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      <title>GARWER WasteXchange News</title>
      <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/RSS/news.phpsc</link>
      <description>GARWER WasteXchange: News about waste management and recycling</description>
      <language>EN-en</language>
      <copyright>GARWER s.r.l. 2008</copyright>
	  <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <lastBuildDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:46:11 +0100</lastBuildDate>
      <managingEditor>GARWER s.r.l. &lt;info@garwer.com&gt;</managingEditor>
      <webMaster>GARWER s.r.l. &lt;info@garwer.com&gt;</webMaster>
      	  <item>
		 <title><![CDATA[Solid waste industry managing trash as a resource]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/6B0-E03-E63</link>
         <description><![CDATA[Forget your old-fashioned ideas about the solid waste industry. It’s not just about hauling garbage anymore.
So said Bruce J. Parker, president and CEO of the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA), in a speech today to the Society of Government Economists in Washington. NSWMA represents the private sector solid waste industry in the United States.
“Most Americans probably don’t recognize today’s garbage industry for who we really are – one of the most environmentally responsive and innovative industries in the nation,” said Parker. “The nearly 400,000 American men and women who work in the public and private sectors of our industry – in positions as varied as haulers, mechanics, civil engineers and environmental scientists – have long moved beyond simply picking up trash.”
“Americans throw out more than 250 million tons of garbage each year. Our industry continues to protect public health and the environment by managing this waste,” Parker said. “But in recent years, we’ve pioneered technologies that have changed the ways we deal with our trash. We’ve invested tens of millions of dollars, not only to modernize landfills and boost recycling rates, but also to cut greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, and find renewable sources of energy that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”
Parker pointed to waste-based energy projects, which turn household garbage into clean, renewable energy. In addition to 87 waste-to-energy facilities operated by the industry – generating enough electricity to power 1.7 million homes – it also operates 470 landfill-gas-to-energy projects that provide electricity and heat for corporate and government users in 44 states. The U.S. EPA has identified an additional 520 landfills across the nation as potential candidates for similar energy projects.
“Landfill-gas-to-energy projects also address global warming by capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas,” Parker noted. The EPA estimates that using methane as renewable, “green” energy brings environmental and energy benefits equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions of 195 million barrels of oil a year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has noted that landfill-gas recovery directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Other industry initiatives include working with truck manufacturers to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles, investing in the development of alternative fuels such as biodiesel, compressed natural gas and ethanol, using renewable sources of energy such as solar to power compacting equipment, and placing solar panels and wind turbines on landfills to produce even more energy.
“Increasingly, the industry is relying on cleaner-burning fuels to power our fleet of 130,000 trucks,” Parker said. “We’re also looking toward hybrid technology to further reduce greenhouse emissions and improve air quality.”
Recycling and composting offer another important environmental success story, Parker said. The industry processed recycling for or composted slightly more than one third of all municipal solid wastes in 2007, conserving precious resources, protecting air and water from potential pollution and leading to a 2.5 percent reduction in America’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. EPA.
“The solid waste industry is proud of its environmental achievements, but there is much more to do. Our collective efforts have made a difference, and we continue to raise the bar,” Parker said.]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:46:11 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[Scotland&#039;s recycling rates increase]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/184-680-255</link>
         <description><![CDATA[Scotland’s recycling and composting rate has risen to 33.5 per cent for the year January to December 2008, according to new figures published by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
The provisional figures show that Scotland has exceeded its recycling target of 30 per cent for 2008. The next target is 40 per cent by the end of 2010.
Data submitted to the Scottish Government’s WasteDataFlow shows that the recycling and composting rate for the third quarter of 2008/09 (October to December) increased to 31.7 per cent, an improvement on 29.2 per cent for the same quarter of 2007/2008.
SEPA national waste policy unit manager Kenny Boag said: “It is very encouraging to see Scotland’s municipal waste recycling rate continue to rise year on year. An enormous amount of credit for this should go the local authorities and the public they serve for their continuing efforts to provide and make best use of high-quality recycling collection services that have been introduced in recent times. Although the signs are good in that they appear to indicate that we will meet our immediate targets, we cannot afford to relax and we must redouble our efforts to further reduce, re-use and recycle our waste as meeting the 2010 target will be extremely challenging.”
