Recycling roads
July 19, 2007 at 12:28 pm
We’ve all heard about recycling food, packaging and clothes, but recycling roads is not quite as common. Several roads in Hemel Hempstead are to be completely re-surfaced by recycling their old surfaces. Four roads have been targeted for much-needed improvement, as the existing road surface has become worn out. The top surface is taken up, processed and then placed back onto the same road that it came from. Research carried out by The Transport Research Lab (TRL) found that only 17% of the 70 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste generated annually is recycled. However, there is potential to increase this to in excess of 70%. Both local and central government are keen to promote more sustainable, environmentally friendly regimes of road construction, which will cut the demand on primary aggregates and the associated environmental impact that this brings. Recycling road waste will conserve resources, divert waste from landfill and also has several other benefits.
The process will cut the costs traditionally associated with laying a new road, due to the re-use of original material. Using this old material also has obvious environmental benefits. Furthermore, there will be a huge reduction in harmful emissions from the large lorries which are usually required to take away the old road-surface and subsequently bring in the new one.
Hemel Hempstead is not the first area to introduce such an environmentally friendly road laying scheme. The successful road recycling programmes initiated in Bishop’s Stortford, Harpenden and Ware last year encouraged authorities in Hemel Hempstead to adopt the scheme.
In recent years, the benefits of recycling roads have been at the forefront of environmental issues. There have been two series of workshops held by AggRegain, an information service dedicated to sustainable aggregates. These workshops retain a focus on increasing the specification, procurement and use of recycled aggregates – they were aimed specifically at local authority highway engineers, in order to encourage them and their contractors to adopt the environmentally friendly process.
If more local authorities can be encouraged to adopt the process of road recycling, a real difference can be made in the quest to help save the environment, whilst saving the taxpayer a considerable amount of money at the same time.
Recycling plastic
July 19, 2007 at 12:22 pm
The UK as a whole generates a staggering two million tonnes of plastic waste each year, and sadly for the environment only seven percent is recycled. This is not down to a lack of desire from the public, but because of the difficulties in recycling plastics: there are so many different types of plastics that it is a labour intensive task to sort them all out. In addition, the high degree of contamination, especially with food, makes the recycled material less commercially valuable.
However, it is not all bad news. As plastics go, bottles are the easiest to recycle (being made predominantly of only three types of plastic) and 92% of local authorities provide some sort of recycling scheme for them. So far, a quarter of all the bottles in the UK are being recycled this year, twice the percentage for 2004. Last year 108,000 tonnes of plastic bottles were recycled according to Recoup, the plastics recycling body, saving around 162,000 tonnes of carbon. There have been calls from frustrated householders, however, to increase the kerbside collection of plastics. Only 60% of local authorities offer such collections, with the rest expecting the householder to take their bottles to a collection point. It seems that for one reason or another, our green credentials are put to the test when we have to take our plastics to a collection point with kerbside collection schemes being four times more effective.
Other plastic items such as margarine tubs are less easy to recycle because they are made from a blend of materials. Despite the difficulty however, there are thirty local authorities who offer recycling schemes for plastic items other than bottles.
The issue of plastic bags is currently a hot potato with all the major supermarkets competing to see who is “greenest”. Initiatives include the recycling of bags returned to the stores, jute bags for sale, reusable “bags for life”, “green points” awarded to customers who use their own bags and the use of recycled plastics in manufacturing the bags. Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags in 2002 and has reported a 90% reduction in their use. The irony is that according to Defra, more people have been buying plastic bin liners, which are even more environmentally unfriendly, as a result of the tax. London’s mayor, Ken Livingstone, is pressing for some sort of tax to be levied on plastic bags or for the bags to be banned altogether. With the Government Office for London opposing the measures, however, they are unlikely to go ahead.
Recycling is not enough: we must reduce consumption
July 19, 2007 at 12:11 pm
New research from The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals that while recycling rates have risen, we must change our buying habits and attitudes to consumption to tackle the UK’s escalating waste problem.
