News in Brief

Pickles calls in Norfolk incinerator planning decision

The facility at Willows Business Park is being proposed by a consortium of Cory Environmental and US incineration specialist Wheelabrator under a 500 million, 25-year contract with Norfolk county council. In July 2012, the council approved planning permission for the plant (see letsrecycle.com), however the final decision has been passed to Mr Pickles.

A letter to the county council last week (August 30) explained that because the proposal is of substantial regional and national controversy, Mr Pickles feels he should make the decision himself.

Commenting on the decision, Cllr Bill Borrett, Norfolk county councils cabinet member for environment and waste, said: “I welcome this decision, I have always maintained this process should be done by the book. I note the Secretary of State is particularly looking for further information about how Cory Wheelabrator’s planning application fits with some key policy frameworks. The forthcoming inquiry will test all these aspects and the final decision now rests with him.

Hertfordshire gives green light to AD facility

Hertfordshire county council has approved planning permission for an anaerobic digestion facility at Coursers Farm near St. Albans, proposed by organics recycling firm Agrivert.

The facility will have the capacity to process up to 48,500 tonnes of food waste every year, which will initially come from nearby commercial sources such as hospitals, restaurants and food manufacturing companies. However, Agrivert said it hopes to accept municipal waste in the future. The development includes eight tanks for the digestion of waste and waste storage.

Agriverts commercial director, Harry Waters, said: We are delighted to have secured this planning permission. There is a shortage of local AD capacity in Hertfordshire and Agrivert aims to deliver this plant to meet market demand as soon as possible.

Cherwell calls for information after puppy dumped in bin

Cherwell district council is appealing for information after a puppy was dumped in a litter bin, just outside Bicester in Oxfordshire.

The Staffordshire bull terrier cross was discovered in a bin by waste and recycling officer John Cobb last week (August 30).

Mr Cobb said: I got to my first bins in Buckingham Road at about 7.40am. I emptied the first one, then as I opened the second I saw some movement. On closer inspection I realised it was a dog. The poor thing was clearly very scared but I didn’t want to just reach in as I didn’t know whether it would bite. I tipped the bin on its side then did my best to coax it out. It resisted at first but eventually I managed to get it to come out of there.

The puppy dubbed Binny had been forced through the small opening in the bin, along with his lead and collar. He was taken to Ardley Rescue Kennels. If Binny was stolen, his owner is being asked to come forward to claim him. If he is not reclaimed, a new home will be sought.

Leicester skip hire firm fined 20,000

Waste firm MJ City Skip Hire Limited has been ordered to pay more than 22,000 after pleading guilty at Leicester Magistrates Court on Friday (August 31) to charges that related to the operation of a regulated facility on land at Scraptoft Farm, when there was no environmental permit in place.

The charges were brought against the firm by the Environment Agency. MJ City Skip Hire was fined 20,000 and 2,803.65 in costs, along with a 15 victim surcharge totaling 22,818.65. The owner of the farm, Kuldip Singh Kainth, also pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay 5,884.10.

Prosecuting for the Environment Agency, Kiran Cassini told the Court that on 1 September 2011, Environment Agency officers visited the farm after receiving a report from Market Harborough district council that illegal waste operations had been taking place.

Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer, said: There was a high level of contamination in the waste at this site. Storing or disposing of waste on land which does not have an environmental permit or exemption in place is illegal. It can cause harm to the environment and undercut legitimate businesses. In these types of cases we will not hesitate to prosecute where circumstance warrant it.

The Agency said that in mitigation, a representative of MJ City Skip Hire told the Court that all the contaminated waste had since been removed to the satisfaction of the Agency and that the company had now put measures in place to ensure that this incident was never repeated.

When contacted by letsrecycle.com, MJ City Skip Hire said it did not wish to comment.

Veolia announces EnviroGrant recipients

Veolia Environmental Services has announced the community organisations which will receive a share of 3,500 available under its Southwark EnviroGrant funding scheme.

The EnviroGrant scheme is designed to help local people protect and improve the environment. The next community project the funding will help is a sensory garden for the Whippersnappers playgroup in Dulwich Park. Once completed, the garden will be fully wheelchair accessible, have a space for pets, plants, seating and a soft play area.

Other projects to receive EnviroGrant funding include: Give and take events for the East Dulwich Community Centre; mosaic board games for St Johns Walworth Primary School; and, building a community garden for growing vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers for Nelson Community Garden.

Fabrice Bouchon, general manager for Veolia Environmental Services in Southwark, said: We had many wonderful projects applying for this grant and it was very hard to whittle it down to the final winners; however Im pleased to say we have some fantastic and well deserved community projects chosen for this year. Id also like to take this opportunity to encourage other community projects in Southwark to apply for this great scheme for 2013.