Recycling rate in Tower Hamlets: 88%!

"The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has a recycling rate of 26.4%. Many residents recycle much more than this by living more sustainably. This household has a recycling rate of 88%. 

"Tower Hamlets currently spend £2,317,043 a year on landfill tax, which will increase to £3,861,739 by 2014, if the recycling rate stays the same."

PackagingNews: "Plastics recycling breakthroughs unveiled"

Link to PackagingNews

"Wrap has announced that it has identified methods of recycling black plastics, complex laminated plastics, plastic films, and polypropylene (PP) that would typically be destined for landfill.

"Wrap Closed Loop Economy director, Marcus Gover, said:

"There have been, and there are still, barriers to overcome, and Wrap will continue to work closely with the industry to develop these new methods and technologies, so that, in the future, local authorities can offer their residents a way of recycling even more of their plastic packaging.”

WLWA awarded funds to start reward scheme for reuse

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"A unique and innovative scheme to reward residents who use resources better, prevent waste, and encourage the reuse of materials is set to launch in west London. 

"A pilot scheme in Brent and Richmond will offer around 370,000 residents aged 16 or over the opportunity to get a free reward card, that will enable them to claim cash benefits for either:

• donating quality items to be reused, or 
• buying things that have been used before, or have been made from unwanted materials or waste."

Link to web site

"The UK's first ever plant for recycling nappies is to open today. The facility, which will also recycle feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products, is the first of five planned over four years by Knowaste, an organisation which specialises in absorbent hygiene product (AHP) waste recycling. 

"Knowaste said the first site in West Bromwich will use state-of-the-art technology to recycle AHPs, sterilising and separating the materials to recover plastic and fibre that can then be used for making new products, such as roof tiles or plastic components and fibre based construction and commercial tubes."

Daily Telegraph: "Banning plastic bags will not have the slightest effect on global warming"

Link to the Daily Telegraph

"There are lots of things wrong with plastic bags: for a start, they're an especially ubiquitous and unsightly form of litter, blowing around in the wind and getting stuck in trees. They take up landfill space. They're a danger to wildlife, especially marine life, and some (though not, so much, British ones) end up in great litter agglomerations in the south Pacific. 

"But, if you're re-using them in an attempt to prevent global warming, I'm afraid it's an exercise in tokenism. 

"The creation of each bag produces just 31 grammes (one ounce) of carbon dioxide, according to George Marshall of the 'Climate Outreach and Information Network' – about the same as driving your car 300 feet. The plastic is usually non-biodegradable, so it's stable in landfills and doesn't give off methane from there. (Perhaps ironically, moves towards producing biodegradable bags may actually be harmful.) And, depending on the kind of "Bag for Life" that is used instead and how many times they are used, the apparently 'green' alternative may be more carbon-intensive."

LetsRecycle: "Veolia unveils innovative MRF sorting technique"

Link to 'LetsRecycle' web site

"Veolia ES has unveiled a new ‘economically viable’ approach to sorting which it claims will allow councils to collect a wider range of plastics from households without having to use more containers. 

"The technology, dubbed ‘The Magpie’, is set to be installed in the UK for the first time this week at the 30,000 tonne-a-year capacity materials recycling facility (MRF) Veolia is building at Padworth in West Berkshire. The company then plans to retro-fit it in its 10 existing MRFs nationwide."

'Incineration myth'

"During the briefing, Mr Kirkman disputed the 'myth' that Veolia’s waste activities focus on incineration. 'We recycle as much as we incinerate,' he said, adding that 'we’ll have more treatment capacity that isn’t incineration by the beginning of next year'.

“... Much has been made about the benefits of Anaerobic Digestion, but it has yet to achieve its full potential. By combining AD with other technologies, such as composting, we believe AD can have a very bright future in the UK,” he said.