Cheltenham council reports it has overclaimed £130k in recycling credits
Cheltenham council has reported it has overclaimed £130k in recycling credits due to staff not taking off the food waste container before the vehicle was weighed on the weighbridge.
It has said that the issue was “correctly investigated” and reported at the time to Gloucestershire county council.
The internal audit report from Gloucestershire county council has recommended additional assurance checks should be performed to confirm the weights on the weighbridge tickets are accurate.
Recycling credit invoices are checked to source records provided by each council on the collection categories, weights and type of material. Invoices, once checked, are logged against the line of detail claimed and passed for payment.
Sample testing on 25 payment elements established that the amount was supported by collection data and the recycling rate was paid at the correct rate.
British glass launches glass re-use project for primary schools
British Glass, the representative body for the UK glass industry, has launched a new competition for primary schools, aiming to educate children on the importance of reducing the use of single-use plastics, reusing packaging materials safely and recycling glass.
Competition applicants will have to select a piece of glass and transform it into something new. Pupils will then be asked to designate a purpose for their creation, whether it will be for gifting or selling, with the goal that it can eventually be recycled.
Dave Dalton, CEO of British Glass, said: “This initiative has been launched at a crucial time, with household consumption identified as one of the major sources of greenhouse gases when factoring supply chains. Recycling glass is clearly fantastic for reducing waste, but reusing and repurposing glass packaging is another way to significantly reduce household carbon costs.
“We look forward to seeing competition entries in 2024 and inspiring future generations to reduce, reuse and recycle glass for many years to come.”
South Lanarkshire schools partner with Jump for sustainability initiative
South Lanarkshire schools have launched a programme in partnership with
sustainability engagement platform, Jump, to encourage students and staff to take part in sustainable actions, rewarding them via vouchers and charitable donations.
Students will be rewarded for choosing low-carbon meals and methods of travel, as well as recycling and shopping second-hand.
The programme, titled “Save Our World” is the first ever to welcome under-18s onto Jump’s platform, and will include St. Andrew’s High School, Strathaven Academy, Calderside Academy and St John Ogilvie High School.
Josh Cleall, CEO of Jump, said: “This is a landmark achievement for Jump, having inspired people to make more sustainable actions for over 10 years. This is our first programme that incentivises school children to actively change their behaviour, and take more sustainable actions. These students are the future of climate change activism, so we hope we can continue to challenge young people to engage with the climate crisis for meaningful impact in years to come.”
Starbucks partners with Podback
Starbucks Coffee company has announced it has partnered with coffee pod recycling scheme, Podback for its Starbucks At Home range.
Consumers who purchase the range are now able to pick up Podback’s free drop-off recycling bags across all of its 1,250 UK coffee shops. The bags can be then be taken to a Yodel drop off point.
Rick Hindley, executive director at Podback, said: “Partnering with one of the world’s best-known coffee brands is a sign of the considerable progress that Podback has made towards establishing a convenient and simple way for people to recycle used pods. Starbucks’ support makes it even easier for coffee pod users to start recycling, as they can now pick up a Podback bag at any of Starbucks’ coffee shops across the UK.”
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