The report Consumption: reducing, reusing and recycling warns that the benefits of recycling may be undermined by the sheer quantity of waste being generated. If household waste continues to rise by three per cent a year, the cost to the UK economy will be £3.2 billion and harmful methane emissions will double by 2020. The 300 million tonnes of waste produced in the UK each year does not even take account of the waste generated overseas in producing the goods we consume.
Proposals emerging from the report include:
- Developing more “closed loop” systems, in which resources are recycled to go back to their original use; for example, returning composted food waste to the land as fertiliser.
- Setting a “per capita” residual waste target to limit the amount of waste each of us produces and backing this up with variable charging of householders for waste collection services.
- Using innovative producer responsibility agreements to reduce landfill and encourage the re-use and recycling of old products.
The report also argues that social science can make a valuable contribution to waste policy and recommends ‘social marketing’, which involves the use of commercial marketing techniques to influence attitudes and change behaviour for the benefit of society.Meanwhile, a step in the right direction is signalled as nine of the UK’s biggest brands, with a combined annual turnover in excess of £9 billion, sign up to the Courtauld Commitment. Established in 2005, the agreement engages retailers to work with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to reduce waste and introduce more recyclable packaging. The Courtauld Commitment’s target is to reduce the 6.3 million tonnes of packaging reaching UK homes each year by at least 340,000 tonnes by 2010. The latest signatories include Britvic, Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd, Mars UK and Nestlé UK.
Only 2% of consumers aware of electrical recycling legislation
July 19, 2007 at 11:48 am
A survey carried out by electrical chain Comet reveals that only 2% of Britons are aware of important legislation giving electrical manufacturers and retailers new recycling responsibilities. Half of the 2,000 people surveyed had never recycled an electrical item and one in five were not aware that such items could be recycled.
The final parts of the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) directive come into force on 1st July 2007. The directive aims to reduce the quantity of waste from electrical equipment and increase its re-use, recovery and recycling. It affects producers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment, including household appliances, lighting, power tools, toys, and IT, telecoms, audiovisual and sports equipment.
Every company in the UK that manufactures, imports or re-brands such goods must now be part of an approved producer compliance scheme. This allows the type and number of goods produced by each manufacturer to be monitored. From 1st July, producers have to contribute to the costs associated with the treatment, recovery and disposal of WEEE. The Environment Agency provides information for producers, including a list of approved compliance schemes.
Anyone selling new electronic and electrical equipment must provide facilities for domestic customers to return old equipment free of charge when they purchase a replacement item. There are no such requirements for sales to businesses. There are two main options for distributors:
- Join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS), run by Valpak which supports a network of collection facilities where consumers can return their WEEE.
- Offer in-store take-back of old equipment when consumers buy a replacement item. Collected equipment must then be made available to producer compliance schemes for treatment and recycling.
One in ten people surveyed by Comet said that their local authority had not made recycling policies clear and 7% believed that they had no facilities for electrical waste recycling available to them. Comet have announced that they are expanding their collection and recycling facilities for large electrical items to all UK households. The Comet service has recycled more than 3 million items so far.You can search for local recycling services at the Recycle Now website. Search results list categories of items accepted by home collection services and recycling sites, including electricals. Detailed information on the WEEE directive, including factsheets for producers, distributors and exporters, is available from the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform.
New rules on the export of recyclable waste
July 19, 2007 at 11:20 am
New regulations affecting the export of recyclable waste such as paper, cardboard and certain types of plastic have just come in to force in the UK. The rules, set out by the European Commission, mainly affect businesses exporting so-called “green list” waste, which poses only a low risk to the environment. They will also support measures to stop toxic waste being dumped in developing countries, following an incident last year when 16 died and thousands fell ill in Africa’s Ivory Coast after waste was dumped from a Dutch-chartered ship.
