The Chinese government has banned the imports of scrap electronic goods including fridges and televisions, according to the State-owned newspaper China Daily.
A new list of banned goods was issued by the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs and the State Environment Protection Administration. The ban came into effect on November 1.
Strong demand for the materials including aluminium, copper and steel in the goods have seen goods imported from all over the globe. But, the Chinese government has now said that goods from Japan, the United States and others can have a “devastating effect” on the environment.
The Chinese government said it would update its list of restricted electronic goods every year, according to economic conditions and the nation's trade and industry policies.
Fire hits EMR site in Manchester
A European Metal Recycling scrapyard in Manchester has suffered a fire after an incident which is thought to have involved local youths playing with fireworks.
More than 100 end-of-life vehicles and several tonnes of metal awaiting recycling were involved in the fire at the Oldham Road site, the Manchester Fire Brigade said. About 30 fire fighters were called to the site at 6.35pm last night to deal with the blaze, which local reports suggested involved 100ft high flames.
A spokesman for the Fire Brigade said fire crews spent more than six hours tackling the fire, and used water from the nearby canal to bring it under control.
Commenting on the incident, EMR's depot manager, said: “The fire started after we'd; shut up shop for the evening. There was no damage to equipment, no one was hurt and there has been no major disruption to business.”
Eye witness reports suggested that a group of youths had been playing with fireworks near the site shortly before the fire. A spokesman for the greater Manchester Fire Brigade told letsrecycle.com that no cause had yet been determined, and officers are continuing to look into the causes for the incident.
Northern Ireland Landfill Tax Credit Scheme extended
Northern Ireland's Department of the Environment is to extend the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme for not-for-profit waste management projects into 2004/05.
The Environment and Heritage Service announced this week that 1 million will be provided for waste management projects, delaying the end of the scheme for another year.
The government had decided to phase out waste management projects from the scheme, which distributes money taken from the Landfill Tax, and spend the funds through the public purse.
A spokesperson for the EHS said: “The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme Interim Replacement Fund (IRF) has been extended following our consultations with a range of stakeholders in the voluntary and community sector of the Northern Ireland waste industry.
“The Fund will provide a maximum of 1 million for the financial year 2004/5, and can help the not-for-profit sector in the waste management arena here. It is intended primarily, that the IRF (Extension) will support community and voluntary sector organisations in undertaking projects that will contribute to the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy.”
Recycled plastics successful in engineering applications
New research funded by the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme suggests that recycled plastic can be successfully used in high pressure engineering applications.
A 12-month study carried out by researchers Pera Innovation claimed that PET fibres recycled from plastic bottles could be treated and turned into high value reinforced thermoplastic pipes.
The 152,420 project, funded by Onyx Environmental Trust, developed prototype pipes and a mechanism for joining pipes together. Researchers said the prototypes were tested and found to be able to handle a “burst pressure” exceeding 100 bar.
Research Andy Huang said: “Preliminary cost assessments suggest that this pipe will cost less than a third compared with products currently on the market with the same pressure rating. Such reinforced thermoplastic pipes could play a major role in the 900m European market for transmission lines used in the oil and gas industries.”
Pera Innovation is seeking further industrial sponsorship to develop a full-scale manufacturing facility for the recycled pipes.
Subscribe for free