News in brief

Lincolnshire county council has given planning permission for a timber recycling plant at Westville Farm.

Forceshift Contracting already operates recycling on the site but wanted the new plant to process the large quantities of waste timber that it collects as demolition or packaging wastes.

Councillor Mrs Sheila Roy, chairman of the planning and regulation committee, said: “Wood is a valuable resource and the applicant has identified markets where recycled timber can be brought back into beneficial use. We have ensured that planning conditions are in place to control possible noise, dust and amenity problems.”

The material to be processed on the site includes timber products from demolition sites, and packaging waste. Forceshift's recycling process will clean, remove foreign objects, such as nails, shred and package the wood.

The council said it expected some 2,500 tonnes of timber would be recycled each year into chipboard, landscape mulch, cat litter and filter media.

Chesterfield announces first kerbside box lottery winner

Chesterfield has announced the name of the first winner of 50 in its new kerbside box lottery.

Winner Mr Simovic and his blue box and bag.

In order to qualify for the prize draw, residents must put out their blue kerbside box with at least one empty aluminium drink can, one glass container and other materials as well as the blue bag containing recyclable paper.

Mr Bill Simovic of Loundsley Green won the first 50 prize on Monday and nine more winners will be announced over the next two weeks.

“I am really pleased, I always recycle with my blue box and blue bag, and the reward for me is knowing that I am doing my bit to help the environment – this is just an added bonus!” said Mr Simovic.

The lottery is being supported by Chesterfield borough council and Alcan, which takes the aluminium from the collection and has estimated 4.9 million aluminium drink cans could be recycled by Chesterfield each year.

Some 18,000 shops and businesses in Bristol have been asked to take part in survey of commercial waste initiated by the city council because of concern about litter.

Bristol said the survey had been launched because of its concern about the effects of commercial waste left in the streets, in particular from clubs and catering outlets open late at night.

The council does not provide a commercial waste collection service, leaving businesses to make their own arrangements with contractors. But it said that problems with uncollected waste were “having an increasingly negative impact of the environment”.

Richard Eddy, executive member for neighbourhood and housing services, said: “It is in the interests of both businesses and the council to keep our streets clean and litter free. However, it is increasingly clear that this isn't always happening and we need to find out why.”

Mr Eddy said the council did not want to “be seen to be in conflict” with businesses over waste and wanted to work with them to find solutions. But he added: “We are determined to crack the problem of waste and litter on the city's streets.”

Bath and North East Somerset council has transformed the sides of nine refuse collection vehicles into mobile billboards to promote its recycling scheme.

The six different designs encourage the public to recycle the six materials collected by the council's green box recycling scheme: paper, cans, glass, plastic bottles, foil, and textiles and shoes.

Sarah Raban, the council's waste campaigns officer, said: “We wanted to use the vehicles to remind people of just how much can be recycled.”

“Often people don’t realise that materials such as food cans and foil and textiles are all valuable materials that can be recycled through the green box scheme, so Bath and North East Somerset council is hoping that these designs will help people realise just how much they can recycle,” she added,

The new vehicle liveries have been funded by Biffaward as part of the Rethink Rubbish campaign and will be used by the council's kerbside collection contractor ECT.