Although controversial, millions of tonnes of recyclable materials are shipped overseas from the UK every year. The Environment Agency argues that there is a legitimate and growing trade for this waste, which is seen as a valuable resource in many countries.
As of 12th July, it will be the responsibility of recyclable waste exporters to check that the country they export to is happy to receive the waste and if so, under what conditions. Businesses must check which category the waste they are exporting falls in to:
- Prohibited – Waste that cannot be exported under any circumstances. This includes the export of hazardous waste to developing countries.
- Notifiable – Waste which cannot be moved without prior written permission from the relevant authorities. This includes hazardous waste being moved for recovery.
- Green List – Waste which can be moved without prior permission, but is subject to other requirements. This is mainly non-hazardous waste.
The application of the rules depends not only on the type of waste but also on the status of the countries sending and receiving it and whether it is to be recovered or disposed of. The Environment Agency is warning that the new rules are complex and urging those affected to read their guidance on International Shipments of Waste. They say that getting the process right means efforts can be focused on pursuing those who export mixed, poor quality waste to countries that don’t want it.
Fashionable recycling
July 19, 2007 at 11:14 am
Are you eager to help the recycling cause but find going into a charity shop to buy second-hand clothes a bit of a turn-off? If so, you are not alone. Many people regard charity shops as a place to cast off their unwanted, old, often hugely unfashionable and unflattering items of clothing. For this reason, if you are looking for a new designer dress or a new pair of stunning heels, a charity shop is probably the last place you would think of looking. However, there is a solution to this problem that is becoming ever more popular, particularly in Canada: the consignment store. In the UK, these stores are not as popular but you may hear them be referred to as dress agencies.
Consignment stores are like charity shops except they only stock high-quality, fashionable items. There are different types of consignment store, with some checking every single item they receive to make sure it is a genuine designer item and not a fake and others which are less strict but still sell great quality stock. In relation to the charity shops we are accustomed to in the UK, consignment stores are relatively expensive, with some tops being sold for hundreds of dollars (bear in mind though that this same top could have cost thousands of dollars originally). Having said this though, there are bargains available too, perhaps the best example being a Burberry raincoat for just over 17 dollars. If any items are not bought after being discounted like this, they will go to charity.
If the knowledge that you are helping to save the planet isn’t enough to encourage you to search through your wardrobe and pick out the old designer dress you haven’t worn for years, then you might be persuaded by the fact that you will be paid for donating your clothes. Unlike charity shops, which expect strictly free donations, consignment stores are more realistic and clients can expect a healthy cut of the profit.
Stores work with thousands of clients, who regularly buy and sell goods. Their identities are strictly private and they are identified only by an account number. By building up personal, respectful relationships with rich, even famous clients, consignment stores ensure that they are always fully stocked with the best of the best.
One dress agency in Cobham, Surrey, recently attracted attention due to the relocation of Chelsea Football Club to the village. The influx of footballer’s wives to Cobham caused mass hysteria among many local women who frequent the dress agency, Phoenix, who hoped to see the WAGS’ cast-offs at a cheap price!
Essex Councillors patrol the streets checking recycling
July 19, 2007 at 10:49 am
In the last decade recycling has gone from being an option to a requirement, and the government has created a number of bodies to regulate and improve recycling methods and services, all of them striving for continual improvements in the percentage of waste that the UK recycles every year. One such body, the Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP) was created in 2000 to develop recycling strategies. A separate branch of WRAP called ROTATE provides free advice for local authorities to manage their recycling services.
WRAP helps local authorities by providing a series of maps highlighting where some areas have succeeded in various schemes more than others. Statistics displaying how many kilograms of waste are produced in that area per year are highlighted. In 2004 the government set the target for local authorities at 30% of all household waste to be either recycled or composted by 2010.
Southend Council in Essex was assessed in 2005/06 and from 71,000 households the total amount of waste was 1200kg. With the Department of Food and Rural Affairs breathing down the necks of all local authorities, Southend’s own councillors may soon be taking to the streets themselves, going door to door, checking up on the bins of their residents.
