News in Brief

The Welsh Assembly is making an extra 33 million available for reducing and re-using waste in Wales over the next three years.

Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside Carwyn Jones revealed the measure after the announcement of the Assembly's latest budget.

The minister said: “This budget reflects the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to reducing the amount of rubbish we send to landfill sites. At present, we send some 87% of our household waste to holes in the ground, and this practice simply cannot be sustained.”

Under the Welsh waste strategy, the Assembly already spends about 30 million each year on recycling, Mr Jones said. The extra money will come from the Landfill Tax, he explained.

“I am ensuring that the landfill tax credits due to Wales will be used to help businesses in Wales to save costs by managing their waste more efficiently,” he said.

Big Recycle aiming to make Big Impression

Celebrity impersonator Alistair McGowan has launched a week-long recycling awareness campaign for local authorities, “The Big Recycle”.

Celebrity mimic Alistair McGowan warns that householders aren't recycling enough waste

The campaign, backed by major materials recycling organisations including Alcan, British Glass, Corus, PaperChain, Recoup and compliance scheme Valpak, follows on the backs of the WRAP “Recycle Now” campaign. It aims to get existing recyclers recycling more material more frequently.

Mr McGowan said: “Research by the Big Recycle campaign shows that whilst 90% of people know that drinks cans can be recycled, only around 50% say they’ve actually ever done it.”

Speaking on behalf of the event's organisers, Kathy Bradley, director of PaperChain said: “We still produce more rubbish than ever before and continue to bury most of it in huge landfill sites. This campaign aims to enthuse and encourage people to recycle more things more often. Two-thirds of households in England already have access to a recycling service on their doorstep, so it’s never been easier.”

The campaign website www.thebigrecycle.com provides in-depth information on what can be recycled, how it can be recycled and what recycling facilities exist in each region.

Chester council to begin glass and battery collection

Chester city council is to unveil its new glass and battery collection service this autumn as part of its bid to reach a 36% recycling target for household waste in 2005/06.

The scheme will initially be aimed at 40,000 homes across the district and will collect domestic, rechargeable, watch, mobile phone and detachable power tool batteries. Glass jars and bottles will also be collected.

Residents included in the initial phase of the scheme will receive an information pack and an extra strong re-usable polypropylene sack which will be collected once a fortnight.

Councillor Rob Jordan, Chester city council's cabinet member for the environment, said: “The new scheme will add another dimension to recycling in Chester and I would urge everyone to spare a few extra minutes each week to separate their glass and batteries.”

Cardiff recycles marathon's plastic bottles

Following the Cardiff marathon on October 3 Cardiff waste management service officers collected 800 kilograms of plastic water bottles.

Cardiff city council recycling assistant Mathew Long with the bottles separated for recycling

The council prepared in advance of the event by deploying recycling bins around the marathon route.

The bottles were collected and transported to the materials reclamation facility in Lamby Way, Rumney.

Councillor Jim James, executive member for environment and transport, said: “It is excellent to hear that this event was a success and I hope that many other event organizers will want to provide recycling facilities for the public in the future. Well done to everybody involved.”