News in Brief

Veolia gears up for Christmas tree recycling drive

The annual Treecycle campaign encourages residents of the East Midlands county to take their unwanted trees to any of the 14 Veolia-run Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), where they can be shredded and recycled into compost.

Veolia has been giving out paper baubles advertising the scheme with every tree sold via local retailers and garden centres, and have pledged to give 100 for every 50 tonnes of trees recycled to the Nottinghamshire Hospitals Charity.

Steve Mitchell, Veolias regional director said: Our Treecycle campaign has proved really popular over the past six years. Last year over 650 tonnes of trees were recycled rather than sent to landfill. This year we are aiming for our recycling rates to be the best yet.

Government consults on possible Agency merger

The feasibility of merging the Environment Agency, the government agency which regulates the waste industry, with conservation and nature body Natural England is being examined under a government review.

The review, which began last Wednesday (December 12) is undertaken every three years and will see the two bodies analysed in terms of what functions they carry out and how they undertake this.

Defra is also consulting on a wide range of reforms including keeping the structure of the two bodies the same or merging them into a single organisation.

Commenting on the review, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: The Environment Agency and Natural England are both vital in helping to achieve our vision of a healthy environment and a healthy economy. Improving our environment for future generations is one of the great challenges we face as a society and we are committed to the highest levels of environmental protection. This review gives us the chance to take a fresh look at what these bodies do and how they do it in working towards this aim.

Responses to the consultation must be submitted to Defra by February 4 2012. The conclusions of the review are expected to be published in spring 2013. Further details on the consultation are available on the Defra website here.

Waste reduction nets government 4.7million

The government saved an estimated 4.7 million million through reducing waste and boosting recycling by an average of 5% across every government department in 2011/12, according to a report published by Defra.

The report, Greening Government Commitments 2012, outlines the overall environmental impact of the government estate, and reports that five out of 21 departments have met or exceeded a target to reduce waste by 25% before 2015.

The report also shows paper consumption was down by 24%, exceeding the government’s target of 10%, contributing to an overall reduction of greenhouse gases of 12%.

Secretary of State for the Environment, Owen Paterson, said: Our 50 million saving is proof to all UK business that protecting the environment can also lead to increased profits. UK businesses can save 28 billion a year by using resources wisely.

This government is practising what it preaches, leading the way in cutting carbon emissions, making more efficient use of resources and saving taxpayers money.

Greening Government Commitments can be found here.

Defra consults on mercury waste storage criteria

A consultation on the transposition of amended European regulations which set out criteria for the storage of metallic mercury considered to be waste has been launched by Defra.

The consultation, launched last Friday (December 14), will run until January 25, with Defra seeking comments on the practical impacts or consequences of the proposed amendments.

Mercury is among the chemical elements contained in some types of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that is hazardous if it ends up in water sources or causes soil contamination.

The Department has included several proposals in the consultation, with the final changes set to come into effect by March 2013. These involve amending Environmental Permitting Regulations to include metallic mercury waste storage under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations and to allow the storage of liquid mercury waste for more than 12 months if other relevant requirements are complied with.

Hackney unveils plans to spend DCLG grant

Hackney council has revealed details of how it will spend the 1.3 million it is set to receive from the Department for Communities and Local Governments Weekly Waste Collection Fund.

The council was among the successful bidders announced last month, and will use the money to expand food waste recycling and distribute free compostable bin liners across the borough.

The money will also support a campaign to inform residents about changes to recycling set to come in from March 1 2013.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: I welcome the decision of the DCLG to award Hackney council 1.337 million in funding to improve recycling provision in the borough. In the current financial environment it is important that the council finds new funding sources.

Council officers have worked with DCLG representatives to design a programme of improvements to food waste recycling collections including the provision of free liners to 46,000 households and an expansion of the service to 30,000 properties on estates.

The funding is due to be delivered in three waves, with 128,000 coming in 2012/13, 878,000 in 2013/14 and 331,000 in 2014/15.