Southend Council’s cabinet member responsible for public protection and waste disposal Ian Robertson told the Essex Echo that “Councillors should be out and about in the wards, learning the problems residents face…I would hope councillors would then be finding out why people are not bothering to recycle”. Mr Robertson then goes on to stress the importance education plays and suggested that residents might even need Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators or other voluntary workers to visit households in order to answer any questions. Will it be long before our bins are under CCTV surveillance?
Lewisham Council in London introduced smaller wheelie bins, about three quarters of the standard size, in order to encourage recycling. Residents wouldn’t be able to fill them up with waste to the usual amount anymore.
Blaby District Council increased the price of their larger waste bins and the price of additional waste bags in order to sway people into recycling their waste.
Craven District Council launched a pilot scheme in 2005 whereby residents were required to fill a special blue-bag with recyclable paper and then at the end of the month one of the blue-bags would be selected at random and the household chosen would win a cash prize of £50. A similar scheme in York was launched and the Head of Waste Strategy Kirsty Walton said “Persuading people to change their behaviour is a challenge and recycling is no exception…we want to find new ways to encourage these people to get started”.
The award for most original method of all must go to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. They used an approach that pulled at the heart-strings somewhat more, running a series of TV adverts where children dressed as superheroes presented the message “It’s our future, please don’t throw it away”.
Council tries to deal with free newspaper problem
July 19, 2007 at 10:29 am
As any commuter knows, the number of free newspapers being thrust at you is on the increase. Consequently, so too is the amount of discarded paper flying around the streets. Newspapers account for 25% of street litter with the worst affected areas being Charing Cross and Embankment, Victoria Station, Oxford St and Leicester Square. Almost a million of these free newspapers are distributed to commuters each day, who usually either drop them where they walk or put them straight in the nearest bin.
Since the introduction last summer of London Lite and The London Paper more than 100,000 tonnes of discarded free papers have ended up in landfill, rendered unsuitable for recycling because they are so badly contaminated with other waste. This is costing the Westminster taxpayer £111,000 a year. The council already provides 131 bins for recycling newspapers but will need another 300 to cope with the extra papers. The cost of these new bins plus the extra lorries and staff to do the collections will amount to more than half a million pounds and this is why Westminster Council have decided enough is enough and have given the publishers of the free papers a month to reach a voluntary agreement. If this is not done then the council will reduce the number of distribution points, introduce permits to tackle the problem, or enforce litter pick-up schemes. Unfortunately under the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act the council cannot force the publishers to recycle.
Despite all this negative press, one group of people (apart from the homeless who use the papers as bedding) who would be sad to see their demise are the street vendors of the Evening Standard who supplement their income by distributing the freebies.
The publishers (the Daily Mail & General Trust and News International) are both said to be committed to solving the problem and have offered to meet some of the £500,000 for extra bins and collection. However, it was clear at the meeting on July 9th that Westminster Council’s patience is wearing thin.
Contaminated recycling ends up in landfill
July 19, 2007 at 10:14 am
Pressure from the government to increase the country’s recycling rate from 27% to 50% seems to be having a negative effect on councils. We as householders may feel that we are doing our bit for the recycling schemes but it is what happens after the material leaves our homes that counts.
Many councils’ schemes are seriously flawed and an alarming number are unable to say where or how the materials are recycled. In some cases their sole concern appears to be getting rid of the stuff. A large part of the problem would seem to be “co-mingled” collections where householders put paper, glass, plastic and cans into the same bag or bin and then councils send it all to be sorted at material recycling facilities. Unfortunately because of a lack of long-term investment, these depots are often under-staffed and overworked leading to cross-contamination of materials.
