News in Brief

Construction company Wates Group has pledged to stop sending non-hazardous waste to landfill within five years.

The Surrey based company, which has a 650 million turnover, generates about 70,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste each year through its construction activities, but is now hoping to be at the forefront of its industry in terms of waste reduction and recycling.

Rachel Wolliscroft, Wates Group environmental manager, told letsrecycle.com: “We feel totally confident that we will achieve the target. We are already achieving recycling rates of 97% on some sites for non-hazardous waste. We are now working with our peers and government to get the industry to set a target.”

30 flats in South Telford are trying new steel cabinets

Telford and Wrekin council has introduced a “very successful” recycling scheme for flats, it has revealed.

The unitary authority had previously excluded flats from recycling collections because of the lack of access and space for containers. It is now trialing a system using steel cabinets, which have drawers for cans paper and glass, outside 30 flats in the Hollins Wood area of South Telford. The containers are provided by local firm Nobridge Nurseries Grounds Maintenance.

Council recycling officer Penny Brasenell said: “The scheme has been very successful. At the moment the boxes are constantly full and the residents say they are pleased. I want to extend something similar to the whole of Telford.”

Reading borough council is seeking residents' views on the introduction of an alternate weekly collection system, set to begin in August.

The council's scrutiny panel is examining the scheme at a meeting next month. The scheme will see every household in the borough given a red wheeled bin for recycling by mid-September. The new system will see normal household refuse collected one week, with recyclable materials collected the following week.

Cllr Steve Waite, lead councillor for environment in Reading, said: “I believe these changes are vital to increasing recycling rates and to protect our environment for future generations. The only way we can do this is by taking practical steps like this one.”

30 flats in South Telford are trying new steel cabinets

A private waste contractor on the island of Guernsey has revealed that it pay-by-weight waste service is “working well” and is cutting the amount of waste it sends to landfill.

RF Mills Ltd, from Vale, in North Guernsey, spent 60,000 last year on weighing systems from Bradford-based technology firm PM Onboard.

It now charges its 400 business customers for waste collection by weight, helping to divert waste from the island's only landfill site at Mont Cuet.

Company owner Martin Seabrook told letsrecycle.com: “The system works very well. A lot of people had a shock at first, and some couldn't be bothered to reduce their waste, but they are coming around slowly. The amount of waste we collect has decreased.”

Brighton-based ROCC Computers Ltd is to provide Wealden district council with a new software system to manage its 4 million waste services department.

The firm will provide its Uniclass Enterprise (UE) system for 40 staff at the council, allowing for easier access to waste management data via the council's intranet and the access of data from remote locations using GPRS links.

The company said: “Using the latest technologies, UE enables local authorities and private contractors to successfully manage individual contracts from high level strategic planning through customer contact to service delivery and KPI reporting.”