Agency extends RPS on burning waste wood on bonfires
The Environment Agency has extended its regulatory position statement (RPS) on burning waste wood on campfires and bonfires.
The RPS sets out the measures which must be taken in order to carry out an activity without a permit and not face action from the Environment Agency.
The RPS will now run until January 2026, after being due to expire this year.
When burning waste wood in the open during community events, only visibly clean wood that has not been painted or treated with chemical wood preservatives can be used, and only paper and card in “quantities necessary to start the fire can be used”.
The size and location of the fire must also be suitable for the event. The RPS added:” Do not obtain waste wood for burning from a waste management facility or burn waste wood at a waste management facility.”
Bradford seizes van involved in fly-tipping
Bradford council’s environmental enforcement team has seized a vehicle involved in multiple fly-tipping incidents.
If the vehicle is found not to be roadworthy or have any resale value, the council said it will be crushed.
The white Ford Transit van was seized in the Silsden area of the district with assistance from Keighley Neighbourhood Policing Team. The council received numerous reports of the vehicle fly-tipping waste on a back street off Beldon Road in Great Horton.
The vehicle was caught on CCTV by a local resident, and footage was provided to the council showing the occupants of the van fly-tipping mattresses on to the backstreet. The vehicle’s details were passed on to the Council’s Parking Services, CCTV Team, and the police to help locate the van.
Bradford Council Parking Wardens spotted the van parked illegally on Halifax Road in Keighley while on patrol. The Council’s Environmental Enforcement Officers and Keighley’s Neighbourhood Policing Team were notified to help seize the vehicle. The van was subsequently stopped by police in the car park of the Co-Op in Silsden, where it was seized by the Council’s Environmental Enforcement Team.
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “This is yet another example of our collaborative working across the district and with West Yorkshire Police in seizing this and other vehicles involved in this environmental crime, we are taking action against those who seek to blight our neighbourhoods with this type of illegal activity.” The investigations are ongoing, and the vehicle owner is due to be interviewed shortly.”
Veolia makes benches from LDPE bags
Veolia has partnered with Harrods, to “demonstrate the potential of recycling Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags” by recycling them into picnic benches for their team members.
Veolia said the initiative supports Harrods’ sustainability strategy “which aims to remove all virgin and single use plastic from their business”.
Simon Futcher, business development director at Veolia UK and Ireland said: “As part of our work with Harrods, we are looking for innovative ways to reuse materials which otherwise would have been wasted.
“Working with Harrods on this project shows the future potential of effective plastic recycling and how it can really make a difference in reducing carbon emissions, as well as providing them with the best platform to help support them with their sustainability goals.”
The waste management company explained that LDPE plastic bags are “relatively simple to recycle”.
The bags are first transformed into plastic pellets which can then be reprocessed into ‘plastic lumber’ suitable for making garden furniture. The Harrods bags have been recycled into 10 picnic benches which will provide additional seating for Harrods employees at their distribution centre in Thatcham.
Devon reopens HWRC after lorry fire
A “large fire” broke out at a council-owned household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) this weekend, but the site was reopened the next day.
Crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to called to the scene at the Exton Road HWRC at around 16:48 on Saturday, 29 April to reports of a fire involving mixed waste
Local residents were advised to keep windows shut and stay inside while crews dealt with the blaze.
A spokesperson for Devon county council, which runs the site, said the fire involved a standing articulated trailer containing residual/non-recyclable waste. Site staff noticed the fire when they were loading the trailer.
The spokesperson added that the site was evacuated and the fire service attended, and the fire “was extinguished relatively quickly. The site was open to the public as usual on Sunday morning.”
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