Waste management


Scottish councils sign £700m contract to ‘transform waste’ 16/01/2020 Five Scottish councils have signed a contract that will see up to 190,000 tonnes of black bag waste diverted from landfill and converted to low carbon energy.
District councils warn of ‘fly-tipping farm-aggedon' 13/01/2020 Councils have warned that fly-tippers are increasingly targeting rural areas after new figures show a surge in incidents where rubbish is being dumped on farm land.
‘Toughen up’ fly-tipping sentences, council chiefs say 06/01/2020 Local authority leaders have called for tougher sentences for fly-tippers as the latest figures reveal that offences have increased by 50% in six years
Scotland’s bottle deposit scheme should cover other materials, MSPs say 10/12/2019 Scotland’s bottle deposit scheme should include cartons and other plastics, a report has urged today.
Welsh council tops Recycling Carbon Index 25/11/2019 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has been named as the best recycler in the UK in terms of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it has saved.
Welsh council trials microchipping bins to encourage recycling 24/10/2019 A Welsh county council is trialling the use of microchipping as part of an effort to encourage recycling as it moves to a four weekly collection.
Recycling and refuse top public’s spending priority list 17/10/2019 Councils should spend more money on rubbish collection and recycling, according to the results of a new poll.
Biffa fined for £350,000 over contaminated China shipment 30/09/2019 Waste management firm Biffa has been fined £350,000 for trying to send contaminated household waste to China.
Waste strategy places 'needless burden' on councils, MPs warn 05/09/2019 The waste strategy proposed by the Government has come under fire from MPs amid concerns about the burden it could impose upon local authorities.
Council to pilot electric bin lorries powered by waste 04/09/2019 Electric bin lorries that are powered by the waste they have collected will be trialled by Sheffield City Council.
Plans outlined for UK’s first plastic free homes 14/08/2019 A housing association has pledged to build 12 new homes that are virtually free of plastic.
Councils need ‘greater flexibility’ to develop waste strategies, MPs say 17/07/2019 Local authorities must be given the freedom to develop recycling strategies tailored to the needs of their communities, MPs have said.
Combined authority signs £1bn waste contracts 03/06/2019 The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has signed new operating contracts with SUEZ for the management of the city’s waste and resources.
Over half of councils ‘experiencing issues’ with plastic markets 21/05/2019 More than 50% of councils have reported that they were ‘experiencing issues’ with plastic markets, new research has revealed.
Councils call for tougher punishments for fly-tippers 13/05/2019 People convicted of fly-tipping should be handed tougher sentences councils have argued, after figures show no-one has been given the maximum punishment allowed since new guidelines in 2014.
Everything local government needs to know about coffee cup recycling 09/05/2019 With applications for The Cup Fund, the UK’s largest grant for projects that boost UK paper cup recycling, closing soon, Phil Wild shares what he thinks everyone should know.
Birmingham council apologises to union over waste dispute comments 30/04/2019 Birmingham City Council has apologised to Unite the Union over comments made during the recent protracted dispute with refuse collectors.
Birmingham council and union ‘welcome’ end to refuse dispute 18/03/2019 Refuse collectors who took part in strikes in Birmingham are to be given £3,500 each in a settlement which both sides say has ended the long-running dispute.
Birmingham refuse strike called off 04/03/2019 Unions called off a planned strike by refuse collectors in Birmingham today after the city council lost a bid to have the action declared illegal.
Scotland’s landfill ban will be £100m tax gift to England, waste experts say 27/02/2019 Waste management experts have ‘expressed deep concern’ that Scotland is not prepared for a landfill ban which will lead to higher haulage costs for councils.
Council chiefs insist waste reforms must be ‘fully funded’ 18/02/2019 Local authority leaders have welcomed plans to ‘overhaul’ the waste system, but cautioned Whitehall that any reforms need to be fully funded.
Birmingham's winter of discontent 15/02/2019 With a series of one-day strikes to go ahead in Birmingham, Mark Whitehead explores what led to this long-running dispute over waste collection.
Whitehall must fund separate food waste collections, experts say 14/02/2019 Extra Government funding must be provided to speed up separate collections of food waste, the industry body has demanded.
Hundreds of Birmingham refuse workers to strike ‘weekly’ 05/02/2019 Over 300 refuse workers have announced they will begin two days of strike action a week in an escalation of the ongoing industrial dispute with the council.
