UK-based AWS Eco Plastics has just announced that it has finished its £14 million upgrade to its Hemswell, Lincolnshire plant, making it Europe’s largest plastic bottle recycling facility. According to the company, the upgrade to its plant, which was made possible by £6 million in funding from the Sustainable Technology Fund, increased the facility’s capacity by 400 per cent, making it possible to process 15 tonnes of plastic waste hourly, or 100,000 tonnes each year. The chief executive of AWS, Jonathan Short, has said the facility’s upgrades now makes it possible to recycle plastic waste in the UK that had previously been ... Full Story

If the Tories win the next election, it appears that weekly bin collections will remain a once a week scheme rather than going to a fortnightly collection. Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles claims that the Tories will end the current policy of "bin cuts", which can be a hazard to public health. Pickles also stated that the Conservatives would get rid of "unelected quangos" and use available funds saved to improve recycling and standard rubbish collection schemes. The current policy of councils being permitted to impose a special fee on households that fail to recycle will also be nixed. Mr Pickles also ... Full Story

Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has announced the launch of a new Capital Grant Programme, designed to offer financial aid to companies working to prevent construction waste from being sent to landfill. The grant is designed to be a competitive process which will lead to increased efforts regarding the recycling of construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste from construction building sites. Although the scheme is focussed primarily on supporting new programmes and installations, existing materials recycling facilities (MRFs) and processors are also eligible if the grant would help to support upgrades in equipment and reprocessing capacity. The WRAP CD&E Waste Capital ... Full Story

It's a known fact that many women love to shop. However, they also have a tendency to buy things that don't fit, in the hopes that the snug garment will be the necessary incentive to lose a few pounds. A recent survey showed that 49% of UK women purchase clothes that are too small. Unfortunately, those pounds often do not come off and the shoppers are stuck with items they can't use. Nearly 45% of the women surveyed also confessed to buying shoes that don't fit just because they liked them. It's a good thing that clothing and shoes are recyclable. The survey ... Full Story

The Scottish town of Rothesay has taken yet another prize at the annual Beautiful Scotland awards.  The "Special Endeavour" prize was awarded to Rothesay for being considered to be one of the "cleanest, most sustainable and most beautiful communities in the country". In August, Judges Keith Vernon and Colin Ainsworth travelled to Rothesay to take a tour of the town's high points, which included stops at Fyne Homes' recycling projects, the new community garden in Bridgend Street, the gardens on Rothesay's esplanade and at Ardencraig, the Meadows Road allotments, and the Green Tree Café. The judges determined that "Rothesay, set ... Full Story

The communities of Otley and Pool-In-Wharfedale have been selected to participate in a fortnightly green bin recycling pilot scheme. Residents will be some of the first to experience the new scheme and Leeds City Council is hoping that the more frequent collections will help to increase recycling rates. To date, the council only collected recyclables once a month. The programme goes into effect at the end of October. Councillor Barry Anderson (Adel, Con and Wharfedale) hopes the programme will expand across the entire region. He said: "I'm pleased that we're getting a chance to pilot this in Adel and Wharfedale and very ... Full Story

A recent report from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has unveiled four of the main barriers which prevent people from recycling their waste. Also listed is series of steps designed to help local authorities increase their recycling rates. Over the past decade, the average recycling rate across Britain has raised from 7% to 33%, however, WRAP sees promise to raise the rate even higher. The four main barriers are: Physical - when containers for collecting recycling are unsuitable; when there is no space for storage, when collections are unreliable; when people have no way of getting to recycling sites Behavioral - ... Full Story

A new report shows that nearly 90 per cent of Welsh manufacturers have taken steps toward reducing their carbon footprint on the environment. The government-funded programme Envirowise together with the Engineering Employers Federation recently published a survey revealing that energy efficiency and waste management have become the key focus for many companies due to the pressure put upon them by consumers as well as government regulations. The EEF states that while strides are being made, more can be done. Part of the issue facing manufacturers is the lack of infrastructure and availability of affordable waste management services. EEF's Barry Warburton stated that increased ... Full Story

Falmouth residents are promoting a new battery recycling programme with the hope that it will find its way ... Full Story

The Prince of Wales' UK Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change has contacted the leaders of Britain's three major political parties, saying that "action cannot be delayed" regardless of other political and economical factors. According to the group, Britain must adopt the 2009 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The new framework requires that carbon emissions must be reduced by 30 per cent by 2020. The current ratio remains at 20 per cent. It also asks the government for a "comprehensive package of policy measures to change every major sector of the economy". The members of the Leaders Group are quite notable ... Full Story

Corus Steel Packaging Recycling is often referred to as the UK's "centre of expertise" regarding recycling steel packaging. The company recently published its annual Packaging Recovery Notes (PRN) report. Among the highlights of the report are the "significant achievements and benefits" made to the company's recycling infrastructure in 2007. PRNs are required by packaging chain companies so that they have evidence that the legal responsibilities for recovery and recycling are documented. PRNs can be purchased from accredited recycling operators. The report, titled ‘Moving Forward in Recycling', also reveals how Corus invested PRN funds as a means to boost steel packaging recycling rates. ... Full Story

The New Earth Solutions Recycling Facilities Investment Sub-Fund has just announced that it has raised £4 million since its July launch. The Sub-Fund was created to support New Earth Solution Ltd's recycling and waste management facilities in the UK. David Whitaker, a Director at Premier said: "We have seen strong appetite to invest in this sector. Investors and their independent financial advisers have been monitoring the market for some time and recognise the potential for good financial returns from the waste and recycling market." He added: "Over 20 of the leading international life companies and SIPP providers have also come on board ... Full Story