News in Brief

Salisbury district council has changed plans for a new recycling service, after residents demanded kerbside collections for plastic and cardboard rather than garden waste.

A new alternate weekly scheme will now see one wheeled bin used for residual waste with the other for mixed plastics and cardboard. The start of the new service has been put back from April 2007 to October 2007 as a result, to allow the county council and contractor Hills Waste to invest in the facilities to cope.

A garden waste collection scheme is being offered for a 26 annual cost, using a third wheeled bin. Glass, cans, paper, foil and textiles are being collected using black kerbside boxes.

Cllr Richard Britton, Leader of Salisbury District Council said; “We have listened to what people have told us and we have been able to respond with a number of changes which, I believe, both simplify the system and meet people's needs much more effectively.”

Camden council recycling advisor Rutendo Chitiga shows pupils which materials can be recycled

Children from Edith Neville and Gospel Oak primary schools were the first to try out Camden's new Recycling Education and Activities Centre at the Regis Road Recycling Centre last week.

The centre has been designed to show school and community groups how recycling works and what they can do to help their local environment. Once complete, the centre will include interactive computer facilities that will allow children to discuss recycling issues with other children in foreign countries.

Cllr Mike Greene, Camden's executive member for environment, said: “This is a great way for young people to learn about recycling, making it lively and fun as well as educational.”

The Regis Road Recycling Centre is currently being refurbished to give it a one-way traffic system and extra recycling containers. Development is expected to be completed by the start of 2007.

Organisations offering new ways to treat waste in the UK are being invited to include their systems in Defra's New Technologies catalogue.

The catalogue was jointly produced by consultancy Urban Mines and the Resource Efficiency Knowledge Transfer Network in March 2006, to highlight the basic details of a range of waste treatment technologies.

Defra is now keen for innovative technologies that have not formed part of its 30m Demonstrator Programme to be included within the catalogue. For further details, contact Dan Clayton on 01274 699400 or email dan.clayton@urbanmines.org.uk.

Ed Watson, Veolia's new composting manager for Hampshire

Veolia Environmental Services has appointed Ed Watson as its new composting manager for Hampshire.

After nearly a decade of experience in the industry, Mr Watson will oversee the recycling of 96,000 tonnes of green waste collected every year from Hampshire households, with material being processed at three open windrow sites and a number of on-farm sites around the county under the “Pro-Grow” brand.

Mr Watson said: “Veolia ES Hampshire Ltd has so far produced composted material to meet very high standards and quality will continue to be a big issue in the future. I intend to ensure we maximise take-up locally within the county and market it further afield.”

A series of roadshows are being held by Wirral metropolitan borough council prior to the start of a new alternate weekly collection service on November 6.

The borough is turning residual waste collections fornightly, with homes in Oxton, Prenton, Woodchurch, Upton, and most of Moreton receiving grey wheeled bins to collect commingled plastics, glass cardboard, paper and cans on the alternate week. Materials will be sorted in the Bidston materials recycling facility.

David Green, director of technical services at the council, said, “We know that some people may worry with the change to the frequency of their green wheelie bin collections, but if everyone recycles all the items they can, there will be no reason for this bin to be emptied every week.”