Bucks confirms plans to reopen talks over EfW deal
The decision comes after it emerged that officers had recommended the council should reopen talks for the 25-year deal with American incineration firm Covanta Energy and Northamptonshire-based WRG – after having selected Covanta as preferred bidder for the deal in September 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story). The decision follows a legal issue with the site at Rookery Pit in Bedfordshire selected by Covanta for the development of a 390,000 tonnes-a-year capacity energy-from-waste treatment facility. The council said it was unable to give precise details on the issue due to commercial confidentiality. The decision is subject to the three day Overview and Scrutiny Committee call-in period before it can be implemented. After this both bidders will be asked to re-submit further documentation by September 2010.
Councillor Martin Tett, cabinet member for environment and planning at the council, took the decision to reopen talks. He said: “I have taken this decision as it will help the council to continue to follow a robust procurement process and ensure the selected bidder provides the best solutions for the people of Buckinghamshire.”
Audit Office unclear of BREW impact on waste reduction
The impact that the BREW programme had on driving down the levels of business waste sent to landfill between 2005 and 2008 is “difficult to determine”, a National Audit Office report has claimed.
The Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme was a Defra-funded initiative intended to address business waste. And, while the amount of commercial and industrial waste sent to landfill by 2.3 million tonnes between 2005 and 2008, the National Audit Office claimed in a report published last week (March 5) that it is imperceptible as to how much of this achievement can be attributed to BREW, which had £240 million in government funding. Furthermore, the report claimed that there was “low awareness” among businesses of the service offered by the Centre.
Commenting on the report, Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “The low awareness of the Programme among businesses and the absence of clear targets and reliable information to measure progress mean we cannot say whether the Department achieved value for money from the £240 million spent on the Programme.”
Advantage West Midlands waste strategy officially launched
The strategy, which was launched on Tuesday (March 9), sets out priority sites for infrastructure development in the West Midlands over the next decade or so and includes a ‘location analysis tool', aimed at finding sites most suitable for development. Research findings were first published in August 2009 and outlined 34 potential sites across the West Midlands (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mark Pearce, corporate director economic regeneration AWM, said: “This Landfill Diversion Strategy is the UK's first to provide a consistent and coherent approach for identifying locations for the development of new waste infrastructure.”
REPIC welcomes report ahead of WEEE Directive recast
WEEE producer compliance scheme REPIC has welcomed the report published by the man tasked with guiding the recast of the WEEE Directive through the European Parliament.
A draft of the report, which rejects proposals to make producers responsible for funding collections of waste electronic and electrical (WEEE) items from households, was put before the Parliament's environment committee in Brussels on February 23 by German rapporteur for the recast Karl Heinz-Florenz (see letsrecycle.com story). In the report, Mr Heinz-Florenz endorses the European Commission's proposals for tougher market-based collection targets to be introduced from 2016, as well as including new proposals for interim targets, tighter controls on export for re-use and widening the scope of the Directive. The report represents the European Parliament's initial view on the European Commission's original proposals for the recast which were published in December 2008.
Dr Philip Morton, chief executive of REPIC, said: “We are extremely pleased that the rapporteur has taken into consideration input from stakeholder groups, and the report deals with a number of issues which will help to make the recycling of WEEE both more efficient and more secure. If the key proposals are adopted it will give the UK Government the scope to improve the current UK system.”
Daniel Silverstone leaves London Remade
During his tenure Mr Silverstone was heavily involved in raising the profile of London Remade at industry events and functions, and he was also instrumental in the development of the London Remade Solutions Consultancy. Mr Silverstone has now taken up the role of executive director at human rights advocacy and expertise body Interights. London Remade has not named an interim chief executive but is set to interview for a successor in the coming months.
Commenting on Mr Silverstone's departure, Colin Roberts, chair of London Remade, said: “During his time at London Remade, Danny has made a huge contribution to how London views and manages its waste. Under his leadership, London Remade delivered programmes such as Enhance, Leave No Footprint, Inspired Recycling and the Mayor's Green Procurement Code.”
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