Measures to hopefully drive up the demand for the government's Green Deal have been announced. Communities Minister Andrew Stunell announced the new proposals, which intend to bring down carbon emissions from new and existing buildings. They form a part of the consultation on changes made to Building Regulations, which aim to see that all new British homes and non-domestic buildings have zero carbon by 2016 and 2019 respectively . Under the proposals, current and existing homes undertaking extensions or other improvements such as loft and garage extensions might be required to make energy efficiency additions to their residences from October this year. ... Full Story

The need to reduce energy costs and the consumption of electricity while using natural resources more efficiently are some of the main forces behind the significant growth in green goods spending, a new report has forecasted. According to Verdantix's study, UK spending from Britain’s biggest firms on the likes of energy, environment, or green initiatives from 2010 and 2015 is to grow by 12 per cent this year –  which leaves the forecast for growth of UK gross domestic product at only 0.6 per cent trailing in its wake. The study predicts growth across the green goods market and it will apparently ... Full Story

A Shropshire council has begun checking just how much waste residents of select areas are recycling in an attempt to save money on landfill taxes. Officers from Telford and Wrekin will go out side by side with collection crews and are going to note which recycling containers will be put out while estimating how full each one currently is. In a statement, the council said that the exercise isn’t an excuse to snoop and that grey rubbish bins won’t be checked. The review will start in Woodside and a certain part of Madeley. The aim is to look at the ways that ... Full Story

Leicestershire scientists planning to revolutionise lavatories have had a £250,000 grant awarded to them by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is hoped by the Loughborough University team that the scheme is going to save lives while improving sanitation across the world. Professor Mohammed Sohail, the leader of the project, insists that a "stand alone system" will safely recycle human waste and turn it into energy - as opposed to simply disposing of it. The foundation says that around 2.6 billion people can't access safe toilets. The project, entitled Reinventing the Toilet, is part of a new multi-million pound strategy that aims ... Full Story

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Eighteen months after a highly divisive bin strike in the city of Leeds, the councillor charged with organising the service has returned back to the floor. Mark Dobson is currently responsible for running environmental services on Leeds city council's executive board and took over the responsibility under a fortnight ago when he decided to go out and do a full shift as one of the city's binners. Since then, Dobson has branded the experience "worthwhile", and explained that it gave him a clearer insight into how the service is operating at present. The 11-week dispute, that finally came to a close in ... Full Story

A council is looking into whether it can boost its recycling levels through giving households smaller wheelie bins. Over 70 households in Newport participated in a three-month-long trial and used bins at least a quarter as small as they usually. Strategy report sees the concept as being a key plan for the 2011-12 campaign and a reduction in waste bins' sizes should help to promote recycling. Newport's council confirmed that firm proposals are yet to be put forward and others around Wales are facing pressure with regards to improving and maintaining their recycling rates as the Welsh Government has set them a ... Full Story

North Yorkshire County Council has awarded the controversial 25-year waste management contraction to AmeyCespa for North Yorkshire and York. The decision follows Government approval to use part of the funds allocated in PFI credits – a type of grant – to pay out the contract. The solution proposed by AmeyCespa will include recovery of nonrecyclable waste and will allow York and North Yorkshire to exceed their goal of 50 per cent waste recycled by 2020. Technologies proposed for the waste management include reclamation and mechanical sorting of nearly 20,000 tonnes of municipal waste each year. Anaerobic Digestion ... Full Story

The latest numbers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that in the age of austerity Britons are throwing away less food. Figures from the most recent data collected by the state department show that food waste fell last year by 2.7 per cent dropping to 23.6 million tonnes. According to experts the downwards trend comes from people becoming increasingly conscientious of waste and making things last. As trends move towards sustainable living and growing your own food, more people have set-up compost heaps in their backyards and begun buying fewer groceries at the store. Even celebrity chefs ... Full Story

Ed Miliband has declared that climate change is the biggest problem facing the UK in the near future. The new Labour leader, who laid out his vision of the next few years for both his party and the country, also stated that climate change as an issue also requires more interest to be shown in it by politicans. In his first major address since staving off competition and beating his brother David in Labour Party leadership contests, Mr Miliband criticised what he has personally dubbed X-Factor politics as well as the very notion that politicians should not focus on green issues due ... Full Story

Welsh Environment Minister Jane Davidson will showcase Wales' waste reduction successes with officials, politicians and environmental groups from across the globe. Delivering the keynote address at the Zero Waste Summit 2010, Ms Davidson will speak on the advances that Wales has made in managing its household, commercial and industrial waste issues. The International Ministerial Keynote Address is given by a new representative each year, who is invited to speak on behalf of their country's waste management advancement. Wales is just one of three countries that have instituted mandatory regulatory measures that move towards sustainability. It was also the first UK government to ... Full Story