Celebrity chef to present BBC waste show
Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is to probe the nation’s food waste secrets in a new series airing on BBC One tonight (November 2).
Hugh’s War on Waste sees the chef confront the UK’s supermarkets and fast food industry to reduce the amount of waste they generate.
The first episode will show him questioning ordinary shoppers on their choices as they head around supermarkets, attempting to convince them not to buy products they will throw away later.
Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall will also travel to a parsnip farm in Norfolk to uncover why certain vegetables are rejected by retailers – and visit Prestwich in Manchester where he disguises himself as a collection crew operative.
The programme, which airs at 9pm tonight, is part of the chef’s efforts to alert UK householders on how they can cut their consumption.
A BBC statement reads: “We live in a country where one third of the food we produce never gets eaten and the average household bins £700 worth of food a year. Hugh believes that something needs to be done.”
Welsh agency gains new waste crime powers
New powers to tackle waste crime in Wales which came into force on Friday (October 30) have been welcomed by Wales’ national enforcement agency.
Under the new rules, Natural Resources Wales will be able to suspend a permit where an operator has breached a condition of their permit and there is a risk of pollution.
It will also be able to force operators to display a sign which informs the public no further waste can be brought on to the facility in cases where a permit has been suspended.
And, the powers will also make it easier for the agency to apply for a High Court injunction in order to enforce compliance with a suspension notice.
The powers were the outcome of a joint consultation by the Welsh Government and Defra, which sought views on six waste crime proposals in February 2015.
Emyr Roberts, chief executive of Natural Resources Wales, said: “Waste crime can be a danger to the environment and to people’s health. We are determined to make sure that waste crime does not pay, our officers across the country regulate waste sites and we will prosecute waste operators who don’t abide by the law.”
Launch of the controls have also been welcomed by minister for natural resources Carl Sargeant, who added that around “94%” of waste operators in Wales are “good, honest performers”.
He said: “We have made it a priority to sort out these unscrupulous operators to ensure that waste crime doesn’t pay. We are working on bringing more legislation next year which will further strengthen NRW’s powers to help tackle waste crime.”
High Heavens transfer station opens
A waste transfer station at High Heavens has opened under FCC Environment’s 30-year waste treatment contract with Buckinghamshire county council.
The High Heavens facility, built in Booker, High Wycombe, will open in line with the requirement for waste deliveries at the 300,000 tonnes-per-year Greatmoor energy from waste plant – which is undergoing commissioning.
Bulking waste at the transfer station will allow greater volumes to be moved using fewer vehicles, while all loading and unloading operations will take place inside the building.
Steve Brown, operations director for FCC Environment’s Green Energy+ division, said: “High Heavens WTS will manage Buckinghamshire’s household waste as well as waste from the household waste recycling centre (HWRC).
“Waste received at High Heavens WTS will be bulked for transportation to the Greatmoor EfW facility to produce energy, saving taxpayers more than £150 million over the life of the contract.”
Scottish council launches flats food waste recycling
A weekly food waste collection service has been rolled out to residents living in high rise flats across West Dunbartonshire near Glasgow.
Lockable brown kitchen caddies were presented to flat residents throughout September with free caddy liners also provided.
In addition, the council has installed outdoor communal brown food waste bins at the front entrance of all high rise or deck access flats, where residents are required to deposit their food waste liners each week.
The food waste, which was previously sent to landfill, will now go to anaerobic digestion facilities in Scotland.
Councillor Patrick McGlinchey, convener of infrastructure, regeneration and economic development, said: “The cost of processing food waste is significantly less than what the council is charged for each tonne of waste which is sent to landfill. By extending our food waste collection service to high rise properties, it will not only provide environmental benefits but will also help to reduce what the Council spends on waste disposal.”
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