News in Brief

An attempt to bring about the first ever prosecution of a British householder for contaminating their recycling bin will be heard at Cullompton Magistrates' Court on July 10.

The date was set at a pre-trial hearing attended by the council bringing the case – Exeter city council – and the accused resident, Donna Challice.

Ms Challice, a 30-year-old mother of three, has pleaded not guilty to six charges under the Environmental Protection Act of putting non-recyclable material in her recycling bin. It is thought a key factor in the case will be Exeter city council's ability to prove it was definitely Ms Challice that contaminated the bin in question.

The new website encourages householders to re-distribute unwanted items

A new website has been set up by a Derbyshire husband-and-wife team with the aim of encouraging the re-use of large household items that might otherwise go to landfill.

The site – www.rag-and-bone.co.uk – covers anything from electrical appliances to children's toys, garden equipment and building materials. People can advertise them on the site and give the items away for free rather than disposing of items.

Managing director Rebekah Hart said: “We found in our initial research that of those who had disposed of a large household item, more than three quarters said that it was in workable condition.”

Food waste technology firm Inetec has secured a 700,000 investment deal with Finance Wales.

Bridgend-based Inetec, which provides companies with equipment that converts food waste into biofuel, received 350,000 from the Welsh organisation in 2004. The new deal sees the total investment rise to over 1 million.

Phil Nicholas, chief executive of Inetec, said: “We've already made significant inroads into this sector, attracting a number of high profile food manufacturers as customers.”

Nick Sylvester, investment executive at Finance Wales said: “There is a significant market opportunity for Inetec to address both the rising landfill costs and increasing legislative pressure to develop sustainable waste disposal methods and renewable energy needs.”

Ken McLean of LEEP Recycling and Fiona Johnston of SWAG launch the new website

A new website encouraging Scottish businesses to recycle more of their waste has been officially launched by the Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG).

The new online resource – entitled Waste Aware Business – includes tools for businesses to use, including a poster creator, frequently asked questions, and a number of useful links to other initiatives and organisations working with businesses to facilitate resource efficiency, such as Envirowise and the Business Environment Partnership.

Launching the new service at Abbey Business Centre in Edinburgh, who currently receive a collection service from LEEP Recycling Ltd, Fiona Johnston, Waste Aware Business Campaigns Officer at SWAG said: “Commercial and industrial wastes account for around 75% of total waste generated in Scotland. As the cost of sending this to landfill sites continues to rise, businesses are starting to consider more economical alternatives to disposal such as reuse and recycling services.”

To access the new Waste Aware Business website, visit: www.wasteawarebusiness.com

The third scholarship programme to introduce new recycling officers to the work of the Local Authorities Recycling Advisory Committee was launched yesterday.

Under the scheme, twelve new officers will be able to attend the LARAC conference in Bournemouth on 14th-16th November free of charge.

The programme, sponsored by waste services company Wastelink, covers conference, accommodation and travel costs. It is open to officers who have worked in local authority recycling for under five years, with one place available for each English region, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

LARAC chairman, Lee Marshall, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for people who are quite new to recycling to get involved in LARAC, and attend such a major conference in the early stage of their careers.”