A ‘pay as you throw’ (PAYT) recycling scheme, first pioneered by the Labour Party, has been thrown out by the communities secretary, Eric Pickles. The proposal, which would have seen householders charged or rewarded according to the volume of waste they throw away each week, was given the cold shoulder by councils. PAYT plans are a prosaic part of politics, appearing every few yea...

Drinks giant, Coca-Cola, has announced that it has become a top-tier sponsor for RecycleBank in the UK. This partnership has been forged in an effort to increase Coca-Cola’s environmental credentials, and to provide RecycleBank members with more options for rewards. The RecycleBank scheme is an American idea which has proved popular across the Atlantic. Coca-Cola is also a main spons...

With recycling becoming increasingly important for the country as a whole, it is good news to hear that Recycle.co.uk has just re-launched its website. Recycle.co.uk has the simple but noble mission of trying to prevent as much junk as possible from being sent to landfill sites. With its new website, it has made this easier than ev...

The government's environmental watchdog has warned that Scotland still has a long way to go to reach its target of recycling 40% of rubbish by the end of 2010. The latest figures released suggest that Scotland currently recycles 34% of all rubbish and will face a serious challenge to increase that by 6% or more over the coming year. The rate of 34% is a success story given that...

A report entitled ‘Please replace the handset: mobile phone recycling in the UK’ has just been published and provides answers to many of the questions that may cross your mind when you upgrade your phone. Telecoms analysts, Ovum, who produced the report, say that the UK market is now far more “cut-throat”. The consumer, it seems, cares far more about the financial benefits of d...