Scotland intends to recycle or compost 50 per cent of its waste by 2013, 60 per cent by 2020 and 70 per cent by 2025.
Addressing the Committee of Scottish Local Authorities, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead said: “The latest SEPA figures illustrate a real commitment from the public to recycling, and this is to be commended. It is also encouraging to see that eight local authorities in Scotland have already reached or exceeded the 40 per cent recycling target for municipal waste. We must continue to work together to accelerate the pace of which Scotland moves towards becoming a Zero Waste society.
“It is excellent that the results also indicate we have met our 2010 Landfill Directive target ahead of time, but we must not stop there. I urge local authorities who are performing less well to step up to the mark and follow the example of the public and other authorities who are making a real difference.”]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:14:20 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[Manchester is first airport to launch Recycle Zones]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/020-5F0-3B3</link>
         <description><![CDATA[Manchester Airport is the first airport to launch Recycle Zones in its refurbished airside terminals at a cost of £80 million. 
The Recycle Zones initiative aims to encourage people to recycle ‘on the go’ and is to be implemented across the UK.
The scheme is part of a collaboration between the airport, Coca Cola Enterprises and the Waste &amp; Resources Action Programme to roll out recycling projects across the airport. It is hoped the 125 bins provided by the scheme will capture one million plastic bottles and paper waste from the 22m passengers passing through each year.
Manchester Airport environmental advisor Sue Hodnett said: “We have always been proactive in promoting the recycling of materials throughout the airport and we are sure that as the first airport to adopt this initiative, it will be a successful collaboration. The scheme helps us to take advantage of the passengers’ heightened cultural awareness of recycling and we are confident they will be making full use of these facilities.”
CCE vice president Erika Coghlan said: “The innovative way in which the airport has chosen to adopt the scheme will help travellers to recycle during their journey and to understand how that counts as one way to help protect the environment. Recycle Zones make it easy for people to choose to recycle exactly when they need to – just when they’ve finished they’re drink.”
CCE hopes to create several Recycle Zones in other locations by 2011 through a three-year plan. Other targeted Recycle Zones will include major tourist destinations, shopping centres and other international hubs such as Edinburgh Airport.]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:13:22 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[Schools should not be charged to recycle, warn MPs]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/AD3-D8D-120</link>
         <description><![CDATA[A group of MPs have tabled a cross party motion in Parliament calling on the Government to ensure schools are not charged to recycle.
The MPs who tabled the motion include Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for the Environment Martin Horwood, Labour Party MP for Reading West Martin Salter, and Conservative Party MP for Suffolk South Tim Yeo.
According to the UK Youth Parliament [a youth organisation in the UK] survey, 73 per cent of councils in England do not provide a full recycling service for schools for free. The organisation fears that many councils that do offer the service will start charging in the future as the recession takes its toll. 
But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently reviewing the Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations and whether councils should provide free disposal to institutions like schools and hospitals. It is planning a full consultation with stakeholders this summer.
The Early Day Motion stated: “That this House notes the important role recycling has in the sustainable use of resources and in protecting the environment and that according to the Waste &amp; Resources Action Program, 78 per cent of schools’ waste could be easily recycled or composted.” It also quoted the Youth Parliament survey that many councils do not provide a full recycling service and that a third of local authorities classify schools’ recycling waste as trade waste despite Government recommendations. It also said “that many councils that do offer the service [for free] may need to start charging in the future.”
Horwood explained: “Considering the current environmental and economic situation, it is imperative to give schools all the help we can to recycle their waste. Not only would a free service save schools money, it would allow children to gain an understanding of environmental stewardship and responsibility. This is an outcome that cannot be lost just because Government and local authorities have failed to sort out the funding arrangements. I fully support the UK Youth Parliament campaign to make recycling in schools free and compulsory.”
The UK Youth Parliament consists of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18.
