22nd May 2012
With 29 million tonnes of active waste still going to landfill in the UK, the concept of zero waste seems a long way off. Our industry estimates that the cost of transition to a more resource efficient future is between £10 and £20 billion. Any investment in this area relies heavily on the continued landfill tax increases imposed by the
23rd April 2012
It’s now widely accepted that a sustainable future is only achievable if we change our ways from a ‘throw away’ culture to one which recognises and extracts the value from the resources we consume. When I look at the waste management industry, I see only the enormous potential it has to help the UK, particularly in terms of renewable energy.
1st March 2012
Scrap metal prices have risen dramatically and the regulatory system based around the outdated Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 is not fit for purpose. As a result, we have witnessed and endured a systematic attack on the UK’s infrastructure through the theft of metal over the past few years. The questionable tradition that the scrap metal industry can continue to
30th January 2012
For those who watched the new BBC series Toughest place to be a bin man, you could not escape the irony of the slogan proudly painted on the side of the Hammersmith and Fulham Council refuse collection vehicle. It stated, ‘Recycling is a duty not a choice’. Well yes, perhaps it is in the cosseted world of central London. However,
21st December 2011
As Christmas closes in at an alarming rate, shops burgeon with produce for us to consume. It makes you wonder, where has the Government’s message of zero waste to landfill disappeared to? Us British will get through an alarming rate of packaging and wrapping paper as consumption hits its annual high. Treated in the wrong manner this packaging is destined
12th December 2011
HMRC released figures last month showing that some 45 million tonnes of waste is still going into landfill. We should still be pleased that the UK has come a long way in recent years. 45 million tonnes is still a significant drop from the halcyon days of landfilling back in 1996 where almost double this amount was buried. However, if
16th November 2011
We all know the significance of this bonfire night rhyme from our childhood and the fate that awaited Guy Fawkes. However, perhaps we should remember something else on bonfire night.
18th October 2011
I had the pleasure of being on the panel at events held at all three Party Conferences over the past few weeks, hosted by Policy Exchange and culminating with the Conservative party conference where Charles Hendry, Minister for Energy, represented the party at our debate. The subject centred on the decarbonisation of the UK through the implementation of the UK’s
12th October 2011
I was pleased to attend last week the launch of a new report by Green Alliance, the environmental think tank, entitled ‘Reinventing the wheel: a circular economy for resource security’. By sponsoring the creation of this thoughtful and timely report SITA UK helps lift the issues surrounding how we can best facilitate an improvement in resource efficiency.
13th September 2011
The Government’s renewable energy market reform is intended to ensure a reliable, affordable and low carbon energy supply. It’s expected to deliver a replacement for 25 per cent of all existing capacity by 2020, equating to around 30 per cent of all our electricity needs coming from renewable sources.
