INFORM Waste
FOOD WASTE BUDGET 09 SPECIAL BRIEFS
A planned ready-meal factory
■ LEGISLATION
powered partly by its own
Budget clears up
Members of the Waste
waste has been given funding
Electrical and Electronic
by the Welsh Assembly.
Equipment Directive (WEEE)
The £500,000 of funding
landfill tax confusion
Compliance Scheme say they
will go towards the £5M cost
are being unfairly charged for
of creating the anaerobic Buried deep in last month’s
handling waste electricals. “A
digestion system to power Budget was a titbit of informa-
shop can’t take a used toaster
about 10% of the factory. tion that will have those working
to its local recycling centre with-
Food made at the RF in waste management breathing a
out having to pay for the privi-
Brookes plant in Rogerstone, sigh of relief – clarity over plans
lege, even if it has paid to
near Newport, will be sup- to steadily increase the rate of tax
upgrade the centre to handle
plied to a host of top names on waste going to landfill for the
WEEE through its membership
in the retail and hospitality next four years.
of the WEEE Compliance
sector, including Marks & While at first glance, this might
Scheme,” said Rebecca Abbott,
Spencer. not seem a big issue, the lack of
who has co-ordinated retailer
The plant will convert food certainty over the landfill tax Landfill tax up by £8 a year to 2013
submissions to the government
waste left over from the escalator has caused the waste
consultation for BHF Group.
production of ready meals to industry a headache, making alternative sources of energy.
provide heat and power for forward planning difficult. “The £10M for food waste
■ PLANTS
the processing plant and Chancellor Alistair Darling reprocessing will play a vital role
The UK’s largest vertical
reduce CO
2
emissions by confirmed that the standard rate in providing alternative energy,
composter is up and running,
around 7,500 tonnes a year. of landfill tax would increase by diverting a further 316,000
processing what will be 20,000
Jane Davidson, the Welsh £8 a year up to 2013. Previously, tonnes of food waste from
tonnes of kitchen waste a year.
minister for the environment, there had been no official line on landfill and reducing greenhouse
The £3.2M waste facility in
sustainability and housing, what would happen after 2010. gas emissions.
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is an
said: “Food waste is a major Darling also announced an “In the UK, we produce over
expansion by Keenan
challenge and it is vital that as extra £10M for food waste 100M tonnes of organic material
Recycling to its existing site
well as minimising waste, we infrastructure with an emphasis every year that, through anaero-
and will recycle food waste from
reduce the amount of that on anaerobic digestion, an bic digestion, could be used to
the surrounding community.
waste that goes to landfill.” environmentally sound but create enough energy to heat and
Aberdeen City Council has
relatively expensive technology power over two million homes.
just begun food waste kerbside
STATS
for the treatment of biodegrad- “And it’s not only the environ-
collection and the first consign-
Recycling rates for packaging able waste. ment that will benefit. Increasing
ment of waste will be turned
waste produced by businesses Following the Budget state- our anaerobic digestion capability
into compost which can then
rose 5% last year to a record ment, Defra minister Hilary Benn will also stimulate a greener
be used for a variety of applica-
64% – well above its EU target said: “The government is com- economy by creating skilled jobs
tions including agriculture,
of 55%. mitted to reducing the amount of in construction, collection and
horticulture and landscaping.
According to Defra figures, waste sent to landfill and finding reprocessing of organic waste.”
businesses in the UK helped
recover 7M tonnes of packag-
LEGISLATION
ing waste last year, of which
6.6M tones was recycled.
Battery makers will take burden
A Defra spokesman said that,
while individual companies
might have different reasons for of waste collection and disposal
improving their performance,
obligations on the producers Regulations passed by govern- batteries on the market to regulations will help reduce the
of waste to contribute towards ment will seek to reduce waste register as a producer and report environmental impact of batteries
the costs of its recovery had from batteries by passing the cost on waste batteries collected and and accumulators, which contain
obviously been a driver. of their collection and disposal sent for recycling. potentially harmful material.
Environment minister Jane back onto those who make them. They also set targets for “We are committed to helping
Kennedy said: “This is a really The idea is similar to the recycling rates and introduce minimise the impact on the
significant achievement and producer responsibility schemes a ban on the landfilling of environment of this kind of
shows that we are making set up to ensure that the industrial batteries. waste and this is the latest
good progress on packaging manufacturers and retailers of From February next year, measure to help us achieve a
recycling. electrical goods must pay for larger retailers of batteries will cleaner environment.”
“Businesses which handle the management of the waste be obliged to set up in-store The Waste Batteries and
packaging have a vital role to when they reach the end of collection points and report on Accumulators Regulations
play in reducing the amount of their life. recovery rates. 2009 transposes an EU directive
waste we’re sending to landfill The recycling regulations Economic and business aiming to reduce battery waste
and I’m pleased to see they’re require companies placing minister Ian Pearson said: “These into British law.
doing their bit.”
IN FACT BARCLAYS CAPITAL BELIEVES THAT BY THE END OF THE YEAR, THE OIL PRICE WILL AVERAGE $87 A BARREL
8 May 2009 ❘ Sustainable Business
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