News in Brief

Chesterfield has received praise from the government for surpassing its 2003/04 recycling targets.

The Derbyshire borough was set a target to recycle 16% of its household waste last year and actually recycled 19%. About 3,250 tonnes of green waste and cardboard were collected through the council's green bin scheme, while residents recycled 2,573 tonnes of glass, cans and paper through their blue boxes.

Environment minister Elliot Morley wrote to the council to say: “I am very grateful for the substantial commitment you have demonstrated to improving recycling and composting rates, and working for a more sustainable approach to waste management.”

Regular kerbside recycling collections are provided for 24,000 homes in the borough, with 12,500 homes set to join the scheme by October – making up 80% of the borough's households. About 16,000 properties are provided with the green waste collections, due to expand to 20,000 in September.

The recycling success has also been down to 80 bring bank sites in the borough.

Cllr Keith Morgan, member for sustainability and environmental services, thanked residents for their achievement, and said: “The government is expecting us to hit 25% by the end of 2005 and we are on course to do that.”

The London borough of Barnet and its contractor ECT Recycling have launched an awareness campaign to reduce the amount of waste generated by householders.

Barnet's poster campaign shows residents how easy it is to recycle

The campaign highlights how easy it is for residents to use their weekly black box recycling collection service, the flats' recycling service or the borough's civic amenity and recycling centre at Summers Lane.

The awareness programme has started through a poster campaign across the borough, and will be followed up over the next few months with recycling competitions and a new website.

Well-known for its compulsory recycling scheme (see letsrecycle.com story), Barnet is already recycling about 19% of its household waste, but will gain extra government funding through a local public service agreement if it recycles 30% of its waste by 2005/06.

Barnet's member for the environment, Cllr Matthew Orford, said: “Residents have responded well to the compulsory scheme that we launched in parts of the borough in March, but we must encourage even more people to become regular recyclers.”

The Welsh Assembly Government is seeking industry views on new hazardous waste regulations set to replace the 1996 Special Waste regulations in Wales in 2005.

The consultation will bring into force in Wales changes made to the European Hazardous Waste Directive, in line with the Defra consultation for England (see letsrecycle.com story).

Welsh environment minister Carwyn Jones said today that the consultation would provide an opportunity to streamline the way hazardous waste is treated in Wales and implement the measures in the new Directive “efficiently and cost-effectively”.

The minister said: “The Welsh Assembly Government wants to ensure that the new Directive doesn't disadvantage Welsh business by adding excessive costs, whilst at the same time ensuring that the environment is properly protected.”

The consultation runs until October 29, while the new regulations should come into force in July 2005 subject to Assembly approval. More information on the consultation is available at the Assembly website at www.wales.gov.uk.