Lord Ashdown joins Somerset recycling efforts
Lord and Lady Ashdown join other “pledgers” who receive regular “e-recycle” newsletters providing hints and tips on reducing and recycling household waste. The campaign, which was launched in June by Somerset cricket stars Marcus Trescothick and Neil Edwards, also runs regular recycling competitions, offering a range of recycled and energy efficient gifts as prizes.
Signing up to the pledge, Lord Ashdown said: “Recycling is an important part of looking after our environment, not just in helping to save natural resources, but also in helping to reduce the impact of climate change. As keen recyclers, my wife and I are more than happy to sign up and pledge to carry on recycling and hope that many more follow suit.”
Selby man jailed for waste offences
York Crown Court has sent the boss of a skip hire firm to prison for nine months for depositing, treating, disposing and keeping waste without a waste management licence.
Cornelius Opey Price, 39, pleaded guilty to running an illegal waste transfer station near Selby, which was the subject of an Environment Agency surveillance operation from October 2005 to July 2006, after complaints from legitimate operators and councils in the area. Agency officers found the company – C Price Skip Hire – was taking in waste and burning it.
On sentencing, the Judge said that many people were concerned about his operations, and he had been caught red handed after repeatedly trying to dodge the system. Speaking after the case, Agency enforcement officer Cathy Bedworth said: “This will act as a strong deterrent to those who operate illegal waste sites and put profits ahead of the environment. We will not tolerate companies that operate outside of the law.”
AbitibiBowater appoints business manager
The collection company known as Abitibi-Consolidated Recycling Europe before its parent company's merger (see letsrecycle.com story) said the appointment marked the first time an employee has progressed to a managerial position via its graduate training programme.
Managing director Ron Humphreys said: “Sarah joined the company with an environmental science degree and three years work experience in other fields. It is really gratifying to see how quickly she has progressed -from administrative assistant to business manager in less than two years.”
Planning bid for Yorkshire gasification plant
Waste disposal company BCB Environmental Management submitted an application to North Yorkshire county council this week for permission to build an £18m energy-from-waste plant at its site on Marston Moor Industrial Estate at Tockwith, near York.
The proposed plant will use gasification technology to generate around 10MW of electricity – enough to power about 10,000 homes – from waste including 25% hazardous material. The plant will be housed in one of the company's existing 29,000 sq ft units on the industrial estate. BCB, which has been operating at Tockwith for the past 10 years, currently handles about 18,000 tonnes of hazardous and non-hazardous waste a year.
BCB managing director Phil Boardman said: “This is a major development and we are determined to get it right. Now that we have submitted our application, there will have to be formal consultation with such organisations as The Environment Agency and the Highways Agency. We are also engaged in a major public information and consultation exercise involving the residents of Tockwith.”
Cobra Beer fined over packaging recycling law
Cobra Beer, based in Peterborough Road, London, is a £125 million turnover company selling beer and wine to Indian restaurants, distributors, supermarkets and other retailers. Between 2003 and 2005 it failed in its legal duty to pay for 1,030 tonnes of packaging waste to be recycled or recovered by buying evidence notes known as PRNs or PERNs (see packaging legislation page).
Christopher Edgcumbe-Rendle, business development director at Cobra Beer, said after the hearing that an internal review had been undertaken to ensure production policies and practices fulfill the company's “genuine commitment to environmental responsibility”.
He said: “At Cobra Beer we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. It is clear that during the period 2003-05, we did not take the necessary steps to engage with the Environment Agency to meet all of our obligations, for which we apologise unreservedly. Since being made aware of the situation, we have co-operated fully with the Environment Agency and joined an Environment Agency accredited compliance scheme to ensure we now meet all Producer Responsibility Obligations.”
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