According to Local Government Minister Rodney Hide, Aucklanders’ will save up to 20 per cent on their water bills as soon as next July. As the Super City Council looks to outline new ratepayer gains, the announcement follows Auckland’s water providers being consolidated into one firm, Watercare Services Limited. The new utility will introduce one tariff that will cover 1,000 litres for $1.30 as opposed to the previous range of $1.31 to $2.33. According to Mr Hide, the council has reviewed 11 reports that stated that one water agency would lead to significant savings for local residents. Wastewater charges have not yet ... Full Story

An additional 37,000 residences have been added to a new recycling scheme in Halton to encourage more recycling within the borough. The initial six-month pilot being run by RecycleBank used a rewards-based system to encourage householders to recycle more. The pilot was such a success that the council has now extended it to Widnes and Runcorn. Halton Borough Council was the first authority in the north and the second county in the UK to receive the scheme. By 2011, an additional 9,000 homes will become part of the scheme. Cllr Rob Polhill, leader of the Halton Borough Council, said that the roll ... Full Story

The plan’s for the controversial new waste processing plant proposed for North Yorkshire will be released to the public during the next few days, councilors have said. Aimed at diverting waste in the area from landfill, the proposed waste incinerator has met with protests from local residents and environmental groups. The facility, which will include a multi-million pound incinerator, will be able to process hundreds of tonnes of rubbish per year for the council. However, the facility, to be built at Allerton Waste Recovery Park, has met with large amounts of public disapproval. This has prompted those supporting the scheme to ... Full Story

The City of York Council said that it will resume its box deliveries for its kerbside recycling scheme for households that have not yet received them.Deliveries were placed on hold at the peak of the summer holiday season in order to avoid the risk of boxes being left outside houses while families were away on vacation. Over 30,000 households had already received the new boxes at the beginning of summer and the remainder – around 40,000 households – will all have the new boxes beginning 6 September. The new box scheme incorporates three containers, each designed to store specific recyclable materials ... Full Story

A new scheme will be launched in Nuneaton and Bedworth as part of a larger initiative to boost household recycling rates in the area. With a particular focus on beverage cans and metal packaging materials, the scheme will incorporate a series of leaflets that will be sent door-to-door designed to explain to borough residents how the new programme will work. Lasting 6 weeks, the scheme will encompass the existing Red Box kerbside recycling scheme that the local council currently operates. ‘Metal Matters’, as the initiative has been dubbed, will see residents aim to increase the amount of metal packaging ... Full Story

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A consultation has been ordered to examine ways to reduce Oxfordshire’s waste. The review will begin now and run until 24 September. Residents of the city are being asked to give their own views on how to best manage the growing waste issue within the council particularly the region’s household waste. According to county and district councils, it is vital the city begin cutting waste both for monetary as well as environmental benefits. Currently, the county composts and recycles over 48 per cent of its waste, but due to increased amounts of waste production amounting to 26,000 tonnes in the past ten ... Full Story

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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

NIPSCO will partner with American Recycling Centers of America to offer a free appliance recycling scheme that will be offered to residential electric customers. Beginning next Tuesday, the new programme will allow customers of the utility wanting to get rid of their older, redundant freezers and refrigerators schedule a free pickup. In exchange, NIPSCO will hand out a $35 reward as incentive as part of its recycling initiative. Older freezers and refrigerators typically take at least 700 to 1,600 kilowatt hours per year to operate. By replacing an old refrigerator with a more efficient new one, householders can save up to 1,200 ... 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

A council chairman in Rochford District Council has warned the UK government to avoid meddling with its impeccable recycling initiative, which the councillor hails as the best in the country. The Government announced that it would seek to cut down on the number of wheelie bins allocated to each household across the country. The hopes is to prevent excessive amounts of containers from clogging up streets and sidewalks. Announced by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, the government said that the removal would aim to make rubbish disposal easier for householders. However, Rochford District Council, which remains number one in the nation in terms ... Full Story