Waste management and recycling businesses and the composting sector have expressed relief that the recent record-breaking heatwave looks to have come to an end. The heatwave throughout July and into August saw a number of local authorities across the country forced into making changes to bin collection times and frequencies. Â And providers of services to…
Category Archives: Climate Change
Summer sunshine
We think it must have been taken from a hot air balloon or a passing microlight but we were sent this picture last week showing our newly installed solar array on our Normanton LogiCare facility. Having had an unusually high number of sunny days this summer we are confident it was working at its maximum…
Consultation on EU waste targets opens
The European Commission has launched a consultation on whether there is a need to change Europe’s legally binding waste and recycling targets in line with the Resource Efficiency Roadmap, published in 2011. Stakeholders are asked for their views on future recycling targets for household and commercial waste, with options between 50% and 90% as well…
Waste prevention plan to be debated in early 2013
Defra has stated that it will launch a formal call for evidence for its future Waste Prevention Plan early next year. This call for evidence will eventually inform the Government’s Waste Prevention Programme, and will focus on key areas for action. The Waste Prevention Plan is thought to be among the priorities of newly appointed…
Changes to Landfill Tax unwelcomed by waste industry
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has announced two changes to the rules governing Landfill Tax. In a brief published in May, the HMRC said that tax should be paid on material used to protect or ‘provide a suitable stable substrate’ for the overlying layers at the top of a landfill cell. Known as the ‘top…
Action needed on rare earth metal recycling
A report by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) which has been submitted to the Government’s Science and Technology Committee,  has stated that unless quick action is taken to increase the recycling of rare earth metals (REM), the government’s plan to achieve 15 percent renewable energy by 2020 will be unattainable. In the report,…
Climate Change Bill – A breath of fresh air
The Climate Change Bill is soon to become law. Although initially it will impact only large energy users (ie those spending more than £500,000 pa on electricity), all businesses will soon be affected. The Bill aims to reduce the carbon footprint of large energy users by 12.5% by 2010 and by 26-32% by 2020. The…