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

If there is one thing that became certain after the United Nations Summit on climate change, which most leaders called a failure, it's that for real change to happen it will have to occur at the local level.  People cannot be forever waiting for politicians and world leaders to fix problems that must be fixed from the bottom up, and not the other way around.  Some governments have made real efforts to affect change, however, some environmental groups are saying that people should not wait for governments to take action and if they want to see real change on environmental ... Full Story

Over the past year the issue of climate change has gotten a lot of attention in the press.  The UN summit on climate change failed in many regards but did succeed in raising awareness.  Many people are aware of some of the difficulties presented by this issue. The potential effects of climate change and global warming have been widely discussed and debated over the last few months.  Reports of rising sea, levels, cyclones, floods, and droughts have brought apocalyptic visions to many around the world, and even spawned a few thrillers on the silver screen.  However, some people may be ... Full Story

The United Kingdom has been looking for any way possible to raise recycling rates and cut down the amount of waste they send to landfills.  Studies have shown that there are various successful ways to get people to change their behavior.  Although we like to think of ourselves as smart and good people the fact of the matter is that most people will not do anything that does not directly relate to them.  This is why incentive programs, both positive and negative, have been effective ways to get people to adopt greener behavior.  Some councils have given residents vouchers which ... Full Story

One of the biggest trends around the United Kingdom is to find ways to make the home more sustainable and environmentally friendly.  After the Copenhagen climate summit was declared a failure by almost everyone involved it became clear that if real progress is going to be made, it must be done by individuals and that people can no longer wait for world leaders to solve all of their problems.  This has led to some interesting innovations in home design, as residents try to find ways to make their homes more eco-friendly.  Not only are residents recycling at higher rates but ... Full Story

Food waste has been a major issue over the last few weeks as prominent politicians tried to use the holidays as the opportune time to remind people about the dangers of food waste.  Both Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn each spoke out about reducing waste over the holidays and then carrying those attitudes throughout the year.  Not only does food waste account for a large percentage of the waste that is thrown into landfills it can do additional damage as it breaks down and releases methane, which is far more harmful to the environment than carbon.  As more countries turn ... Full Story

Over the last year the United Kingdom has taken a lot of heat over its failure to meet many of the European Union's directives when it comes to recycling and waste management.  The European Union laid out specific directives for each of its member nations to reduce the amount of rubbish that was being sent to landfills and to increase recycling rates.  This led to the government pushing for local councils to come up with new and innovative ways to achieve higher recycling rates.  The efforts have definitely shown success, as the UK has increased its recycling rates, especially from ... Full Story

Last year Hilary Benn announced that the goal of the United Kingdom should be to become a zero waste country, or as close to it as possible.  Many thought this was an impossible task as it was announced earlier this year that the UK as behind most of its European counterparts when it comes to recycling and waste management.  Recycling rates around the United Kingdom have gone up since but are still far behind most of Europe and certainly nowhere near the level of a zero waste country.  After the United Nations summit on climate change was deemed a failure ... Full Story

Some segments of the recycling industry have been growing at breakneck speed while others still lag behind.  While the United Kingdom does well at recycling items like plastic, paper, and aluminum they have fallen behind when it comes to steel, organic waste, and electronics.  E-waste can be particularly harmful, as it not only takes up valuable space in landfills but batteries from electronic devices can be very harmful to the environment.  When batteries leak they can put harmful chemicals into the soil that eventually find their way into water supplies.  As the Christmas season draws near there will be millions ... Full Story

In an effort to encourage those households which recycle the most, as well as encourage more people to develop greener lifestyles, a new scheme has been launched which will offer vouchers to the families who create the least amount of waste.   Recycle Bank, Veolia Environmental Services, and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead have started the program which hopes to increase the awareness of how easy recycling can be and also how important it is to the future of the United Kingdom and the world at large. Studies have shown that people are more likely to recycle if it is easy, ... Full Story

While governments around the world scramble to find new ways to cut emissions, they are putting pressure on local councils and businesses to come up with new and innovative ways to cut emissions and increase recycling.  While these schemes have good intentions, many feel that people should not be relying on the government to tell them how to live their lives and that if true change is going to be made that it must be made by individuals, not big groups.  After it was revealed that world leaders, who can't be asked to make changes in their own lifestyles, will ... Full Story