Member of Youth Parliament Catherine Rawsthorne said: “It is outrageous that young people, who are encouraged to take green issues seriously, are finding their efforts to recycle thwarted by their local councils. We know that effective recycling actually saves money but at the moment we seem to be in a no win situation where schools and councils are losing out financially and environmentally.”]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:12:30 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[WRAP launch £2m capital grant competition to encourage &#039;mixed plastics&#039; packaging]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/B1C-487-B16</link>
         <description><![CDATA[A £2 million capital grant competition has been launched by the Waste &amp; Resources Action Programme to help build facilities for recycling more ‘mixed plastics’ packaging. This refers to both rigid and flexible plastic packaging found in the UK household waste stream, such as yoghurt pots and food trays but excludes plastic bottles.
WRAP wants the funding to stimulate the development of waste management infrastructure and boost recycling capacity for mixed plastics by at least 40,000 tonnes per year by 2011. 
Recyclers eligible for support in England and Northern Ireland will be able claim up to 30% of the finance required to develop and expand their processes.The grant announcement ties in with the publication of results from three research projects initiated by WRAP, investigating the commercial feasibility of recycling greater volumes of mixed plastics in the UK. This work was undertaken by a consortium led by Nextek and included Sainsbury’s, Valpak, Bowman Process Technology, Closed Loop Recycling, Linpac and CeDo.
According to WRAP director of market development Marcus Gover, demand for more recycling options for mixed plastics packaging is being driven by consumers and end markets for the recyclate will continue to grow both domestically and overseas. 
“Estimates suggest that more than three million tonnes of post-use plastic enter the UK waste stream each year, and a considerable proportion of this is mixed plastics packaging,” he said.
“The funding and research being announced by WRAP will help to drive the creation of a world class recycling industry in the UK, diverting more waste mixed plastics packaging away from landfill and into production processes,” he said.
What did the research find?
- It is technically viable to recycle mixed plastics on a commercial scale and there are end markets for more than 95% of this material
- Materials recycling facilities are able to sort mixed plastics without impacting on the quality of other materials but films should be removed at an early stage
- There is potential for MRFs to be modified to sort mixed plastics
- Retail take back schemes for mixed plastics can provide excellent quality material with little contamination of other material types. But over half the material recovered in these trials was plastic bottles
- A plastics recovery facility and reprocessor on one integrated site will be more efficient and produce less residual waste through increased recovery yields]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:11:31 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[The growing global problem of marine litter]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/445-CA2-E9B</link>
         <description><![CDATA[From discarded fishing gear to plastic bags to cigarette butts, a growing tide of marine litter is harming oceans and beaches worldwide, says a new report. 
The report, the first-ever attempt to take stock of the marine litter situation in the 12 major regional seas around the world, was launched on World Oceans Day by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Ocean Conservancy. Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: &#039;Marine litter is symptomatic of a wider malaise: namely the wasteful use and persistent poor management of natural resources. The plastic bags, bottles and other debris piling up in the oceans and seas could be dramatically reduced by improved waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives&#039;. 
&#039;Some of the litter, like thin film single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased-out rapidly everywhere-there is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere. Other waste can be cut by boosting public awareness, and proposing an array of economic incentives and smart market mechanisms that tip the balance in favor of recycling, reducing or re-use rather than dumping into the sea,&#039; he said. 
The report&#039;s findings indicate that despite several international, regional and national efforts to reverse marine pollution, alarming quantities of rubbish thrown out to sea continue to endanger people&#039;s safety and health, entrap wildlife, damage nautical equipment and deface coastal areas around the world. 
&#039;This report is a reminder that carelessness and indifference is proving deadly for our oceans and its inhabitants,&#039; says Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International and Ocean Conservancy board member. &#039;Offered here are more than mere facts and figures. The time for action is now, and true change will require taking a bold and courageous stand. There are solutions that everyone, everywhere in the world, can adopt to make a positive difference for our water planet.&#039;
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:07:27 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[The Landfill Directive: a milestone in EU waste policy]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/39C-058-7BB</link>
         <description><![CDATA[The EEA report &#039;Diverting waste from landfill&#039; finds that the EU Landfill Directive has been a positive force in altering management of biodegradable municipal waste in the EU. The study explains how setting medium- and long-term targets for reducing landfilling has helped countries to define waste strategies and target investments.
