The European metal packaging industry is making moves to improve its current recycling rate of 71 per cent. The carbon footprint of cans made by members of Empac (European Metal Packaging), will now be calculated on an interactive scorecard.   The aim of the scheme is to build on the group’s current recycling rate, which was recorded as being at 71 per cent in 2008. The calculator will also allow for consistent answers to an increasing ... Full Story

The British government is shutting down the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), the independent body monitoring and advising on sustainable development at the centre of government policy. The SDC as formed under the Labour government ten years ago and has only just released a report that details the large sums of money the government saved as a result of green policies. The UK Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, issued details of the closure in a statement that reiterated the government’s support for green policies whilst underscoring the government’s commitment to efficiency moves aimed at cutting the budget deficit. Mrs Spelman pointed to the ... Full Story

Manchester Airport is to become a recycling ‘supersone’ in a bid to become the greenest airport in Europe.  Bosses at the facility have unveiled its first sustainability report, setting out how it plans to reduce waste, increase recycling and become carbon neutral by 2015.   The plans include the use of low energy light bulbs across the site and the introduction of 125 new recycling bins throughout terminals. The report outlines how the ... Full Story

A North American recycling company is launching an online game to encourage people to build sustainable communities in the real as well as the virtual world. Waste Management, the biggest recycler in the country, is releasing Oceanopolis to social networking website Facebook in a bid to get gamers to think about cleaning up the world and conserving resources.   Oceanpolois will act as a virtual world where players can earn points by recycling virtual rubbish ... Full Story

Companies that recycle mobile phones have agreed a code of practice aimed at thwarting the sale of stolen phones. The firms buy up used mobile phones and sell many of them abroad. Phones stolen in Britain are blocked from UK networks but can still be used on foreign networks. As a result, stolen phones are frequently offered to phone recycling companies. The latest move is aimed at further reducing any incentive for thieves to target mobile phones. Phone recycling firms promote the practice of people digging out their old phones, which on average net the seller around £40. Not only do ... Full Story

A council in North Yorkshire has defended plans for a waste incinerator despite protests by residents who say the money should be spend on increasing recycling. Protesters says the planned Allerton Quarry plant, near Knaresborough, would be an eyesore, while the council maintains that it would steer 90 per cent of waste away from landfill.   The council went on to say that it expected waste in the small rural town to increase in the coming ... Full Story

Britain has leapt ahead of the rest of Europe with the installation of offshore wind farms in the first six months of 2010. The latest figures show that the United Kingdom was responsible for more than 50% of European wind-power installations in the first half of this year. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) released the latest data on wind power in Europe. It said offshore wind-power capacity in Europe expanded at record speed in the first six months of 2010. Despite a paucity of available investment funds, power capacity from offshore wind farms rose to 2.5 gigawatts, a 300 per ... Full Story

Non-profit organization Call2Recycle has launched a battery-recycling challenge for people in the United States. Call2Recycle is the only free programme in the USA that offers to collect and recycle batteries and mobile phones. Call2Recycle recently challenged Americans to join the MyCall2Recycle campaign and help the programme dig up and recycle a million pounds (454 tonnes) of batteries by 1 October. Consumers are being urged to comb through their homes for any old rechargeable batteries and mobile phones. Call2Recycle is asking people to check basements, garages, attics, closets and other storage space. Call2Recycle has a network of 30,000 locations where the public ... 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

Local government secretary Eric Pickles is rumoured to be considering offering councils cash if they axe fortnightly bin collections. Just days after whispers were circulating in the UK press about disagreements between Pickles and environment secretary Caroline Spelman regarding the frequency refuse rounds, the Daily Telegraph claims Pickles is to offer councils bribes.   The government secretary has made no secret of his opposition to fortnightly bin collections, saying the method is unhygienic and will ... Full Story

Planners have rejected proposals for a £40m incinerator that would have converted waste into energy in Northern Ireland. The site was due to be built by Veridis Energy on Ballyutoag Road, which runs from Belfast to Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland. But a letter from the environment minister has confirmed the decision to reject plans for the facility, which would have seen regular waste converted into electricity and heat.   Veridis Energy said it will ... Full Story

An international project supported by the European Commission is taking bike recycling to a new level and fostering stronger international connections between local bike recycling organisations. The Talking Bikes project is aimed at giving people from different cycling countries opportunities to meet, share information and experiences and build cultural bridges. Language training is a key aspect of the programme, and participants are encouraged to learn each others’ respective tongues. Tyneside organisation Recyke Y’Bike saves bicycles from landfills, giving them new leases on life. The group also promote cycling as an environmentally-friendly form of transport. As part of the Talking Bikes programme, ... Full Story