Birmingham City Council renews controversial waste disposal contract 17/01/2019 Birmingham City Council has approved a controversial waste disposal contract with Veolia, describing it as the ‘best option available’.
Recycling services receive a £1bn boost 18/12/2018 Council chiefs have welcomed the Government’s new waste strategy, which aims to encourage businesses and manufacturers to use easily recyclable packaging.
Council chief says on YouTube: 'I'm sorry about bin chaos' 28/11/2018 A council leader has gone online to apologise to residents over chaos caused by a reorganisation of bin collections.
Council abandons controversial plan to drop kerbside plastic collection 28/11/2018 Swindon has abandoned controversial proposals to withdraw the kerbside collection of plastics and says it will carry out further ‘research’ into the issue.
Contractor fined £1m after complaints of ‘dirty streets’ 01/11/2018 Trafford council has fined a bins contractor £1m after residents raised concerns about dirty streets and overflowing bins.
Councils affected by China's waste ban 22/10/2018 A fifth of councils have been directly affected by China’s ban on imported waste over the past year, according to a new survey.
Neighbourhood services a 'serious concern', report warns 12/10/2018 A new report has highlighted 'serious concerns' over the future quality of neighbourhood services and adult social care unless councils receive adequate funding in the next spending review.
Welsh waste disposal scheme ‘well-managed’, auditor says 11/10/2018 A scheme launched by the Welsh government to help councils set up contracts to dispose of waste has been well-managed, according to an official report.
Welsh council moves to monthly refuse collection service 25/09/2018 Welsh council has announced it will only collect refuse destined for landfill or incineration once a month in an effort to save money and encourage recycling.
Charity calls for end of UK’s ‘barmy’ recycling system 25/09/2018 Every household in the country should be able to recycle the same items under a new national system, according to calls from Keep Britain Tidy.
Market ‘best placed’ to deliver value for money for waste collection 12/09/2018 Local authorities should use competition to drive value for money for waste collections, representatives from the resource and waste management industry say.
Council to trial free skip service to stop fly-tipping 03/09/2018 Walsall council is considering trialling a ‘free skip service’ for the deposit of household bulky items.
Northamptonshire CC plan to save £70m ‘very tall order’ 10/08/2018 Northamptonshire CC may face serious hurdles making savings by renegotiating contracts with third-party suppliers, public sector procurement expert warns.
Recycling rates could be boosted by fraud, says auditors 23/07/2018 The UK’s success at recycling may be being boosted by fraudulent exports of unrecyclable materials, auditors have claimed.
Birmingham councillor calls for action on dumped fridges 19/07/2018 A Birmingham councillor has called on the Government to do more to tackle the issue of dumped fridges.
Council use of incinerators ‘doubles’ since 2010 16/07/2018 The amount of waste managed by local authorities and sent to incinerators has doubled in less than a decade, a new report reveals.
Resourceful partners 10/07/2018 This summer, with the support of three councils, the HERU (Home Energy Resources Unit) will be going out for field trials. Ruth Corrall and Vic Allison looks at the HERU and what the councils hope to achieve with their involvement.
Councils making £74m a year from garden waste charges 25/06/2018 More than half of UK councils have introduced charges for garden waste collection totalling almost £74m a year, according to new research.
Councils must change collection services to meet EU recycling target 25/05/2018 Most councils will be able to meet the EU's recycling target at no extra cost, according to waste management experts.
Councils need a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on fly-tipping, union says 20/04/2018 Local authorities must adopt ‘zero tolerance’ policy on fly-tipping, union says as new study reveals nearly £60m was spent in England clearing up in one year.
Some councils 'hiding' cost of waste collection on their websites 20/03/2018 Although three-quarters of councils now charge for garden waste collections, less than half of council websites provide a good or very good service for this task, a new survey has revealed.
Seven council staff arrested in fraud probe 16/02/2018 Seven members of staff at Cardiff Council have been arrested on suspicion of fraud, the council has confirmed.
Delivering clean streets with technology 31/01/2018 Mark Jenkins explains how the social value of the bin has considerably increased and the way in which it interacts with the public has irrevocably changed.
Council to introduce four-weekly bin collection 24/01/2018 Conwy Council is phasing in four-weekly black bin collections following a successful trial which saved the equivalent of 87 double decker buses from landfill.
Refuse vehicles could be powered by household waste 22/01/2018 A city council is planning on running its refuse collection vehicles on electricity generated by the city’s household waste.
