Plastic enters recycling scheme

A new waste management scheme will see South Cambridgeshire Council recycle plastic alongside other materials, the Hunts Post reports.

Officials said that the new system aims to support local residents in their green endeavours and will be good for the community and the environment.

The scheme will be enforced from October when council workers will recycle plastic bottles and containers rather than the residents having to take their waste to local recycling centres.

Councillor Daphne Spink, housing and environment service portfolio holder, told the newspaper: "South Cambridgeshire residents are fantastic recyclers and we want to support them in their drive to recycle more and more.

"Diverting plastic bottles away from ever-dwindling and costly landfill space could not only meet the demand from our residents and help save valuable resources but also increase the amount of other materials recycled."

Waste management has become a top priority for local councils across the country and it seems that residents are taking it more seriously too.

Recent data shows that the majority of householders are recycling the correct materials – with just 1.6 per cent of the 13 million tonnes of waste left out for council recyclers being rejected.

Skills for Norfolk workers ‘worth £100m’

As the east of England strives to develop and attract businesses including those in the renewable energy sector, it is vital that the region prepares its workforce, according to a skills expert.

Mike Campbell, director of development at Sector Skills Development Agency, is to warn business leaders that improving the qualifications of Norfolk’s workers could be worth £100 million to the economy.

By contrast, failing to take action could bring on a downturn, reversing job creation and leading to greater poverty.

Mr Campbell wrote in local newspaper EDP: "Business as usual is not an option. That would condemn this region to slow relative decline, fewer jobs, poorer salaries and lower living standards.

"We need to upskill, big time - and in quick time. So we must be more ambitious - for our economy, for ourselves and of course for the skills we need."

Norfolk could benefit from growing interest in the region’s impressive offshore energy reserves.

Carbon capture ‘worth trillions’

The Southern North Sea (SNS) could provide the east of England with an environmentally-friendly offshore business opportunity which is potentially bigger than the oil extracted from the region, according to Lord Oxburgh.

Lord Oxburgh, chair of the Carbon Capture and Storage association, told the East of England Energy Groups SNS conference that capture and storage of carbon dioxide could be a huge business opportunity.

“It will be a big, trillion-dollar business if we tackle it and there could be many benefits for the east of England. If not, we are in for a tough time,” he said. He said that use of fossil fuels would continue for many decades despite attempts to cut dependence on them and that it might be necessary to sequester carbon released by the burning of these fuels. However, he said that government intervention was essential to help the carbon capture and storage industry take off.

Lord Oxburgh said: “The longer we take to do it the more extreme the effects on our children, grandchildren and their children.” He added: “It can be relieved by reducing emissions with carbon capture and storage but that depends on a commercial incentive to do it.”

County waste management seeking tyre dumpers

A waste management organisation in Norwhich is to investigate illegal tyre dumpers. More than 200 tyres have been illegaly dumped in at least three locations across the county instead of being broken down and being recycled as required by EU law. The Environment Agency (EA) has reported six incidents of tyre-fly tipping, with more than 600 tyres dumped on two occasions. Dumpers risk £50,000 fines, though it also proves costly for people whose land the tyres have been dumped on to have them removed. A spokeswoman for the EA told the Norwich Evening News: “We take this very seriously and are investigating at the moment. Two of the incidents have been on public roads, so the burden falls on the taxpayer to pay for their removal. “The other one was on private land, so the landlord had to pay for the clear up. If we can locate the people responsible the maximum fine is £50,000. We are working through the Norfolk Waste Enforcement Group, involving local authorities and emergency services, to try and find out where these tyres have come from and trace who is responsible for them.”

Energy saving lights-out condemned

Energy management measures designed to cut energy bills and reduce electricity consumption and emissions are switching off the lights on 25 miles of roads. Buckinghamshire is switching off its street lamps in suburban areas after midnight, in a trial which Hertfordshire is set to emulate later on this year. Approximately £100,000 pounds will be saved while carbon emissions will be cut by nearly 600 tons, according to the council. However, police and motoring organisations have expressed their opposition to the scheme.Derek Barnett of the Police Superintendents’ Association, said: “Good street lighting reduces crime, it makes the public feel safe and it reduces the risk of road traffic accidents. “I would need to feel confident that the environmental savings were being balanced against the impact on local crime.” Edmund King, president of motoring organisation AA, also expressed his disapproval for the scheme. He told the Daily Mail: “The statistical evidence shows that there are more fatal and serious accidents when roads are unlit.”