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

A new scheme developed by a professor at the University of Central Florida will see that oil from the Gulf spill be cleaned up using specially treated waste from electric power facilities across the state. Prof. Sudipta Seal has been awarded a $67,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, which will help develop the waste material – known as flyash – into the appropriate cleaning agent. Prof. Seal will modify the refuse to make it more ... Full Story

A common sight in a UK household fridge - the half opened tin of baked beans - could now be a thing of the past as Heinz moves to bring about plastic 'fridge packs' to cutback on waste. Developed by the popular food wholesaler, the new screw-top jar of baked beans may help to cut back on tin can waste in households across the country. The 'fridge pack' is able to hold the equivalent of a little over two standard tin cans and features a clear level meter so that servings can be appropriately proportionate each time. Baked bean eaters will now ... Full Story

  A UK flooring company, which exports across the globe, has been fined for failing to show it had recycled its packaging. Worcester-based Karndean International Limited has been fined £29,700 after admitting nine charges of not recovering and recycling packaging waste between 2006 and 2008.   The case against the firm was brought to Worcester magistrates’ court by the Environmental Agency (EA) under regulations aimed at cutting the amount of commercial ... 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

A wide-ranging government review of waste management and recycling has a perceived excess of wheelie bins in its sights. Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman reckons some people have too many wheelie bins and there needs to be a review of whether this clutter should and can be reduced. Details of the review were presented in a report in the Daily Telegraph. Other points being considered in the government waste review include packaging, council bin collection frequencies, and how to incentivise Britons to recycling. It has already emerged that some homes seem to have an inordinate number of wheelie bins. Many households have ... Full Story

Thirsty residents in the south of England are being urged to take a ‘tap water test’ in a bid to cut down on waste created from bottled drinks. Councils across Dorset are urging people to go back to tap as part of a new drive to cut waste and save money and energy.   Recycling teams are heading out across the region where they are setting up stands and inviting residents to rediscover the taste ... Full Story

UK firm Dairy Crest is expanding the availability of its more environmentally-friendly milk in bags. Dairy Crest recently announced sales figures that illustrate the success the milk producer has already demonstrated in trials of the new format of bagged milk. The format has proved popular with both consumers and several national retail chains. Dairy Crest offers a unique, patented bagged milk product called Jugit. Jugit features a reusable, easy-to-pour jug into which Jugit pouched milk (milk in a special bag) is inserted. The design requires substantially less packaging material for retail handling and delivery of the milk to the customer, whilst ... Full Story

The latest figures from the Environment Agency show a marked increase in the amounts of packaging being recovered and recycled in the second quarter of 2010 but aluminium recovery is down. Some reprocessors have yet to report their data but about 1.8 million tonnes of packaging was recovered or recycled. This represents a 7.5 per cent increase over the same period of 2009. The amount of glass recovered was up by a handy 18 per cent, to 472,912 tonnes. However, some 3,000 tonnes less aluminium was recovered compared to last year. That’s a drop of 20 per cent. The lower ... Full Story

Campaigners in a Scottish community have set up their own recycling company in a bid to prove their town does not need an incinerator. A protest group from Invergordon, Ross-Shire, have set up a community company to look for new ideas on tackling the area’s waste and advancing recycling.   The group, known as ‘Invergordon Incinerator No to Waste’, has been campaigning against plans for a £43m waste incinerator which were launched by Combined Power and ... Full Story

An entrepreneur, who tamed the intimidating investors on Dragons’ Den, has won a major national recycling award. Rachel Watkyn, who owns a recycled packaging business in Horsted Keynes, has been given the title of ‘Small Business of the Year’ at the National Recycling Awards.   Miss Watkyn’s Tiny Box Company, which three years ago was given a £60,000 cash injection after hardnosed investors Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis backed her idea on the popular BBC show ... Full Story

  Plastic recycling in the UK is to be boosted with a massive £2m loan from WRAP. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is to support the reprocessing of the UK’s plastic food trays, margarine tubs and yoghurt pots with what is being called the Mixed Plastics Loan Fund (MPLF).   The aim of the MPLF is to aid potential investment in the recycling of mixed plastics, 90 per cent ... Full Story