Councils welcome Government proposals to fine fly-tippers 15/01/2018 Local authorities have welcomed the Government’s pledge to provide them with the powers to do more to tackle illegal waste and fly-tipping.
Derby and Nottingham to launch combined commercial waste service 10/01/2018 Derby City Council’s share of the city’s £47m commercial waste market is set to gain a ‘significant’ boost with the launching of a new combined commercial waste service.
Tri-weekly bin collections boosts Anglesey's recycling rates 08/11/2017 The introduction of tri-weekly waste collections has helped increase recycling rates by 10% in the past year in the Isle of Anglesey, new figures reveal.
Councils call for ‘hard-hitting fines’ as fly-tipping incidents pass one million 20/10/2017 Councils call for more powers to hand out ‘hard-hitting fines’ to fly-tippers as figures reveal local authorities dealt with one million incidents last year.
Councils taking a week to deal with waste complaints, survey reveals 10/10/2017 More than third of people have complained to their local council about a problem with waste and recycling services, a new survey has revealed.
Improvement panel to remain in Birmingham 21/09/2017 The team brought in to turn Birmingham City Council around has backtracked on its plans to withdraw.
Union suspends industrial action in Birmingham bin dispute 21/09/2017 Unite has suspended industrial action after the High Court ordered Birmingham City Council to withdraw redundancy notices it had served on 113 refuse workers.
Five more functions handed back to Rotherham 13/09/2017 More powers have been handed back to Rotherham Council following a report showing it has made further progress in the aftermath of the city's child abuse scandal.
Birmingham bin strike to resume after council issues redundancy notices 01/09/2017 Bin workers in Birmingham are back on strike today after an agreement reached with the city council appeared to fall
Landowners call for tougher fly-tipping penalties 25/08/2017 Seizing vehicles must become the default penalty for fly-tipping as part of tougher punishments for waste crime, landowners insist.
Birmingham officers in warning over bin deal 25/08/2017 A row is brewing between Birmingham City Council’s management and senior councillors over how to end the long-running industrial dispute with bin men.
Outsourced bin collections leading to rise in upheld complaints 23/08/2017 The outsourcing of waste collections by councils in England has led to an increase in the number of complaints being upheld by the ombudsman, new report warns.
Welsh government aims to halve food waste within a decade 17/08/2017 The Welsh government is launching a consultation on plans to halve Wales’ food waste by 2025.
Long-running bin strike in Birmingham is called off 17/08/2017 The seven-week bin strike in Birmingham has been suspended after trade union Unite agreed to further negotiations with the council.
Wheelie bins replaced by underground waste system 08/08/2017 The largest underground bin system in the UK has opened in Cambridge, enabling residents to put their waste down chutes outside their homes.
Energy-from-waste putting pressure on recycling rates, claims report 08/08/2017 A surge in the number of energy-from-waste and incinerator plants being built in the UK could limit recycling rates, according to a new report.
Rotherham set to be handed back five powers 19/07/2017 A further five powers are due to be returned to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council following improvements by the council.
One in five waste issues take over a week to resolve, survey reveals 12/06/2017 Over 20% of all waste and recycling issues raised by the public take more than a week to resolve, a new survey reveals.
Fighting food waste, Scandinavian style 02/06/2017 Philip Simpson looks at some of the lessons Britain can learn from Denmark on waste management.
Council criticised after workers exposed to asbestos 31/05/2017 The GMB union has called for an overhaul of Fife Council’s health and safety policies after workers were exposed to asbestos.
Refuse collection workers threaten strikes in Birmingham 31/05/2017 Refuse workers in Birmingham have started voting on strike action amid accusations of financial mismanagement and an overspend by the council of nearly £10m.
The need for 'smart' waste collection 18/05/2017 Giles K Bailey and Stefano Mainero explore how new technologies can help transform the future of waste collection services.
Council waste company launches commercial service 12/05/2017 The council-owned Bristol Waste Company has launched a commercial waste and recycling collection service.
Waste crime costs country over £600m a year, report reveals 03/05/2017 A new report from an environmental consultancy has revealed waste crime costs the country over £600m a year and blights local communities.
Whitehall launches national anti-littering strategy 10/04/2017 The Government has launched its new anti-littering strategy, which includes guidance for councils on how to update the nation’s ‘binfrastructure’.
