News in brief

Surrey signs up to recycling destinations charter

The Charter, which was launched in June 2012 by the Association in conjunction with the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, a body representing recycling officers, is a voluntary initiative which aims to provide the public with clearer information on where their recycling ends up (see letsrecycle.com story).

Partnership chair councillor Vivienne Chapman said: Surrey Waste Partnership has considered the requirements of the End Destination Charter carefully and is pleased to support it. We see this as an important extra step we can take to enthuse and motivate our residents to recycle and offer greater transparency to an information hungry public.

The support of the 12 Surrey authorities within the partnership means over 60 council signatories have now signed up to the Charter. The deadline for completing phase one of the process, providing fresh information on end destinations, has been extended to the end of December 2013.

Association chief executive Ray Georgeson added: We will also be assisting signatories by producing a template for publication and some guidance on good practice, and this will be available to signatories by November 1.

Carrier bag levy to transform environment projects

Some 1 million from the Northern Ireland carrier bag levy will be used to aid the environmental Challenge Fund scheme, environment minister Mark Durkan has announced.

The Challenge Fund, which has been allocated the funding for 2014 based on a successful two year pilot scheme, will develop local environmental projects across the country.

The 5p single use carrier bag levy introduced in Northern Ireland in April this year, may have seen usage fall by as much as 80% according to data released by the Department of the Environment (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Fund, which has received an additional 200,000 from the Forest Service, will be administered by Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL) on behalf of the NI Environment Agency.

Minister Durkan said: The best way to celebrate success is to build on it and for that reason I have allocated a significant portion of the proceeds from the Carrier Bag Levy to deliver a much enhanced, bigger and wider reaching Challenge Fund than last year.

Trade minister visits thermal treatment firm

Minister of state for trade and investment Lord Green has visited advanced thermal treatment specialist Chinook Sciences to see the companys technology in action.

Based at Nottingham Science Park, Chinook uses its End Stage Recycling technology to recover an estimated four kilos of metal from every tonne of residual waste which would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated.

It is also capable of generating 1MW of clean electricity via synthetic gas produced in the process.

Lord Green, who was given a tour of Chinooks command and control centre, and a briefing on the companys Oldbury gasification centre, currently under development, on October 11, said: It was fascinating to visit a Nottinghamshire and British success story today here at Chinook. Its a great example of a world-leader in clean technology.

The team at UK Trade and Investment will continue to support Chinook and I am delighted that we are playing our part in helping the firm to continue in its success.

Whitecleave quarry appeal refused

An appeal made against Devon county councils decision to refuse an application for a bottom-ash processing facility in Whitecleave will not go ahead, the planning inspectorate has decided.

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd, a subsidiary of MVV Energie Group, was originally refused planning to process 57,000 tonnes of ash per annum from MVVs energy-from-waste facility in April 2012, and launched an appeal in October last year.

Concerns had first been raised over traffic levels resulting from the facility and whether the ash could potentially be hazardous.

Paul Carey, managing director of MVV said: We are disappointed with this outcome and will be reviewing the Inspectors reasons for refusal before deciding whether there are grounds to challenge the decision. We will also be looking to find other sites where we can meet our obligations to recycle the incinerator bottom ash and use it in local markets.

Kier to provide staff training

Kier is set to provide bespoke training for 35 of its 85 employees working on environmental contracts in Corby and East Northants.

The waste contractor, which provides recycling and street cleansing services for the borough councils, will put its 11 supervisors and managers through team leader and management training to improve customer service.

Meanwhile, 24 frontline employees will participate in an NVQ Level 2 Waste Management qualification to enhance their overall performance.

Kier general manager, Glyn Jones, said: We have introduced a number of initiatives to our service over the years ranging from integrated multi-skilled teams and new equipment investment to changes in route planning and recycling collections, all of which have helped reduce costs and improve our recycling ranking. This training will allow us to refine the service further while investing in our greatest asset, our people.