councillor Mark King, Torbay’s executive lead for planning, transport and housing, says: “With a recycling rate of 45% our residents are already good recyclers, however as a council we want to improve and I am delighted that we are launching Torbay Green Points today as we want to motivate and encourage residents to recycle as much as they can. This scheme will also support some great charitable causes and our fantastic local businesses.”
Green Points schemes are already taking place across local authorities including the London boroughs of Bexley and Havering, Bracknell Forest, Coventry and Westminster.
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REPIC surveys public’s WEEE recycling knowledge
A survey by the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) producer compliance scheme REPIC, has revealed that one in five people regularly throw old and used electrical items such as radios, kettles, mobile phones, irons and hairdryers into general waste.
And, REPIC claims that 43% of the respondents to the survey ‘didn’t recycle old electricals because they didn’t know how to’ and 57% wanted to find out more, rising to 60% for young people.
When it came to recycling familiar household items the survey found that over 80% of people always recycle paper, cardboard, tins and bottles and 63% recycle kitchen and garden waste. Figures however dropped for recycling electricals with just 46% of respondents saying they always recycled them.
Dr Philip Morton, chief executive of REPIC said: “Overall the survey findings are very encouraging. There are plenty of good intentions and the majority of people are keen to find out which electrical products can be recycled and how they should be disposed of. It’s also great to see that young people in particular are curious to find out more. It is clear that consumer awareness is the key to improved collection volumes. Most people want to “do the right thing” all they need is the right information.”
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Keenan Recycling expands to Glasgow and Edinburgh
Scottish organic waste processing firm Keenan Recycling has opened a central belt office to service clients in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The company, which has its headquarters at New Deer in Aberdeenshire, has also invested £700,000 in a new fleet of six lorries to meet the demands of the new service.
The specialist firm has already secured food waste collections from around 600 businesses, with that number expected to reach 1,000 within two months of the service being rolled out.
The move will help companies meet targets set out in the Waste (Scotland) Regulations, which require any businesses producing more than just 5kg of food waste per week to recycle it by January 2016.
Keenan Recycling has appointed Malcolm Coppins as food waste collections manager with a team of four dedicated staff.
Account manager at Keenan Recycling, Claire Keenan, said: “We are delighted to be working with our partners in the central belt to expand our services to a wider area. The new office is geographically well situated and allows us to strengthen our service in the central belt.
“Our staff already make collections over a vast area – from Stonehaven in the south to Tain in the north – and we are looking forward to growing the business in Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
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Defra releases retailer bag charge artwork
Retailers have been provided with a range of promotional artwork to use to publicise the forthcoming 5p charge for single use bags which comes into effect from October 5.
The promotional material, published by Defra, explains the types of bags covered by the charge and is designed to help retailers educate consumers ahead of the launch of the levy.
Retailers have already been given guidance on their requirements under the new regulations and have been warned that they could face fines of up to £20,000 if they don’t charge at least 5p for bags that fall under the scope of the legislation.
Defra’s attempts to bring a levy into effect for single-use bags in England, following in the footsteps of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland has been oft-criticised since it was first announced by the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in September 2013.
Criticism has centred on the Department’s pledge to offer an exemption to the scheme from any plastic bag which is both biodegradable and recyclable. However, the exemption has been postponed as Defra has yet to identify a suitable material which meets the specifications.
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Accent Wire in Penistone acquisition
US baling wire and equipment supplier Accent Wire has announced the acquisition of South Yorkshire-based mild steel wire manufacturer Penistone Wire.
The acquisition was formally completed on June 30 and comes alongside the appointment of Mike Fenney to the group.
According to Accent Wire, the company will aim to consolidate its growing position in the UK market with its offering of wires, service, machinery and spare parts.
Bill Sims, president and chief executive of Accent Worldwide, said: “Our company is very pleased to add Penistone to the Accent ‘family’ portfolio.
“The move enhances our ability to maximise on both existing and future sales opportunities. One way we will do this is through globally sourcing the highest quality products at the best possible prices, which is already one of the key strengths of our group.”
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