November 30th, 2011
by Peter Jones
A talk by Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association, on 2 November left me pondering the problems of farming and waste. Helen is a compelling speaker and, despite battling the after-effects of a cold, tackled a lot of topics with energy and thoughtfulness.
November 28th, 2011
by Phillip Ward
Defra handed out Christmas presents this week in the form of £500,000 for 16 trials of rewards for increased recycling.
It prompted me to reflect on how far we have come since last year – and how slowly. Following the election, we saw Eric Pickles make great play of repealing the powers to run five pilots to test Pay as You Throw schemes, followed by an unseemly scramble between him and Caroline Spelman to show support for the RecycleBank incentive scheme in Windsor and Maidenhead. The political message was clear: increased recycling would come when individuals were incentivised to do the right thing.
November 22nd, 2011
Eunomia was in the news again this week as the results of a trial of a new weekly recycling collection in Mid Devon District Council were announced. The three month study aimed to test Eunomia’s recommendations in a WRAP-funded study, that Mid Devon should pick up an increased range of materials weekly at the kerbside, and replace its free garden waste collection with a charged one. Disappointed with the results of the trial, the council has decided not to roll out this approach. So what went wrong?
Read more on Trial and error – what can we learn from Mid Devon?…
November 21st, 2011
by Adam Baddeley, Sam Taylor and Chris Cullen
Secure, clean and affordable – it is hard to argue with the policy objectives for UK electricity supply in July’s White Paper on Electricity Market Reform (EMR). But much remains to be debated – first and foremost whether any achievable mix of generation can meet all three objectives.
November 16th, 2011
by Phillip Ward
Ray Georgeson – acting and part-time Chief Executive of the newly formed Resource Association – said at its launch that his greatest pleasure was to be working at last for an organisation that did not have “waste” in its title. It’s easy to see his point, but does this launch signal the arrival of an idea whose time has come?
Read more on Should we get behind the Resource Association?…