Local authorities urged to tackle food waste crisis 05/04/2017 Philip Simpson argues that local authorities have a pivotal role to play in curbing the growing volume of food waste generated in the UK.
Is our ‘Litter Brexit' moment approaching? 21/03/2017 John Read calls on the Government to be bold and courageous in its first-ever national litter strategy.
Fly-tipping costing councils £50m a year 02/03/2017 Councils are facing a £50m annual bill for clearing up litter and dealing with fly-tipping, new figures have revealed today.
Councils urged to adopt one of three standardised waste systems 01/03/2017 Brexit presents a 'huge opportunity' for the UK government to develop a new approach to waste and resources policy, according to the Policy Exchange think tank.
Applications for ‘green’ waste sites down by 20% 20/02/2017 The number of planning applications to build new ‘greener’ waste management sites has dropped by 20% in a year, raising fears the current system could become over-stretched, new figures have revealed.
Council considers joint venture for environmental services 09/02/2017 A joint venture between Daventry District Council and Norse Commercial Services to deliver waste and recycling services is being considered for next year.
Sheffield Council considers terminating waste management contract 20 years early 11/01/2017 Sheffield City Council is considering ending its waste management contract with Veolia 20 years early as the deal is ‘no longer meeting its needs’.
£13bn worth of food was discarded in 2015, experts say 10/01/2017 Local authorities are uniting with manufacturers and retailers in order to help millions of people reduce household food waste.
‘Hard-pressed’ councils not to blame for recycling confusion 09/01/2017 Councils are burdened with a ‘disproportionate share’ of the responsibility for waste and recycling, and companies should do more to improve packaging, environmentalists say.
Recycling rates fall for first time 16/12/2016 Recycling rates in the UK have decreased for the first time since records began, figures have revealed.
Councils agree £150m Energy from Waste facility 27/10/2016 Three Scottish councils have agreed to work together to build a new Energy from Waste facility in Aberdeen.
Councils report increase in fly-tipping 20/10/2016 Seven out of ten local authorities report that fly-tipping is a major problem and putting extra pressure on budgets, according to a new survey.
First National Recycling Guidelines unveiled 12/10/2016 A definitive list of what can and cannot be collected for recycling has been published to help dispel some of the confusion surrounding kerbside collections.
Norwich council to abolish single-use plastic products 30/09/2016 Norwich City Council has committed itself to becoming a single-use-plastic-free authority by the end of 2017.
Update: Welsh council under fire for controversial nappy policy 28/09/2016 Residents have raised ‘numerous concerns’ about the nappy collection policy of the Isle of Anglesey County Council.
Charity bins pilot reduces littering by 30% 20/09/2016 The use of ‘charity bins’ has successfully reduced litter by an average of 30% in five locations across England.
Councils inspecting bins to uncover recycling habits 19/09/2016 At least 24 councils in England have removed and analysed the contents of rubbish bins without telling residents, according to a freedom of information request.
Data shows councils reject 84% more recyclable waste 23/08/2016 The amount of rubbish rejected for recycling by councils in England has increased by 84% over the past four years, a new investigation has revealed.
Bristol opts for integrated waste service 15/08/2016 Bristol City Council has approved plans for all its waste services to be delivered by one council-owned company.
Council consults on smaller bins or collections every three weeks 03/08/2016 Local residents have hit out at Wirral Council after being asked to choose from having smaller bins or less frequent waste collections.
Waste management 'hugely fragmented' warns association 01/08/2016 Without reform, waste management could cost local authorities up to an extra £485m per year, according to the Environmental Services Association (ESA).
Top ten worst excuses for fly-tipping 01/08/2016 The Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed the top ten worst excuses people give for fly-tipping and they range from the merely unbelievable to the downright ridiculous.
Recycling rewards without rewards schemes 22/07/2016 Recycling communications are the key to local authorities achieving higher recycling rates – and it can be achieved on a budget, says Rick Hindley.
Reaping the rewards through green technology 08/07/2016 John Lawrence explains how new bus technology could cut waste management costs and make councils greener.
Charity calls for English councils to be set new recycling targets 03/06/2016 Councils in England should be set the ambitious target of recycling 70% of all waste collected by 2025 in order to keep pace with Welsh councils, an environmental charity has said.
Recycling experts defend efficiency of council waste collections 27/05/2016 Council recycling experts have rejected recent reports suggesting changes to the way waste is collected.

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