ec.europa.eu Recent figures show that fewer than three per cent of British households recycle batteries. Simon Duffin, who is the Head of Press for the UK office of the European Parliament, commented that he was looking forward to having a battery collection service in his area: “I have a drawer full of old batteries at home. It is probably polluting my home in the meantime.” Although Duffin knows that there is an EU Battery Directive in place, most Britons may not be aware of the fact. The directive has set portable household battery collection targets of 25 per cent by 2012 and at ... Full Story

www.discountvouchers.co.uk The summer holidays can be more affordable this year with savings of up to 50 per cent featured on DiscountVouchers.co.uk. Special savings and discounts are offered on a wide range of books, music, games, DVDs, clothing and summer travel. Over the summer school holidays, parents can keep their children well entertained without breaking the bank, by taking advantage of offers from over 300 leading retailers, such as Borders, Game, HMV, Miss Selfridge and Nike. A number of travel offers are also featured on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website, such as 40 per cent savings at Disneyland Paris and as much as ... Full Story

www.sterecycle.com A ground-breaking recycling company in Rotherham recently revealed a plan to build five new recycling facilities around the UK, investing £200 million and creating 300 jobs. Sterecycle has developed new technology for recycling waste in which household waste is sterilised before recycling, reducing the amount sent to landfill by as much as 70 per cent. Earlier in the year, the recycling company announced that it would double the size of its operations on the former British Steel site in Rotherham, investing £10 million and creating 20 jobs. The expansion will enable Sterecycle to process 200,000 tonnes of waste annually, which is equivalent ... Full Story

www.environment-agency.gov.uk Experts are warning that the giant compost heaps used to recycle garden and kitchen waste collected by district councils could pose a risk to the health of area residents. The concern that researchers have is that commercial open-air composting operations can lead to a rise in asthma, respiratory infections and skin complaints among residents living nearby – unless the sites are regulated properly. It has already been found that workers at this type of composting site are at risk of diseases including farmer’s lung, caused by inhaling bacteria. These warnings are coming as a study that was backed by the UK government found ... Full Story

www.btcc.net On 14 June, weather conditions led to mixed results at the BTCC Croft circuit, but it was a good day for Colin Turkington, taking him to the top of the drivers’ standings. In the best result for the Cartridge World Carbon Zero team, Adam Jones finished in eighth position in the second race. This was after coming in 16th in the first race, in his SEAT Leon. Neither Jones nor teammate Dan Eaves finished the third race. In this season’s round five, the sun blazed down on drivers and fans during the first two races, and heavy rains soaked everyone at Croft during ... Full Story

www.eurosite.org In the UK, European Green Week is seeing communications and marketing professionals responding to meet environmental challenges. Two of the top marketing organisations in Britain, the Marketing Society and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, are involved in initiatives designed at developing a common language so that green credentials can be effectively marketed to consumers. Ian Twinn, the public affairs director of the ISBA and head of the organisation’s sustainability group, said: “We have really thrown down the gauntlet on climate change to tackle the thorny issues of how we can best get out the message about companies' genuine green achievements without ... Full Story

www.cotswold.gov.uk A new report is showing that Cotswolds residents rank among the best in Britain when it comes to composting and recycling. The figures, which were released during National Recycling Week, indicated that Cotswold residents achieved the second-highest rates in the South of England and Wales, composting and recycling 61 per cent of their household waste in the 2008-2009 period. Additionally, the figures pointed out that for the July-September 2008 period, Cotswold District Council's composting and recycling rate was 69 per cent - the highest in the UK. Mark Tufnell, the Cotswold District Council Portfolio Holder for the Environment, commented: “We are incredibly proud ... Full Story

www.closedlooprecycling.co.uk In the first-ever green think tank for children in the UK, manufacturers and retailers have been urged to do away with unnecessary packaging on games and toys. The message came the youngsters attending the summit sponsored by British Gas, called Our Planet, Our Say. The event saw the launch of a new schoolchildren’s eco-group that represents more than 9,500 schools. The think tank, made up of 20 of the schoolchildren chosen as the “greenest”, spent a day at Closed Loop Recycling plant in East London. Members discussed recycling issues and the part recycling plays in climate change and energy usage. By the time ... Full Story

www.makro.co.uk Makro will be launching a new scheme to recycle the waste cooking oil produced by pubs. The cash & carry group has said that it will accept used cooking oil that is in the original five, 10 and 20-litre containers, in its “Love the Pub” promotion. Makro vouchers will be made available to participating pubs, which can be redeemed at various outlets. Allard Sjollema, Makro’s commercial director, commented: “The roll-out of oil recycling means not only are we helping our stores and customers’ businesses demonstrate their green credentials, we’re also rewarding them for this too.” Sjollema went on to say: "We'll be giving ... Full Story

www.swindon.gov.uk Frustrations of borough residents should be eased as Swindon Council introduces a new scheme for collecting mixed plastics for recycling. Swindon Council’s move is a response to many complaints that only plastic bottles were being collected. From the beginning of next month, margarine tubs, take-away containers, yoghurt pots and other plastics can be bagged for collection. Councillor Fionuala Foley, who has a responsibility for the borough’s waste management, said: “This is very exciting news as it’s something that people have been asking for. A lot of people have been asking why they can recycle plastic bottles but all the rest has to go ... Full Story

www.businesszone.co.uk An entrepreneur from the north, who created a recycling company to deal with the millions of tonnes of waste food that is discarded in Britain, has won the BusinessZone.co.uk northern region small business initiative. BEEcycle’s managing director, Kenneth Cheung, won top honours in the Manchester leg of The Pitch 2009 over five other new business competitors for his innovative recycling solution and products. Cheung founded his company in 2007, and is looking to reduce the 6.7 million tonnes of waste food that ends up in landfill in the UK each year. When the waste is dumped in landfill, the methane produced is ... Full Story

www.henleytowncouncil.gov.uk Residents in Henley, South Oxfordshire have said the new recycling bins that are being distributed to households throughout the district are potentially dangerous to the elderly, and are staging a boycott. Additionally, residents are calling the 280-litre and 240-litre bins are an “eyesore” for their town that is dependant on tourism, and are threatening to revert to using bags for their trash. One local resident said to the Henley Standard: “We are thinking of putting all our rubbish into bags and putting them on the grass at the top of the close to be collected.” She added: “If the binmen don’t collect them, ... Full Story