Ardagh seeks leave from Administrative Court in Quinn case
The decision to challenge the process by which the council granted planning consent is the latest in a six-year legal battle by the Irish firm to attempt to cease activity at the Quinn plant, which was constructed in 2005 without the necessary planning permission. On February 3, the Court of Appeal threw out Ardagh's attempt to challenge the High Court's confirmation of the Cheshire West and Chester council's right to grant planning permission retrospectively for the multi-million pound facility (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting on the latest move by Ardagh, councillor Mike Jones, council leader for Cheshire West and Chester, said: “The council has worked closely with the London office of specialist law firm Denton Wilde Spate in successfully defending its position and will continue to do so in respect of this latest challenge.”
SITA donates compost to Tyneside project
The French-owned firm delivered the material to volunteers at the Good Life Project in Longbenton, which is created from green waste collected from households across North Tyneside and at household waste recycling centres in the region. Initially the green waste is stored at the North Tyneside Waste Transfer Station at Wallsend, where it is bulked for delivery to Codlaw Farm and it is turned into compost. The Good Life Project is a community garden project in Longbenton that grows fruit and vegetables used in community projects throughout North Tyneside, the project relies on the support of volunteers and donations to keep it operating.
David Best, a SITA UK employee and a volunteer at the Good Life Project, said: “I've been a volunteer at the Good Life Project for five years now, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in gardening but might not have the opportunity or the knowhow to grow fruit and veg on their own.”
RecycleBank proves “very popular” in Halton trial
A trial of the rewards-based recycling incentive scheme RecycleBank has “proven very popular” in Halton, the borough council has revealed in an interim report on the scheme.
Introduced in October 2009, the six-month trial was introduced to 10,000 households in the Cheshire council area with 7,750 residents presenting their bin for identification and almost 50%, 3,862, of those eligible residents activating their online RecycleBank account. Halton said that the early indications showed an average of “over 20%” more recyclable waste per household being collected under the scheme. Phase one of the trial is set to end in April 2010, with councillors meeting in March to discuss the results. The recent findings, which were released on February 12, come shortly after the Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead reported that its own trial of RecycleBank had exceeded expectations (see letsrecycle.com story).
Councillor Phil Harris, executive board member for recycling at Halton, said: “The voluntary, recycling rewards scheme has proved very popular and we are pleased to see so many residents making savings on everyday purchases and activities in the local area.”
Radio presenters launch GMWDA photo campaign
Residents are being encouraged to take photographs of anything from textile recycling to composting with the winner receiving a digital camera and the best images being used to on permanent display in an art exhibition at the state-of-the-art materials recycling facility at Longley Lane, Sharston. To take part in the campaign, residents of Greater Manchester can visit www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com and use the simple application, just like those used by social networking websites, to upload their photograph.
Councillor Neil Swannick, chair of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA), said: “This is a great way for the residents of Greater Manchester to get involved and show us how they are doing their bit for recycling and waste prevention in Greater Manchester.”
Assembly recommends James Cleverly as LWaRB chair
The London Assembly has given its backing to James Cleverly to take over as chair on the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB) following Mayor Boris Johnson's decision to step down last month.
The recommendation comes after Mr Cleverly, who currently sits on the London Assembly Environment Committee, was subjected to a confirmation hearing on his suitability for the role at City Hall on Monday (February 15). Murad Qureshi, who chaired the hearing, has now written to the Mayor on behalf of the Assembly to recommend that the Mayor proceeds with Mr Cleverly's appointment. Mayor Johnson had chaired the Board since its inception in September 2008 before choosing to step down amid plans to “refocus his team” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Speaking at the confirmation hearing, Mr Cleverly explained why the London Mayor's draft Municipal Waste Strategy would serve as a good basis for his tenure as chair of LWaRB. He said: “The eager assumption is that as London grows and the population grows, there will be more waste. The eager assumption is that that is a self fulfilling prophecy and there is nothing we can do about it, so there is no point in thinking about it. I think the current draft strategy refuses to accept that as a starting point.”
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