Breaking News

Ship the wine, not the glass

Bulk imports of wine - which are then bottled in the UK - are now saving time, money, energy, and waste. >>

Recycling is an Interesting Layby

Limited reduction in plastic bags

The Courtauld Commitment is a partnership between WRAP and 31 major retailers, brand owners, manufacturers and their packaging suppliers, to reduce waste. Unfortunately, despite all the media coverage on plastic bags, the 21 retailers signed up to the Commitment have reported a disappointing 7% reduction in the first year following their agreement to work on the issue.

Recent News

House of Lords inquiry

The Science and Technology Select Committee of the House of Lords Science has announced and inquiry to look at sustainable approaches to waste reduction.

The inquiry will focus on the first level of the waste hierarchy, waste reduction, and will look into ways in which products and production processes can be made more sustainable and therefore produce less waste. The Committee is now inviting evidence.

Waste reduction the most important environmental issue.

According to a survey conducted for Dow Corning, waste reduction is now considered the single most important environmental issue by companies in the USA, Brazil, Italy, Germany and China.

Key Performance Indicators?

The Local Government White Paper set out a new performance framework for local government. The backbone of the new framework will be around 200 indicators covering all Government's priorities for local delivery. One option considered is the possibility of setting statutory levels for waste not reused, recycled or composted per head.

Waste prevention - website links

Defra: Waste Minimisation Programme.

SEPA: New Waste Prevention Guide.

Mike Read Associates: International consultancy for resource management and responsible trade.

Resources for change: Helping public, voluntary and community groups achieve more sustainable communities and environments.

Freecycle: non profit organisation for people to give and receive stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.

The Rubbish Diet - Can the average person really create zero waste? A mother from Bury St. Edmunds charts her progress in a blog.

Beyond Recycling Links