News in Brief

Wastefile UK has signed a contract with plasterboard manufacturer Knauf Drywall to recycle gypsum waste collected from 250 construction sites around the UK.

The contract will allow hazardous waste specialists Wastefile to collect waste plasterboard from the house-building company Barretts Group. It is also hoped that the agreement will take in waste plasterboard from Wastefile's other construction clients in future.

Steve Wilson, housing manager at Knauf Drywall, said: “Our agreement has enabled us to operate a recycling system on behalf of the Barratt Group which has greatly reduced the amount of plasterboard waste being generated. It has also ensured that a closed loop recycling system could be successfully implemented on all Barratt & Kingsoak sites.”

WRAP's brightly decorated Compost Bus has won an environmental award at this year's BBC's Gardener's World Live show in Birmingham.

The bus featured an interactive information area and roof garden where the public could go to find out more about composting. Supported by celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock, it formed part of WRAP's “Know Your Compost” campaign. The bus won the “Best Contribution to Environmental and Conservation Issues” award.

Maggie Newton, marketing manager for Organics at WRAP, said: “We are thrilled to have won this award. Thousands of people visited the bus during its five days at Gardeners' World Live, which is fantastic and we hope we have inspired them to go greener in the garden.”

The Women's Environmental Network has awarded 600 to a nappy re-use organisation in Cornwall for running the most successful washable nappy campaign in nappy awareness week.

The Cornish Real Nappy campaign, based in Bodmin, held a variety of activities over the week in April including a real nappy conference and “nappuccino” coffee mornings.

Judge Chandra Littlewood, from WEN, said: “Cornish real nappy's campaign was highly professional. They provided a range of fun opportunities to find out about real nappies as well as ongoing partnerships for future work.”

Glass recycler O-I's Harlow plant has been awarded ISO14001 standard for environmental management systems.

According to the company the standard acknowledges that it set up to ensure best practice.

As part of its work towards certification, O-I has trained all staff and long-term contractors working at the plant in environmental affairs.

Commenting on the award, O-I's vice president corporate sustainability, Steve Hammond, said: “This award for Harlow is a perfect example of our commitment to the environment and to the health and safety of our personnel, our neighbours, customers and users of glass packaging.”

Five composting companies in the Yorkshire and Humber area are being offered a free site design service to help start up or expand operations.

Recycling Action Yorkshire (RAY) – the regional development programme funded by Yorkshire Forward – is to provide the design service in a bid to increase the composting capacity throughout the region.

Composting firms that take part will have assistance in meeting relevant environmental and planning officers before site and construction drawings and specifications are submitted by the consulting engineers. Successful companies will be chosen on September 5, 2006.