Although co-mingled collections are a practical solution for some areas, there is obviously a case for separately sorted collections where household space is not an issue. Householders also need to take responsibility for what ends up in their recycling bags or bins. Food waste and soiled nappies are amongst the less desirable items which have found their way into containers of supposedly recyclable material.
People in the industry are reluctant to speak out in case the public lose all confidence in recycling schemes but the situation has become so serious, that they are campaigning for councils to sort the material at the time of collection or to get householders to sort it themselves.
Aylesford Newsprint is a company which recycles paper but according to a report in a recent newspaper they have to send 9000 tons of plastic, glass and metal to landfill sites each year.
Glass manufacturers are also badly hit by contamination of material. Once clear glass has been smashed and mixed with coloured glass it can no longer be used and is either sent to landfill sites or used as road aggregate. If in doubt use the local bottle bank where separate containers are available for differently coloured glass.
Mixed plastics are another problem area. Bottles are fine but some councils are under the misapprehension that items such as margarine tubs and yoghurt pots can also be recycled. This unfortunately is only very rarely the case in the UK and they end up being transported to countries such as India, China and Indonesia which together receive about 10,000,000 tons of our rubbish per year.
This may all make rather depressing reading but it is by no means a reason to give up recycling. Instead, if you are concerned about your council’s recycling scheme you should contact the Recycling Team at your local council and ask some important questions. If you are still not satisfied that all is well, consider lobbying your local councillor to ensure that the system is running properly. Apart from the environmental issues, they are missing out on an excellent commercial opportunity to sell material to companies that are prepared to spend millions a year on properly sorted items.
Currys launch first in-store WEEE collection
July 12, 2007 at 2:56 pm
The retailer Currys has announced that it will launch the first UK in-store recycling scheme designed to accommodate end-of-life electrical products, on June 28th. This scheme will work in accordance with the Waste Electrical and Electronics Equipment (WEEE) directive, which comes into effect a few days after, on July 1st. The scheme is designed to improve upon Currys’ already impressive levels of recycling. The company currently recycles thousands of products every year but they recognise that recycling and disposal tend to coincide with replacement. Indeed, the company takes back over 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life products, and in many cases the base materials are recycled and used to make new products which continue to be sold in the store. To ensure that Currys meets the standards of the new WEEE initiative with its latest scheme, the company has set up a unique network of specialist recycling contractors, who will ensure that the standards are reached and maintained. These contractors will also make sure that the disposal of the collected goods is, above all else, safe and will pose no danger to either the natural environment or the general public.
The scheme is relatively simple. Customers will be able to return without any charge, products (regardless of where they were purchased) directly to any one of the network of 500 Currys stores. Alternatively, if they are having new electrical products delivered to their homes, they can easily arrange to have their equivalent old product being replaced, collected. Significantly, Currys are the only electrical retailer opting for such a customer-friendly interpretation of the WEEE Directive.
The WEEE directive itself was agreed on 13th February 2003 and was set up to ensure that major producers, rebranders and importers of household electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) pay for the responsible disposal and recycling of their goods. Electrical waste is growing at a worrying rate, around three times the rate of general waste. The WEEE regulations when brought into practice on July 1st will encourage more recycling, recovery and reuse, and will stop electrical items reaching landfill and causing excess waste unnecessarily. The WEEE directive will also work at an individual level, encouraging the public to take more direct responsibility for recycling and reuse of electronic goods. Stores such as Currys will help enormously with this initiative and hopefully will lead to more similar take-back schemes being set up by other retailers.
Currys’ steps at helping the environment through recycling are not really surprising. After all, Currys’ parent company DSG International has always been committed to sustainable production of goods. DSG International are also responsible for Dixons, who are calling on suppliers to bring an end to the standby button on all electrical goods, in order to reduce the energy usage of products. Electrical goods can actually use as much energy on stand-by mode as they do when they are operating to their full potential. Around 10% of the average household’s electricity bill is wasted through appliances which are left on when not in use. This not only wastes money but is also harming the environment for no good reason.
