Nottinghamshire residents reminded to be ‘battery savvy’
Nottinghamshire county council and Veolia are urging residents to be “battery savvy” to tackle a “growing number” of fires caused by discarded batteries.
According to Lea Hawkes of Veolia Nottinghamshire, the average UK resident throws away around 24.5 kg of electronics annually.
Research by Material Focus, the not-for-profit behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, has found that around a quarter of adults are putting batteries in their household bins.
Nottinghamshire residents can recycle their batteries at household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) collection points, major supermarkets or via household collection where available. The council said they should never be mixed with other waste.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, chairman of the transport and environment committee at Nottinghamshire county council said: “We know that most people want to do the right thing with their waste, but unfortunately a great many of the batteries thrown away in Nottinghamshire are not being recycled properly.
“Fires caused by discarded batteries endanger lives, disrupt waste services, and cause millions of pounds of damage.”
Owners of Ipswich block of flats fined for not clearing waste
The owners of a block of flats in Ipswich have been fined £10,000 plus costs for not clearing waste accumulated around the property as ordered to by the council.
The council also obligated keeping the area clean in the future.
The company, 1 Cromwell Square Ltd of Havelock Place in Harrow, is the freeholder of the Saxon House in Cromwell Square, Ipswich.
On 1 April, the company was found guilty of breaching a community protection notice (CPN) issued by Ipswich borough council four times at Ipswich Magistrates Court.
The property managing agent of the premises, Blocsphere Property Management Ltd, pleaded not guilty and will go to trial on 17 May 2022.
Ian Blofield, director at Ipswich borough council, said: “Ownership of a property comes with responsibilities and one of these is making sure waste is cleared.
“Accumulations of rubbish are unsightly and can encourage pests. They might also pose a public health risk and nuisance to residents and neighbours.”
BMRA launches Zero Carbon Committee
The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) has launched a Zero Carbon Committee to seek economic alternatives for metal recyclers in line with the UK Government net zero goal of 2050.
This committee will sit within the BMRA’s Legislative Policy Group and will consist of member representatives from the industry, who are directly affected by government-implemented changes and will have their own strategic goal to move to net zero operations in the coming years.
Howard Bluck, technical director of the BMRA, said: “BMRA committees address the needs of the membership and the industry.
“They are the voice of metal recyclers that help us to identify priorities and, in-turn, enables us to maximise BMRA’s lobbying efforts.”
The Zero Carbon Committee will work with industry and third parties to identify initiatives and technology that can help metal recyclers to cost effectively move towards net zero.
Cawleys teams up with Santa Pod Raceway
Resource management company Cawleys has teamed up with drag racing venue Santa Pod Raceway to help increase its recycling rates and hit its environmental targets.
Santa Pod Raceway attracts thousands of visitors each year and Cawleys says “it is committed to ensuring that the waste generated at its events causes minimal damage to the environment.”
The new partnership will see staff segregate all cardboard and glass waste for recycling. Recycling and general waste will be collected and processed by Cawleys.
General waste is examined and sorted at Cawley’s materials recovery facility (MRF) to extract items suitable for recycling. Any residue is delivered to a refuse derived fuel plant.
Cawleys will also be onsite to raise awareness about waste reduction and recycling.
Neale Saunders at Santa Pod said: “Reducing our environmental impact is important to us. We are looking forward to working with Cawleys to help us achieve our environmental goals.”
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