Villagers in Caerphilly are planning a protest after odour from rotting food waste at a local compost centre has become a burden. Residents in Gelligaer, Nelson and Penybryn said that they can smell the Bryn compost site causing them to be unable to open their windows during the summer. They aim to protest and force the firm to take immediate action. The rally will be held at Greenhill school in Gelligaer on Wednesday. The composting firm said that it is already working alongside the Environment Agency for a more long term solution to the problem. However, Ray Matthews, a resident from Gelligaer ... Full Story

A recycling firm in County Durham has finally been given the green light for an extended programme that will see household waste composted more regularly in the area. The Environment Agency and Defra have both given the go-ahead for the plans, which are sponsored by Premier Waste Management. The waste, which will encompass up to 60,000 tonnes, will be treated at a facility in Thornley near Peterlee. The firm will use bio-processing technology in order to break down common household waste into ... Full Story

The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency has begun a campaign to ensure that food waste will be reduced during the Ramadan holiday. During Ramadan in Abu Dhabi figures indicate that at least 500 tonnes of food are thrown away. According to statements made by the environment chief yesterday, the Environment Agency will launch a programme entitled “Think Before You Waste”. EAD’s secretary general, Majidal Mansouri said that culturally the holiday places an emphasis on providing large feasts to celebrate the special month. However, he said the waste food was not environmentally sustainable. He added that the best way to reduce excess food waste ... Full Story

According to preliminary figures on Welsh council recycling, twelve of the 22 local authorities have passed the national standard for recycling targets. This means that nearly half of the local councils have missed recycling target expectations as required by the Welsh Assembly Government. Councils were instructed to compost or recycle up to 40 per cent of all household waste by 2009/10, but 10 local authorities have fallen short of these goals. According to Ministers, it is believed that recycling targets would have been better reached had it not been for such severe winter weather experienced across the UK this year. They also ... Full Story

Alex Salmond, Gordon MSP and First Minister, heaped praise on Scottish firm Keenan Recycling recently for the work it is doing recycling food waste into compost. Mr Salmond was speaking while on a visit to the Aberdeen offices of Shell Upstream Europe. Shell Upstream Europe is one of about 30 companies that use Keenan Recycling’s Food Waste Collection Service. While getting to see Keenan Recycling in action collecting food waste from Shell Upstream Europe, Mr Salmond called on Scots to end the country’s throwaway culture. He said people are taking an increasing level of responsibility regarding recycling but they continue to ... Full Story

  A pioneering Scottish eco-packaging company have launched the world’s first compostable cutlery that can withstand high temperatures. Start-up enterprise Vegware, which makes products for the catering industry out of plant matter, are moving to bigger premises in order to cope with the increased demand.   The company was first established in 2006 by Edinburgh-based entrepreneur Joe Frankel. His vision was to create alternatives to plastic disposables for the catering industry. ... Full Story

  Top TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is to keep a Rocket Composter that has been on trial at his River Cottage headquarters on Park Farm. The eco-friendly cook now plans to recycle his entire kitchen’s food waste with the help of the Tidy Planet product.   Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall designed the site known as River Cottage to be low-energy and is well known for championing local produce. He hopes to have a ... Full Story

The London Assembly’s environment committee is to investigate the reasons behind the wide variations in recycling rates among the 33 boroughs in the capital. Assembly Member Gareth Bacon is leading the probe for the environment committee. The study will examine the methods used to manage waste, the financial incentives used to promote recycling and attitudes towards recycling among London residents. London owns the dubious distinction of having the worst performance for recycling across all regions of England. In 2008/2009, London showed a combined municipal recycling and composting rate of just 29 per cent. The environment committee is pinning its hopes on ... Full Story

The level of recycling in Northern Ireland has been described as deeply worrying by Alan Lawther of the Alliance. New statistics show that there appears to have been little improvement in the amount of material being recycled compared to 2009. Mr Lawther added that this had to be improved upon so that councils in Northern Ireland did not find themselves being fined by the EU for sending too much waste to landfill. NI waste management statistics collated between January and March this year show that only 22 per cent of all household waste collected was sent for recycling and 8 per ... Full Story

Less waste is going to landfill and recycling rates have improved in Malvern Hills after a new single-bag system was introduced earlier this year. Initial results released by Malvern Hills District Council show that their system of replacing the previous two-bag recycling scheme with a single bag has been a success.   Officials say the new system allows for a greater range of waste to be recycled, and figures show that rates have jumped from ... Full Story

Residents in South Oxfordshire are being praised for their stunning efforts of recycling and composting 70 per cent of household rubbish – thought to be the best figures in England. The first full year of the area’s new rubbish collection and recycling service is estimated to have saved taxpayers around £355,000 as well as racked up £850,000 in recycling credits. The scheme was highly commended at the recent local authority's Municipal Journal Awards, where it was revealed that from June 2009 to June 2010, South Oxfordshire’s contractor Verdant collected 6,115 tonnes of food waste, 18,531 tonnes of dry recycling and 7,434 ... Full Story

Assembly members in Wales were voting yesterday on a proposal which could see certain types of waste being banned or restricted from landfill. Councils could also be set legally-binding targets by ministers for composting and recycling, and be hit with penalties if the targets are missed. Plastic carrier bags could also be charged for under the measures, as the assembly government believes waste management is “vital” to the future of Wales. Under the plans, ministers would ensure that any profits gained from the sale of carrier bags would be passed on to environmental projects. A proposed charge of 7p a bag ... Full Story