News in Brief

May Gurney launches new recycling service inBristol

The service, which launched on Tuesday (November 1), includes weekly mixed plastics collections in addition to the existing recycling kerbside collection service. It will be rolled out to all householders in Bristol by July 2012. The use of new purpose built vehicles, with five different compartments to separate materials, will be phased in to aid this process.

The council hopes the service will helpit avoid landfill costs and fines, saving tax payers up to 2.5 million a year. The service is being introduced as part of a pre-existing seven year contract between the council and May Gurney, worth 14 million (see letsrecycle.com story).

Councillor Gary Hopkins, cabinet member for strategic waste at Bristol city council, said: This is a flagship contract that sets high standards for May Gurney as well as financially incentivising the company to find ways to reduce household waste and increase our recycling levels.

Welsh carrier bag charge a success, says minister

Welsh environment minister John Griffiths has praised retailers for the successful launch of the carrier bag charge scheme across the country.

The scheme, which came into force just over a month ago on 1 October (see letsrecycle.com story), means retailers must charge shoppers 5p for every new single use plastic or paper carrier bag. It is aimed at reducing litter and waste and to promote the use of more sustainable options.

Anecdotal evidence from major retailers suggests that the charge has already dramatically reduced bag use in Wales, and that more and more shoppers are using their own bags for shopping. This is exactly the outcome we want, the minister said.

Retailers, both large and small, have played a massive part in making the charge a success so far and I would like to thank them for the ongoing work in ensuring the charge works and that their customers understand it,” he added.

Last year the average Welsh household used 273 bags from supermarkets. The Welsh Government expects the scheme to reduce this figure by up to 90%.

Teenager crowned Derbyshires king of recycling

A 16-year-old boy from Derbyshire has been named the countys king of recycling after winning a competition to find recycling royalty.

Daniel Freeman, from Belper, was nominated for helping his entire family to recycle by composting vegetable peelings and garden clippings, and cleaning recyclables for delivery to the local household waste recycling centre.

Councillor John Allsop said that the efforts of people such as Daniel were key to increasing the countys recycling rates. In Derbyshire we currently recycle or compost 41% or our rubbish, up from 18 per cent in 2003-4. We are increasing our recycling rate every year due to our continued investment in recycling and composting and thanks to the great efforts by the people of Derbyshire who are recycling and composting more and more every year, he said.

Yorwaste television recycling triples

Waste management company Yorwaste has said that the number of old televisions it is processing has almost tripled following the digital switch-over in Yorskhire, which was completed in September 2011.

The company, based in Hessay on the outskirts of York, is processing up to 9,000 televisions during peak periods. Before the switchover they only handled around 3,000. Yorwaste has also reported an increase in the number of flat-screen and LCD sets, due to their shorter life span than traditional cathode ray sets.The Yorwaste site completed a refurbishment and reorganisation meaning that 98% of the electrical equipment that is sent to the site can be recycled.

Paul Seller, recycling manager for Yorwaste, said: The digital switchover has had a major impact on our electrical recycling business and at times we are dealing with 1,400 sets a day.

Cambridgeshire recycling cathedral opens

A new recycling centre in Cambridgeshire, hailed by the council as a cathedral of recycling, opened its doors to the public this week as part of the councils efforts to increase recycling facilities for the local community.

The new facility, in Witchford, was unveiled on Thursday (November 3) allowing residents to bring their waste in for reuse and recycling. It will serve as a replacement to the councils previous site, an open air facility at nearby Grunty Fen. Unlike the open air site Witchford is an indoor split level facility with a green roof.

Councillor Matthew Shuter said: It is fantastic to celebrate the opening of another new recycling centre brought in on time and within budget. This new centre really is a huge step forward from the old site at Grunty Fen and is a great example of the County Councils on-going commitment to invest in new services and facilities.