News in Brief

AD ambition disappointingly low

Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) are payments to energy users for the renewable electricity they generate. They were introduced by the government in 2010 to help increase the level of renewable energy in the UK.

In a consultation launchedon February 9 2012, DECC proposed to freeze the tariffs for AD plants with installed capacity up to 500kW. However, as of October 2012, tariffs for AD above 500kW will receive 9.0p/kWh, compared to the 9.9p/kWh they would have received. The tariff for plants up to 250kW will be 14.7p/kWh, and for 250-500kW it will be 13.7p/kWh. These rates will then be static until 2014, when they start to degress at set rates each year. The degression process could be brought forward if the industry grows faster than the Government expects.

ADBA chairman and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Redesdale said: It is extremely difficult to get any debt financing or equity financing for AD at the moment. This is of particular concern regarding the statement that if certain trigger points are met, there would be a retroactive reduction in the feed-in tariff for anything coming on-stream at that point. If we were nearing those targets, that would have a major implication for financiers financing schemes because they would not know which band tariff they would be under.

ADBA chief executive Charlotte Morton added: It is a relief that the FiT consultation has finally been published, but the ambition for AD is disappointingly low given the potential of the industry.”

Nottingham businesses helped to cut waste to landfill

Businesses in Nottingham city centre are being given the opportunity to increase their environmental credentials and cut waste costs at the same time.

We Are Nottingham Leisure, the Business Improvement District (BID) in the city centre, has teamed up with procurement consultancy Meercat Associates to launch a new waste collection service. A business improvement district (BID) is a defined area within which businesses pay an additional tax or fee in order to fund improvements within the district’s boundaries. The new initiative offers licensees a reduced rate for general waste collection via Nottingham city council, whilst also introducing a new mixed recycling collection by waste management provider Bakers Waste Services. Meercat Associates has already introduced similar schemes for BIDs in other parts of the country.

We Are Nottinghams chief executive Sylvia Oates said: Weve found that many existing business waste collection services in the city centre offer nothing at all in terms of recycling. This means that waste that could potentially be recycled is simply being binned alongside general waste and is then sent to landfill. With so much emphasis on environmental impact and greener businesses, this is quite shocking. Couple this with relatively high costs, and its clear that our businesses really havent been getting a great deal.

Covanta signs contract with Windsor & Maidenhead

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has awarded a long-term residual and organic waste treatment contract to its preferred bidder, Covanta Energy, as anticipated by letsrecycle.com (see letsrecycle.com story).

The contract with Covanta will turn approximately 30,000 tonnes of non-recyclable municipal waste, which is currently landfilled each year, into a fuel to generate largely renewable electricity. All of the organic waste collected in the Royal Borough will also be treated by Covantas organic waste partner, Agrivert Ltd. The 15,000 tonnes of food and garden waste produced each year will be treated at Agriverts anaerobic digester and composting facilities in Oxfordshire to generate valuable energy and fertiliser.

The non-recyclable waste generated in the Royal Borough will be treated at Covantas Rookery South Resource Recovery Facility, near Stewartby in Bedfordshire. A contract commencement date is set for December 2012.

Cllr Phill Bicknell, the Royal Boroughs cabinet member for highways, transport and environment, said: Our negotiations with Covanta have secured a really good deal for our residents, with immediate savings from April this year through using the Agrivert organic waste facilities. Then, in four years time, we can look forward to zero landfill tax when waste that cant be recycled is used to generate energy. This is an all-round winner.

Sainsburys changes labelling to cut food waste

On food products all over the UK, the same advice is displayed on pack freeze on day of purchase. Yet under a new initiative, by Sainsburys in partnership with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), this is about to change.

New labelling currently being rolled out across Sainsbury’s stores around the country will advise customers to freeze food as soon as possible up to the product’s use by date. WRAP research shows that 60% of us believe that food has to be frozen on the day of purchase, which is reinforced by current labelling. Changing this advice will help stop over-cautious shoppers from throwing away up to 800,000 tonnes of perfectly good food each year.

Beth Hart, Sainsbury’s head of product technology for fresh and frozen said: “The ‘freeze on day of purchase’ advice needs to be changed as there is no food safety reason why it cannot be frozen at any point prior to the use by date. As a large UK retailer, we have a responsibility to minimise food waste where possible and this new labelling will certainly help us do that. As one customer pointed out to me while discussing the previous labelling, ‘how does the product know which day I purchased it on?'”

Welsh minister opens recycled wood shop

Welsh environment minister, John Griffiths, has helped open a shop in Newport selling goods made from recycled wood.

The Woodstore, is run by Reseiclo, a social enterprise that collects unwanted wood from local businesses in south east Wales. This wood is then sold as timber or turned into handmade pieces for the home or garden, saving it from going to landfill sites. Items for sale in the shop range from coasters and picture frames to bespoke garden furniture. Reseiclo is staffed mainly by volunteers. Adults with learning disabilities work at the site to gain social and practical skills by helping to make products to be sold in the shop.

The minister, who jointly opened the shop on Upper Dock Street, with the mayor of Newport, councillor Margaret Cornelious, said: I am always interested to visit community projects where people use sustainable principles to improve their communities. Wood recycling projects like Reseiclo, allow us to save valuable timber from being needlessly sent to landfill sites.