Adopted in 1999, the Landfill Directive was a milestone in EU waste policy. It responded to shortages of landfill capacity in some Member States, as well as methane emissions and water and soil pollution, which were serious concerns by the mid-1990s. The Directive aims to divert refuse from landfill, encouraging re-use, recycling and recovery.
Ten years on, is there a success story to tell? Is the EU succeeding in shifting waste from landfill to more environmentally-friendly ways of managing waste? Which strategies and measures have proven most effective in different national and regional contexts?
The EEA report released today analyses and compares waste management in Estonia, Finland, the Flemish Region of Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Italy to find out how practices and policies have shifted in the last decade. From the strategies and measures reviewed, it extracts important conclusions for policy-makers across the EU that will help in meeting the Directive&#039;s next targets in 2016 and beyond.]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:05:17 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[PVC industry predicts “difficult times” for 2009]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/24B-06F-947</link>
         <description><![CDATA[The PVC industry faces a &quot;difficult times&quot; in 2009 despite meeting recycling targets and reducing the use of lead-based additives in 2008, the body representing the European sector has claimed.
Speaking at a conference in Berlin last month (May 13), participants of Vinyl 2010 - a sustainability initiative set up by the four associations which represent the European PVC industry - said members of the scheme were on course to meet the target of recycling 200,000 tonnes of post-consumer PVC by 2010 but faced a series of challenges this year.
With the current economic climate, participants in the scheme - which offers a 10-year plan to improve PVC production - said there was a need to develop incentives to encourage the use of recycled materials. In addition, members said there might be added value in enlarging the voluntary commitment to a global scale.
Dr Helmuth Leitner, the general manager for the PVC resin producers association European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers -one of the four associations set up Vinyl 2010 - said: &quot;We are clearly in difficult times. This is also true for both the recycling and other materials businesses. But our industry remains resolute in its determination to demonstrate that PVC offers the potential to hep society to develop and achieve a more sustainable future.&quot;
Reporting its audited results for 2008 at the Identiplast conference in Brussels in April, Vinyl 2010 showed that the voluntary agreement had managed to recycle 194,950 tonnes of PVC in 2008, and the replacement of lead-based stabilisers surpassed 50% two years ahead of the 2010 target.
Jean-Pierre De Grève, general manager of Vinyl 2010, said: &quot;This clearly demonstrates the continuing effectiveness of our Voluntary Commitment. Our promise to replace the use of lead-based additives is well ahead of schedule.&quot; 
&quot;In the area of end-of-life waste management, perhaps what is more important for the long-term sustainability of the industry than the symbolic goal of achieving 200,000 tonnes of additional post-consumer waste recycling each year by 2010, is the consolidation of a network of PVC recyclers across Europe,&quot; he added.
Vinyl 2010 sponsors the Recovinyl initiative in the UK, which is headed by London-based Axion Consulting. Earlier this month (May 14), Axion offered its assistance to a vinyl flooring recycling initiative being established across the North East by regeneration organisation Renew .]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:03:57 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[Paper sector “well-positioned” as economy begins recovery]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/199-C54-A0D</link>
         <description><![CDATA[The paper recycling sector is &quot;well-positioned&quot; to capitalise as the global economy begins to show signs of recovery, industry experts claimed yesterday (June 11).
Addressing the Recycling and Waste Forum at London&#039;s ExCeL, representatives of consultants, trade associations and paper reprocessors also said that the export market would be as important as ever for future growth of the sector and that trade.
Assessing the long term ambitions of the sector and the current performance, Ranjit Baxi, paper division president of the Bureau of International Recycling, claimed the response to the recession had been a &quot;triumph&quot; and highlighted the difficult circumstances the industry has had to contend with.
