News in Brief

A group of children from Year Three at Walbottle Primary School were among the first visitors to see SITA's new recycling equipment at Wallsend Road

Waste firm SITA UK has invested 500,000 in new sorting machinery for its North Tyneside Transfer Station within a major refurbishment programme at the facility.

The Wallsend Road Transfer Station will be able to handle up to 15,000 tonnes of recyclable paper, card, plastic bottles and cans each year after the investment. SITA has signed a contract with Northumberland county council to sort and dispose of 8,000 tonnes of waste each year, and is in negotiations with other councils to fill the plant's remaining capacity.

John Grainger, general manager for SITA UK in the North East, said: “This investment will help us increase the amount of waste we recycle and ensure that we can continue to improve our performance across the region.”

Middlesborough community re-use group Settlement (Furniture) Services is celebrating its 15-year anniversary.

Based on the Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, the group has been collecting unwanted good quality household goods – from sofas and lamps to fine china and fridges – in the Middlesborough and Hartlepool areas since 1991.

The last three years have seen the group winning funding of 350,000 from the national lottery initiative CRED and Defra's waste partnership fund. Les Harbron, the group's projects coordinator, said: “We are proud to have been able to help benefit our local community and environment with our work and hope to continue to do so for many more years to come”.

Duncan Berry, Cartridge World director of European franchising

The ownership of printer cartridge re-use chain Cartridge World has switched from Australian to US hands, with the American arm of the company securing the “master franchise” rights.

The international franchise operation was launched in the UK in Harrogate in 2001, and has since grown to a total of 280 stores across the country. There are now 1,100 Cartridge World stores worldwide, offering an alternative to the sale of new printer cartridges. The company believes it will have saved over nine million cartridges going to landfill by the end of this year.

UK general manager Duncan Berry, who now becomes director of European franchising following the “friendly” acquisition, said: “These are exciting times for the franchise and the new input from America – where Cartridge World has already opened 275 stores since mid- 2003, and plans to top 3,000 stores over the next four years – will really help to put the brand in the spotlight throughout Europe.”

The Derbyshire borough of High Peak – which was fourth from bottom in the English recycling league during 2004/05 – is launching a new multi-material kerbside recycling service.

The new “Binnovation” scheme includes cardboard and garden waste collections via wheeled bins, a green box service for the collection of glass and cans as well as a blue bag scheme collecting newspapers and magazines. Textiles will be collected in red and white bags. Residual waste will be collected in black wheeled bins.

Councillor Glynis Kirk, High Peak borough council's executive member for the environment, said: “Binnovation represents a revolution in the way our rubbish is dealt with in the High Peak and with the support and co-operation of local residents we should substantially increase recycling and reduce the amount of rubbish being landfilled – two things which are good news for local council tax payers and the environment.”

Part of Camelot’s successful “green team” (left to right): Simon Cayless, Richard Bateson, Nikki Hodges and Chris Smith

Lottery organisers Camelot have praised a team of 20 staff members who volunteered to improve the company’s environmental impact.

Two and a half years of work by the “Green Team” have seen improvements brought in including the introduction of 50% recycled paper in the production of lottery tickets and playslips last year. The company believes it is saving 1,000 tonnes of virgin paper each year through its tickets, and has also cut the waste it produces in-house by 20%.

The company held a photoshoot with four of the volunteers, creating a spoof of a Vanity Fair cover photograph by Annie Leibowitz. Company PA Nikki Hodges said: “It really does make a difference to do small things every day to help the environment. It's our responsibility, not just to ourselves, but to future generations to look after the planet today.”