News in Brief

As Defra continues its review of England's waste strategy, textile recycling group TRAID has backed a green levy on plastic carried bags.

Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development (TRAID) has been charging its charity shop customers 10p a bag since 2004, and reports good results from the initiative.

Enedina Columbano, head of retail, said: “Although we were prepared for a backlash from our customers regarding our plastic bag tax, I'm pleased to report that it has been met with only praise. Customers are happy to donate their old plastic bags, carry their own bags or the pay the 10p for a plastic bag because they know they are doing the right thing for the environment.”

Hippowaste head of sales Simon Hayes celebrates the contract win

Hampshire-based waste management company Hippowaste has won a national contract to take waste from home improvement firms Dolphin Bathrooms and Sharps Bedrooms.

Hippowaste will use its bright yellow “Hippobag” rather than traditional skips to collect materials from home installations carried out by the two companies. Hippowaste said one of its bags can accommodate an entire bathroom suite.

“We have designed some very bespoke solutions for Dolphin and Sharps that will provide them with a more cost-effective way of handling their waste,” explained Simon Hayes, head of sales at Hippowaste.

A new interactive website service for the waste management industry has been launched by technology company Scientia Solutions in a bid to improve cross-sector communications.

Scientia, which has already provided services to the food, fashion and defence industries, has called its new product suite “Waste Wise”. The package includes a personal consultation for businesses and local authorities before a web-space is tailored to meet customer needs.

Tenders can be channelled into the portals which can also include a directory of companies in the waste industry and online survey toolkits. Scientia's commercial director, Paul Armitage, said: “Our Waste Wise product suite has been specifically developed to address the demand for better and more efficient solutions to support organisations operating within this significant market.”

A new guide on how to run a recycling service for bulky waste has been praised by the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee.

The new “Bulky Basics” guide aims to point the way to successful collections

Bulky Basics, published by the Furniture Re-Use Network, gives practical advice on collecting and re-using or recycling items too large to fit in household bins. The guide is the result of a year-long research project which has examined existing bulky waste services around the country.

Joy Blizzard, communications officer at LARAC, said: “Bulky Basics is packed with essential 'how to' information rather than theories and I'm sure that both local authorities and furniture groups will find it a real help in guiding them through the practicalities of setting up bulky waste re-use and recycling schemes.”

The guide can be ordered from the FRN website.

Selby district council has launched a competition to encourage people to recycle their drinks cans and bottles during the World Cup.

Working in partnership with the Selby Post newspaper, the North Yorkshire district will offer everyone who recycles the chance to win an England shirt each week. Recycling tokens will appear in the newspaper every Thursday, which residents can leave out with their blue can and bottle kerbside recycling boxes to be entered into the draw.

Chair of Selby's Environment Board, Cllr Chris Metcalfe, said: “As not everyone gets their recycling collected in the same week, we'll be running this competition throughout the World Cup to give everyone across the district an equal chance of winning.”