News in brief

Welsh council recycling fund extended

The funding is available under the Collaborative Change Programme, a scheme set up in 2011 to offer Welsh councils technical support and advice on how to meet recycling targets as part of Wales Towards Zero Waste strategy (see letsrecycle.com story).

Minister for natural resources and food Alun Davies has today (January 16) announced that up to 4 million will be available to local authorities from 2014/15, an increase on the current funding levels of 3.5 million. A total of 11.5 million is available over the lifetime of the fund.

Commenting on the scheme, Mr Davies said: This funding will be used to invest in projects that improve recycling rates and the quality of material collected, as we move towards zero waste in Wales. I want to see councils sharing good ideas and good practice through the Programme, so they can improve their performance and their efficiency.

The announcement follows disclosure of the latest round of funding from the scheme, which was awarded to councils last month (see letsrecycle.com story).

Firefighters in used clothing call to raise cash for charity

Firefighters across the country are calling for donations of used clothing in a bid to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and be crowned 2014 recycling champions.

500 fire stations across the UK are taking part in the third annual competition organised by the charity which sees fire fighters encouraging the public to donate their unwanted clothes at the fire stations textile banks. The station which collects the most clothes in terms of tonnage will be named the winners. The Fire Fighters Charity receives 220 per tonne of material collected.

Textiles are collected and reused or recycled by the charitys partners, who include: D. Robinson & Co; Tom W Beaumont Ltd; Alford Storage & Textile Company (Astco); WH Tracey; Clyde Recycling; and Elmtree Recycling; and LMB.

Commenting on the scheme, sales manager for the charity, Kevin Biles said: This is a fantastic way to not only raise much needed funds for The Fire Fighters Charity, but also reduce landfill and help developing countries with the supply of clothing. Sustainable income is vital to any modern charity, and recycling as an income stream helps and affects so many people, whilst fulfilling our social responsibilities.

The winners of the 2014 competition are expected to be announced in mid-February.
Picture caption: The Fire Fighters Charitys textile banks are located at fire stations across the UK

Skip hire firm fined in Environment Agency crackdown

Langley Skip Hire (Midlands) Ltd has been fined 100,000 and two directors sentenced for engaging in large scale commercial tipping operations at its sites in Oldbury, West Midlands.

Ranbir Singh, 41, who had previously resigned as director of the company, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, while current director Reginald Baldwin, 71, was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work.

Both defendants were disqualified from being a director of a company for seven years at the Wolverhampton Crown Court hearing on January 14. A third defendant, Balwant Singh Baghira, is due to be sentenced on February 21 following consideration of medical evidence.

Prosecuting for the Environment Agency, Counsel Nicholas Cole told the Court that between July 2010 and July 2012, the defendants deposited substantial amounts of waste at The Yard in Nelson Street and Butlers Yard in Personage Street.

While the Nelson Street site had operated under an environmental permit, the waste exceeded maximum storage capacity to dangerous levels. In addition, the Personage Street site located on land opposite had no such permit in force.

Speaking after the case, David Hudson, environment manager, said: In the Midlands we now have six waste offenders serving a total of 59 months in prison. We are increasingly using the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to trace the money made by their illegal trade and to make polluters pay for their actions.

Langley Skip Hire (Midlands) Ltd could not be reached for comment.

Updated construction waste standard published

A revised PAS 402 specification to ensure construction and demolition waste is disposed of safely has been published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), it announced this week (January 13).

First published in 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story), the PAS 402:2013 Waste resource management Specification for performance reporting is designed to help organisations handling waste to follow a framework for performance testing.

The specification is intended for organisations that process industrial, commercial or household waste at a transfer station, treatment facility or disposal site.

According to BSI, the document includes updated references to legislation, legal terminology, technical specifications and guidance. The revised document also covers electronic and computer hardware waste.

The framework was developed through a collaborative process involving Natural Resource Wales (formerly the Environment Agency Wales), The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), UK Contractors Group, waste management firm Veolia and the Welsh Government.

David Fatscher, head of market development for sustainability at BSI, said that the specification could enable waste management organisations to not only see cost savings, they can achieve enhanced reputation, gain competitive advantage and more sustainable customer relationships.

He added: This is in addition to the benefits of a heightened level of regulatory compliance and environmental protection from exposure to hazardous substances.

Coca-Cola and Waitrose launch waste campaign

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CEE) and supermarket chain Waitrose have joined forces to launch their Spin to Recycle campaign.

The campaign, which will run until March, encourages Waitrose customers to make a pledge to recycle a selected material for one month. Shoppers will have three chances to spin a digitised wheel on the Waitrose website, with each segment corresponding to a different recyclable material.

Before making their pledge, customers will be asked how often they currently recycling, with the question repeated at the end of the campaign to denote how their behaviour has changed.

As an incentive for completing the pledge, customers will be rewarded with a fridge wheel magnet that offers further recycling tips and the opportunity to enter into a prize draw to win one of nine Brabantia recycling bins.

Nick Canney, VP sales and marketing for CCE, said: We have experienced real success in the past when it comes to pledging both for building better awareness on the general importance of recycling and in helping consumers to assess and directly change their behaviour for the better, so we are very excited to see how this initiative progresses.