News

News in Brief 20/06/14

Biffa launches sixth Green Waste Club

Municipal waste and recycling contractor Biffa opened its sixth Green Waste Club in Tandrige, Surrey, at the beginning of June.

The club offers paying members subscription to a fortnightly kerbside garden waste collection service. Subscribers are given use of a 240-litre brown wheeled bin.

Since the launch of the first Green Waste Club in Arun District Council, Biffa claims that its 36,000 members have collectively recycled 60,000 tonnes of garden waste to compost.

Over 200 residents registered to use the new Tandridge club in the first month, and the club’s managers are optimistic about increasing membership. 

Biffa’s Green Waste Club manager, Lucy Stephens, said: “The club will provide members with an efficient and cost-effective collection service that removes a lot of worries and unnecessary trips to the local HWRC.”

Read more about Biffa’s Green Waste Club.

Hackney to host repair, reuse, reduce event

Hackney Council is working with Sustainable Hackney, Hackney Friends of the Earth and the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) to host an event aimed to encourage residents to reduce, reuse or repair their waste.

The event combines three schemes: a Restart Party, a communal effort to repair broken electrical items; a Give or Take Day, where residents can donate and swap unwanted items; and NLWA’s Waste Less, Lunch Free initiative.

A thousand free lunch meals are to be provided by the NWLA at the cost of £680, which, according to Hackney Council, is the value of edible food that the average family throws away in a year. Visitors will also have the opportunity to attend cooking demonstrations and receive tips on how to reduce food waste and save money.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We hope this event will show people that what they think of as rubbish might not have reached the end of its life just yet. After seeing what can be repaired, reused or eaten, people might think twice next time they go to throw something in the bin.”

The event will take place on 28 June in London Fields from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Havant Borough Council tackles street litter

Havant Borough Council’s campaign to clean up its streets has gathered pace as more than 500 people have been fined for dropping litter since the launch of the campaign in May.  

As of 20 June, 576 fixed penalty notices (FPN) have been issued in total for dropping cigarette ends and general littering.

Despite the fact that the borough has over 2,000 public bins, the council decided that extra measures were needed to remind residents to dispose of their rubbish correctly.

Councillor David Collins, Cabinet Lead for Environment and Neighbourhood Quality, said: “There is no excuse for littering – if you drop litter you will be issued with a FPN. No warnings will be given.”

The council is also appealing for more information regarding problem areas for littering and dog fouling in order to step up enforcement activity.

An online form can be used to report information to Havant Borough Council.

New communal recycling bins in Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove City Council is installing 600 new Taylor communal recycling bins to serve 37,000 households as part of a new recycling scheme across the city. The move comes after a trial in 2012 of over 3,000 homes in the Brunswick and Adelaide areas of the city that saw an 11 per cent increase in recycling rates, according to Taylor.

The scheme follows a public consultation and is being funded by a government grant to help councils improve waste collection and recycling services.

It is expected that the scheme will reduce the number of black recycling boxes on pavements, while also reducing contamination of waste streams, as the council claims the black boxes can be contaminated by passersby using them as bins and by wind blowing the contents away.

Councillor Pete West, chair of Brighton and Hove City Council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee, welcomed the scheme, saying: “It’s great to see the new communal bins arriving in more areas of the city centre, enabling many more residents to drop off their recycling whenever they like.”

Businesses lack policies to dispose e-waste

Many businesses lack policies on the correct disposal of used and unwanted electronics, according to a survey carried out by Spartan Recycling and Remarketing (SRR).

To mark Recycle Week, SRR – an IT equipment recycling company – conducted a survey of other local businesses to measure people’s awareness, attitudes, and opinions on the disposal of electronic devices.

The findings revealed that 56 per cent of the businesses asked do not have a policy in place for the disposal of unwanted electronic devices and that 60 per cent of participants didn’t realise that e-waste could be hazardous to the environment.

In addition, only 12 per cent of the businesses that took part revealed that they recycle their electronic waste.

Chris Pattihis, Director at Spartan Recycling and Remarketing, commented: “Electronic waste is the fastest growing segment of the waste stream and is only going to get worse as more technology comes to market.

“People need to be educated and understand how to dispose of their electronics safely and correctly.”

Read more about Recycle Week.

BMRA elects new president

The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), which represents the UK’s £5.6-billion metals recycling sector, has elected Shane Mellor from Mellor Metals as its new president and Graeme Carus from EMR as deputy president.

As Managing Director of Mellor Metals Ltd, Shane Mellor brings 38 years of experience in the scrap metals industry to the role. Previously, he has been part of the BMRA as Legislative Policy Chairman following his involvement in the implementation of the End-of-Life Vehicle Directive.

In 2013, the Scrap Metal Dealers Act replaced legislation governing the scrap metal industry. The industry expects the changes to mark the start of a ‘new era’ for metals recycling.

Speaking of his new role, Mellor said: “After a year of change, a lot of work still lies ahead for the BMRA, and I hope to serve the interests of members well during my time as president by promoting the sector.”