Residents of Hertfordshire are being encouraged to begin dropping off redundant batteries at specific drop-off points as a means of boosting recycle efforts for battery waste. The scheme, scheduled to begin sometime this month, will require battery disposal to be handled at specific drop-off bins by all residents. Hertfordshire County Council approved the scheme after a study released the figures that only three percent of all batteries across the UK were being re-used. Executive member for waste, as well as the chairman of the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership, Derrick Ashley stated that batteries are comprised of important chemicals and materials such as ... Full Story

Students at Arnot St Mary's Church of England Primary School are leading the forefront in creative posters designed to get dog-owners to clean up after their pets. Although the city council's street cleaning crews have tried to crack down on owners allowing their dogs to foul on the school grounds, the students continue to have deal with the foul mess. Now, the youngsters are leading a crusade of their own making to get irresponsible pet owners to keep their dogs' messes off the school lawn. The posters are designed to educate the inconsiderate dog owner's on what happens when they allow ... Full Story

Across the UK pro-privacy groups are lashing out at city councils wanting to adopt the microchip wheelie bin system. A new report has surfaced warning the public that up to 2.6 million chips have already been installed in an effort to monitor households which are throwing out waste which could be recycled. Supporters of the move to implant chips into wheelie bins are saying that the move will promote better recycling habits across the UK, however opponents of the tactic claim that its too Big Brother-esque, and they fear the government will use the microchips to punish those who do not ... Full Story

A train station in Bromley will be the site for a new recycling scheme trial designed to help commuters recycle cans and plastic bottles. Three new recycling units will be placed at the station and Bromley Council will be in charge of emptying and recycling the waste collected there. Southeastern will partner with Bromley South station for the scheme set to began March 2. For the first time, commuters at this station will be capable of separating out their paper, plastic, and metal can garbage avoiding sending such waste to a landfill. The Bromley Council has said that it will be responsible ... Full Story

A new recycling scheme which could pave the way for more effect recycling methods could receive Government funding within just a few weeks. Bristol City Council has put through a motion for approval for funding for placing microchips into wheelie bins. Currently the funding decision is under review by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). If the volunteer-based rewards scheme is approved, Bristol will be the first district to approve such a measure. The scheme calls for black wheelie bins to be outfitted with microchips which will weight the amount of waste being recycled per household. Incentives ... Full Story

Mayor of Houston, TX Annise Parker joined with Solid Waste Management Department Director, Harry Hayes, to announce that 54,000 new households in the Houston area will be the recipients of 96-gal recycling wheelie bins as part of a new community scheme, rewards-for-recycling by RecycleBank. RecycleBank runs programmes across the US designed at helping jumpstart neighbourhood recycling in cities across the nation. The company rewards residents with points for every time they recycle. The more points a household earns is dependent upon how often that household recycles. Points can be redeemed for items at retailers, grocery stores, chemists, and restaurants. Houston City Council ... Full Story

WEEE, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, will be the focus this year at the Recycle Week campaign scheduled for June. This will mark the first time one particular waste issue has been given priority over others. WRAP's Recycle Now Partners announced the theme on their website just before a March 1st spring drive will launch to promote greater residential recycling in areas such as WEEE. Recycle Week is held annually since its inception in 2004, but normally it focuses on general reuse, reduce and recycle issues. The change in focus is indicative of WRAP's urgent need to get UK households to recycle ... Full Story

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is set to revamp its recycling habits, which currently are plagued with out-dated facilities and lack of resources. However, now thanks to Fisher Recycling, a local waste management company, companies in the popular resort town will now be able to recycle plastic, glass, and aluminium. Previously, due to a lack of service and facility companies in the Myrtle Beach area could not even recycle the most basic recyclables such as glass and plastic. Thanks to South Myrtle Chamber of Commerce's new 'Going Green' Campaign, Fisher Recycle will now provide auditing services for waste as well as recycling ... Full Story

After the announcement of Bristol City Council's newest recycling reward scheme, a Labour councillor has warned that the scheme could become a "big stick" punishment for householders who are not recycling regularly. It was reported yesterday that Cotham, Redland, and Bishopston will be encouraged to recycle more household waste in order to earn cash incentives. The total incentive could reach up to £40 per year for each participating household. In all the trial will include 2,000 households to start. A small microchip will be placed into new wheelie bins which will then be distributed to participating households. The microchips will allow the ... Full Story

The Bristol City Council will conduct trials on a new recycling scheme aimed at boosting residential recycling efforts. Residents in three separate areas around Bristol will participate in the trial which will involve cash incentives for recycling. The scheme centers around reducing the amount of black bag waste produced by each household, and those households which produce the least will be rewarded with cash prizes. Residents who volunteer to participate will be given a chipped wheelie bin. New collection vehicles will be outfitted with weighing equipment in order to record the weights of the bins each week. Incentives will be given ... Full Story

Halton, Cheshire has seen a huge increase in recycling efforts since the advent of a new programme which aims to make recycling easier for the local residents. The new rewards system offered by RecycleBank, a recycling initiative established by the Halton Borough Council, has helped to boost local recycling figures. Since the start of the new scheme in October of 2009, more residents have begun recycling to take advantage of the rewards systems resulting in a 20 percent increase in recyclable waste per each household. The first phase of the new scheme will conclude in April 2010, and then the local ... Full Story

The Belfast City Council has just issued food caddies as well as a fresh supply of newly made biodegradable bags to more than 50,000 households across the county. Now these homes will look to become completely waste free by sending their food waste in a brown bin back to by recycled instead of into a landfill. The Council is making it possible for Belfast residents to cut down the amount of food waste being generated in the city, by providing a service which would recycle food waste garnered from homes. Prior to allowing food waste to be placed into brown bins, ... Full Story