He said: &quot;In the last six months, we were required to keep in with the challenging and difficult period. We faced newspaper reports telling us this is the worst recession in history, that it may lead to deflation and then depression and that global trade was slowing down. There were newspaper reports telling us that the recycling industry was coming to an end.&quot;
Despite the downturn, Mr Baxi explained that, over the five quarters from January 2008 to March 2009, Europe had increased its exports from 1.893 million tonnes of recovered paper in the first quarter of 2008 to 1.955 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2009. He said: &quot;I think it is excellent. This proves how important recovered fibre is.&quot;
Mr Baxi - who is managing director of London-based recovered paper export firm J &amp; H Sales International - also claimed that China and India, although increasing reprocessing capacity, lacked raw materials and would continue to seek to import recovered paper for production.
Echoing Mr Baxi&#039;s praise for the performance of the export market, David Powlson of Finnish firm Poyry Forest Industry Consulting claimed that the industry was well prepared for future developments but that there were still some issues with regards to export trade.
&quot;Times have been difficult recently but we see, in the long term, the industry is well positioned&quot;, said Mr Powlson. &quot;China&#039;s influence on our export is growing and in that sense it is a strength, weakness and threat for the sector - as it creates a reliance on an external market.&quot;
However, Mr Powlson said that there were a number of reasons to remain optimistic of the long term benefits of export due to the inherent need of material in the Far East and India markets.
He said: &quot;There are a number of key factors around China, which mean we are becoming increasingly smaller [in global paper reprocessing]. With China, the economy is slowing but it is still growing and the drivers for demand from the Far East are the thirst for production and the lack of raw materials within the country itself.&quot;]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:03:15 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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		 <title><![CDATA[Concerns raised over “low public awareness” on WEEE recycling]]></title>
         <link>http://www.wastexchange.co.uk/detailNews.phpsc?doc=/GARWER/DOCS/news/C0E-3F2-489</link>
         <description><![CDATA[The waste electrical and electronic goods sector faces &quot;one of its biggest challenges&quot; in overcoming low public awareness about WEEE recycling, a compliance scheme survey has claimed.
ERP said respondents to the survey saw public awareness as the biggest challenge for the sector.
The survey, undertaken by WEEE compliance scheme the European Recycling Platform (ERP), found that 72% of 114 respondents from within the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) industry said that public perception remained an issue but 84% claimed the situation was &quot;slowly improving&quot;. 
The ERP survey, entitled ‘ERP UK: WEEE and Batteries Survey 2009: Looking Back, Looking Forward&#039;, aimed to find out the biggest challenges for those in WEEE industry over the last year and identify potential issues for the year ahead on WEEE and the forthcoming waste battery regulations.
In addition to public awareness, economic turbulence was noted as having impacted on the sector over the past year, as 87% cited materials prices and 35% said a drop in EEE sales and WEEE returns had been challenges. Evidence trading remained a theme for many, with nearly two thirds (64%) acknowledging that balancing obligations had been an issue. 
The survey claimed that there is a lot of enthusiasm for national battery collections to begin, as nearly half (44%) of respondents said they wanted collections to start as soon as possible and a further 39% were happy with the chosen January 1 2010 start date while only 17% wanted collections to be delayed until spring 2010 or later. 
At present, eight compliance schemes - including ERP - have applied to the Environment Agency in a bid to operate schemes in the UK, with the Agency set to announce successful tenders on September 30.
Respondents expected to be affected by national battery recycling regulations said that low consumer awareness on battery recycling (47%), cost of compliance (53%), development of batteries collection network and facilities(47%) and regulations and guidance from government (33%).
Scott Butler, general manager at ERP, said: &quot;Local authorities, retailers and WEEE schemes are clearly enthusiastic about national battery recycling. Nearly half say they&#039;d like it to start as soon as possible. But they are concerned that low public awareness will be an issue, as it has been for WEEE. 
&quot;Once the government chooses battery recycling schemes in the autumn, the schemes will have to get up and running very quickly. Whilst the challenges are significant, we look forward to using our experience and skills in helping to build the battery collection network the UK needs,&quot; he added.
Completed between April 24 and May 11 2009, ERP surveyed representatives of 16 producer compliance schemes, eight retailers of EEE / batteries, 19 producers of EEE/ batteries, three trade associations, five national government, 19 AATF or AE and 44 representatives of local authorities and WMCs from across the UK.]]></description>
         		 		 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:02:40 +0100</pubDate>      		  </item>
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