High Peak Borough Council has teamed up with formed a partnership with Veolia Environmental Services and have saved the taxpayers £100,000 in the process. High Peak granted the new seven year contract to Veolia, the UK's leading waste management company, last month. The new scheme will help residents in the area recycle and reduce waste, with both residential and commercial services. Collecting the waste will be a fleet of new high performance collection wagons, designed to maximise the council's total recycling rates. John Haken, High Peak Borough Council's Executive Councillor for the Environment said: "Our improved recycling rates, which hit 42% in ... Full Story

Bedfordshire County Council's 'Recycle Now' branding is ten years old and is recognised by 93% of the county's population. This achievement rivals those of other household brands such as Fairtrade which is around 60% according to a 2007 TNS Omnimas report. "In 1998, the council asked us to create a recycling brand that would be easy to recognise and remember. Although it targeted all age groups, we knew that it had to be particularly bright and snappy to appeal to young people. After substantial brainstorming, the original 'Recycle now or the earth gets it' logo was born. The 'recycle now' logo has ... Full Story

First there were pay-as-you-go mobile phone accounts. Now there is...pay-as-you-go bin collection? It may sound strange but the South Dublin County Council thinks that high tech is the way to go when it comes to kerbside collection. The new system involves fitting a new, unique electronic chip on residents' bins to ensure that there is enough money in the account in order to pick up the bin. The chip "speaks" to a computer located in the refuse truck and allows the council to track customer and collection data. It will also abolish the use of bin tags. If the customer has sufficient ... Full Story

Hawaii is often seen as an island of paradise with beautiful sands, rich ethnic heritage, and intriguing volcanoes. The truth for most residents, however, is that the day to day routine usually doesn't involve any of those things. Like any other well populated city, Honolulu is a hub of commerce. With commerce comes technology and with technology comes electronic waste. And like many cities around the world, electronic waste poses a problem for the environment. As part of an environmental programme, Honolulu's Kaua'i County Recycling Office has scheduled an electronics recycling drive for businesses this coming Friday; individual households will be ... Full Story

The Evening Chronicle just released a question and answer-type article regarding the reduction of allowable items in the Tynedale area. Local resident Dougie Moffat wrote into Go Green to question his area's recycling practices. "You give lots of praise to councils and people who are improving recycling," wrote Moffat. "We used to recycle about 80% but we are now down to 45-50%, since Tynedale Council decided it didn't want plastic, foil or cardboard put in the recycling bins. We always washed our foil out and put in all plastic with ‘recycle' on the bottom, but now they don't want it - why?" In ... Full Story

As costs seem to go up, up, up on just about everything, many charities are concerned that their funding will go out the window, simply because people cannot afford to donate the way they did in previous years. According to the results of a YouGov poll, UK residents will donate approximately 7% less this year. The average amount given to charity in 2007 was £155.35; the average for 2008 is £144.55. That may not seem like a lot but one must remember that this is an average per person, which equals incredible numbers when multiplied by the thousands of donators. The poll ... Full Story

The Belfast City Council has announced that its pilot scheme regarding food waste from 7,000 residences has proved to be a smashing success. So much so, that it may be extended to include other segments of the city. According to the council, over 40 tonnes of food waste has been collected since the trial began in July. Cathal Mullaghan, chairman of the council's Health and Environmental Services Committee, said: "Not only have we seen an increase in the amount of household waste being recycled in the black box 'kerbside recycling' areas, our recycling rate for the first financial quarter in 2008 ... Full Story

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is continuing to raise funds by collecting used ink cartridges supplied by local businesses. Just recently, the law firm of Armitage Sykes collected and donated its 1,000th printer cartridge to the agency. Armitage Sykes is known for its charitable works including the operation of a small tuck shop in its Huddersfield and Brighouse facilities. According to the Bag It Up website, the YAA programme serves a great purpose but needs help to keep it going: "The Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies solely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to help it continue its life-saving work. The ... Full Story

The U.S. based organisation The Good News Project has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary by having an electronics recycling drive to raise money for its various projects. While one of the main purposes behind such an activity is to divert computers, monitors, peripherals and other electronic products from landfill, the Project also uses the funds to support its work in the Caribbean. MacCarthy states that the Projects recycling drives typically raise about $2,000 USD. The profits from the drive will go toward funding the organisation's various programmes. Good News Project Director Chuck MacCarthy says, "We build some little houses, teach in schools, ... Full Story

A new report published by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), has shown that there are simple instructions for local authorities to follow to increase recycling. Recycling rates have soared over the past ten years, going from 7% to 33% in English households, however WRAP feels that it can still be better. WRAP commissioned the study at the end of last year in hopes of understanding the barriers that keep householders from recycling. 52% of recyclers said the lack of recycling collections prevents them from doing more. Not that the collections are unavailable, they only offer a small list of acceptable materials. ... Full Story

Businesses and organisations in Felixstowe are being urged to recycle used ink cartridges and mobile phones to raise funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To help with the fundraising efforts for the organisation's 'Mobiles for Mobility' campaign, Computing Needs has stepped on board to supply special recycling bins to businesses. For every ink cartridge and toner containers donated, Computing Needs will pay £1; used mobile phones will generate £3.50. In addition to the recycling bins, Freepost envelopes are also being provided to all those interested in participating in the scheme. According to the Guide Dogs website, the funds will be ... Full Story

A new report released yesterday by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows that household waste recycling skyrocketed to 33.9% in 2007. The results, although considered to be provisional, show the East Midlands and the East as the regions with the highest rate at 41%. Following closely is the South West region who boasts 40%. The two worst regions were London with 25% and the North East with 29%. Announcing the figures at a press conference, waste minister Joan Ruddock said: "We know we can't keep throwing rubbish into landfill. My postbag is full of letters from people saying ... Full Story