The incinerator proposed for Splott in Cardiff will receive an extended deadline for residents to voice their concerns prior to the Cardiff council granting an environmental permit. Environment Agency Wales initially backed the proposed plant and but has extended the deadline for consultations by 10 days after concerns arose that residents would not have time to comment due to a school holiday. Cardiff council has already given the project planning permission. According to a statement from Environment Agency Wales, the body wants to make sure that all householders have ample time to comment and voice concerns regarding the planned facility. It also ... Full Story

The green light has been given for a controversial new biomass incinerator slated to be built in Glenavy. The North’s Environment Minister Edwin Poots approved the power plant yesterday amidst strong protests from Co Antrim residents and environmental groups. Upon completion, the proposed plant will generate enough electricity to power up to 25,000 residences. Rose Energy is behind the move, which is a joint venture firm comprised of the three largest poultry producers in the area; O’Kane Poultry, Glenfarm Holdings and Moy Park. The new facility will also bring 40 new jobs into the area as well as provide construction jobs for ... Full Story

Major UK mobile service provider, O2, has launched the first ever sustainable rating system for mobile handsets. In the wake of survey results indicating that 44 per cent of the mobile giant’s customers would be influenced by environmental factors when deciding on a mobile phone, O2 has designed a new scheme that will allow it to rate mobile handsets produced by various firms. The newly founded Eco Rating will score phones out of 5, and currently the Sony Ericsson Elm has received top marks with 4.3. The scores will be published both online and in the service provider’s retail outlets. Eco Rating was designed ... Full Story

UK Corporations are starting to realise the environmental and monetary benefits of recycling old company mobile phones. It has been estimated that over 3 million firms in the UK will give out company or company-paid mobiles as part of upgrades or new handouts this year. With the large excess of redundant phones in the corporate sector, businesses are beginning to appreciate the value of recycling phones that employees exchange for new ones. Actions being taken by these firms include setting up recycling drives in building lobbies or forming partnerships with online recyclers. Not only do corporations receive environmental accolades for responsibly recycling, ... Full Story

A team of 60 firefighters are tackling a large fire at a recycling facility in Horwich. After being called to the Armstrong Group recycling plant, fire crews have continued to try to contain the blaze that broke out at 2 am after hundreds of tonnes of plastic refuse caught fire. Traffic has been shut down on Chorley New Road and the plume of smoke resulting can be seen for miles outside the facility. A support vehicle and eight of the county’s fire engines have been called to the scene. A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said that crews arrived to ... Full Story

A proposal for a series of waste plants in Basildon, Rivenhall and Colchester has been met with controversy after a new document revealed the initial plans. Essex County Council will launch a consultation detailing where the county’s waste is being sent and how best to manage it. County Hall has requested that companies begin submitting proposals for ways to better handle household black bag waste. The winning scheme will be selected by the council to receive a £100million in private grant funding. Initially reports indicated that just one major waste processing facility, which would encompass recycling, treatment, composting and energy recovery would ... Full Story

Firefighters are battling a large blaze at a recycling plan in Edinburgh that began yesterday. With smoke clouds visible as far away as Fife, the blaze has so far required the efforts of six fire engines and four specialised appliances. The Biffa plant, located on West Shore Road, has already had its roof cave in and the steel structure is beginning to buckle. Furthermore, the fire, at its height, required eight firefighters to enter the building in oxygen masks. Fire Group Manager Robert Taylor said on the scene that the call about the fire came in around 5.25 am and personnel were ... 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

Every Can Counts teamed up with Manchester-based creative agency Studio North to promote workplace recycling at last week’s V Festival. The annual festival hosted a ‘Can you kick it’ football challenge in order to promote the Every Can Counts initiative, which encourages concert goers to exchange at a minimum one empty can and be entered to win VIP campaign tickets to attend next year’s V Festival. Studio North has also been developing ‘on the go’ recycling schemes as well as adding a social media aspect like blogging to Every Can Counts’ website. The campaign has also been featured on Twitter and Facebook ... Full Story

A waste company has been placed in administration following a large fire that has ruined the firm. With the North Yorkshire-based company going into administration, more than 30 jobs in the area are expected to be lost. The firm, which was forced to make 33 of its 37 staff redundant this week, suffered staggering losses after its facility at Marston Moor Business Park in Tockwith was consumed by the blaze. BCB Environmental Management Ltd will retain the remaining five members of its staff to oversee clean-up at the site, but then will make them redundant as well. Sheffield’s P&A Partnership will take ... 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

A new reality show, ‘Great British Waste Menu’, scored top marks in the ratings with more than 5 million viewers tuning in on Wednesday, according to the most recent audience figures. The programme features four top ranking chefs who attempt to utilise waste food to make standard restaurant dishes. Drawing in a whopping 5.09 million average for the BBC One, it aired  this week during the 8.30 to 10pm slot. The show was able to outrank ITV’s live segment on the Tottenham Hotspur’s Champion’s League victory where they beat out Young Boys, which drew in 4.11 million airing at 7.30. Overall the ... Full Story