The Welsh Assembly Government has awarded 560,388 in funding to keep the Wales Waste and Resources Research Centre going for a further two-and-a-half years.
The Centre, which is run by Cardiff University and involves all 11 Welsh higher education institutions concerned with waste research, will now see a full-time director based at the Cardiff headquarters, with additional staff based in Swansea, Bangor, Aberystwyth and the University of Glamorgan.
The Assembly's environment, planning and countryside minister Carwyn Jones said: “The Centre has proven significant benefits across Wales in its first three years. It continues to be a unique model in the UK and Europe for its collaborative approach, and we are pleased to be able to maintain our support for this activity.”
Cambridgeshire village “best” UK recyclers
 Waste campaigner Jo Humphreys promotes recycling in Cambridgeshire |
Residents of Cambridgeshire village are claiming to be the best recyclers in Britain after reaching a 77% recycling rate.
The village of Witchford, near Ely, is sending only five tonnes of rubbish a week to landfill after switching to alternate weekly collections of recycling and residual waste last November. The community is part of a pilot scheme run by East Cambridgeshire District council in the run up to introducing widespread alternate weekly collections in Spring 2008.
Commenting on the high recycling rate, believed to stem from high green waste tonnages, the council's waste strategy officer Gerald Tinker said: “The levels of recycling in Witchford are simply amazing.”
Waste consultation software launched
A new software product to help councils consult the public over waste management issues has been launched by Gateshead company Scientia Solutions.
ViewsCount, which is part of the WasteWise produce range, provides tools to set up surveys online, publish and analyse results. The product also provides relevant web resources and allows specialised database searches.
Paul Armitage, Scientia Solution's director, said: “The launch of our innovative survey product, ViewsCount, has created a great deal of interest with focus on councils and other public sector organisations who wish to encourage and support public engagement.”
Hertfordshire council installs CCTV
 Waterdale recycling centre in Hertfordshire is one of the facilities to benefit from CCTV security |
Hertfordshire county council has installed 30 cameras at its household waste recycling centres to deter residents from abusing the facilities.
The cameras, which are being installed at Waterdale, Royston, Harpenden and Stevenage centres, enable the council to check vehicle registration plates, analyse tipping trends and ascertain if certain materials are acceptable. The cameras include four close-circuit television systems from Kent-based Network & Cabling Solutions Ltd.
Mark Simpkins, assistant waste manager at the council, said: “The monitoring systems have proved invaluable. Council employees at Hertfordshire's County Hall can remotely assist the on site contractors if needed via a secure live internet connection.”
Gloucester extends green waste scheme
Gloucester city council is to continue offering green waste recycling collections throughout the winter following the scheme's “mammoth success.”
The council announced that it has collected 3,000 tonnes of garden waste since green waste collections were introduced 12 months ago. Now the service will be extended to the 26,000 homes currently covered by the service.
Councillor Andrew Lewis, cabinet member for Streetcare, said: “With 600 elephants worth of garden waste collected so far we can safely say residents have really got behind this latest recycling initiative.”
Register for free to comment