According to new reports, the French government will seek to begin a new series of contracts totalling 10 billion euros to fund 3,000 MW of offshore wind capacity. Next month, the government will being tendering contracts with various energy groups seeking to begin producing electricity in the form of renewable wind energy by 2015. Furthermore, the government aims to have a total of 6,000 MW in offshore wind capacity by 2020. So far five of 10 sites in Normandy have been identified to receive 600 wind turbines. France has been attempting to catch up to Germany by increasing its capacity for floating ... Full Story

Royal Dutch Shell Plc announced Thursday that it will begin commercial demonstrations of its new equipment designed to reduce waste pools that are created by Canada’s oil sands extraction industry. It also confirmed that the new tech will be made available for competitors as well. Shell executives have said, however, that it is still not certain if the new technology will be up to standard with a new directive outlined by the Alberta government. The waste pools, known in the industry as tailing ponds, are a mixture of silt, sand and the residual oil leftover from using hot water to separate ... Full Story

The future of nuclear power is causing heated debate within Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel’s administration. Germany’s latest energy policy has been giving rise to new nuclear power controversies as the dangers, costs and benefits of nuclear energy debates resurface. While many maintain that nuclear power can still be used as a means to enhance domestic energy security by producing large quantities of energy, there are still many experts that warn against the long-term health risks and hazardous disposal of long-lived nuclear waste.  Support groups, however, say that nuclear energy is a good option as it emits very few greenhouse gas ... 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

Both Norway and the UK’s governments have agreed to a joint energy venture that will see the two countries exchange strategies in both conventional and alternative energy sectors. As per the agreement, the UK will serve as the main gas consumer with Norway continuing to supply natural gas. Both governments have highlighted the necessity of natural gas by saying it was vital to obtaining energy security. They also stated that they would continue to work closely to prepare for any unforeseen emergency gas supply disruptions. The gas companies in both regions are preparing for an offshore storage facility to be built to ... Full Story

A joint research team from China and the US has been studying the effects of e-waste recycling on both people and the environment. Recycled electronic waste may be the next major environmental issue on the horizon for developing countries as they try to deal with high pollution levels and a degrading environment. Scientists have now uncovered that the chemicals and toxins emitted by recycling e-waste could pose severe environmental and health risks. Scientists in both China and the US used various toxic elements, separated from a recycling workshop at an e-waste facility within China’s Shantou City. Using base technology, they filtered out ... 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

A new scheme in Cleveland will see residents having to ensure their recycling is out in a timely manner or risk receiving a fine of $100. As the fine-based recycling schemes grow in popularity worldwide, many local authorities in the UK and US have taken to adopting the scheme. Prior to the coalition government’s announcement that the UK would focus primarily on rewards-based recycling, councils across the country were beginning to adopt penalty-based initiatives. This latest scheme in the US city in Ohio will see RFID smart chips placed into bins in order to monitor which residents are placing rubbish out on ... 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

Westfield Shopping Centre announced today the launch of its new recycling initiative, which will see an expected 675 tonnes of beverage containers diverted from landfill per year. The scheme, which will be rolled out on a national level, could collect enough recyclable material to fill nine Olympic swimming pools per year. The Parliamentary Secretary for the NSW Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Angela D’Amore MP was on hand to official kick-off the campaign at the Westfield mall in Burwood, NSW yesterday. According to Ms. D’Amore the coordinated recycling plan was a first for Australia and that it would significantly ... 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