The Green Electronics Council (EPEAT) has announced that WEEELABEX, a leading waste electronics treatment standard, has met the environmental requirements of EPEAT®, the definitive global rating system for greener electronics. WEEE Ireland, the Irish compliance scheme for electrical and battery recycling, has been a member of the WEEE Forum since 2005 and works with them … Read more
The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has published its first market report on anaerobic digestion (AD). The report, the first of its kind, gives an overview of the issues facing the market and identifies the opportunities, and barriers, for investment. AD, a natural process in which micro-organisms break down organic matter into biogas and digestate, … Read more
A report released by Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan and Northern Ireland Minister for the Environment, Alex Attwood estimates that up to 1.2 million items or almost 30,000 tonnes of bulky waste could potentially be reused each year. Bulky waste is the term used for municipal items that are too … Read more
Waste figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that Ireland’s municipal solid waste generation has decreased by 17% since it peaked in 2007, largely as the result of the recession and a decline in personal consumption. Ireland now produces less household waste per capita than the EU average and is recycling 40% of … Read more
A new report, published by the Welsh Government, shows that between April 2011 and March 2012 Wales’s local authorities reused or recycled almost 800,000 tonnes, while the amount of waste sent to landfill fell to around 700,000 tonnes. This means that for the first time Wales recycled more than it sent to landfill. “Wales is … Read more
The burgeoning anaerobic digestion (AD) industry in the UK has reached a ‘significant’ milestone, as the number of AD plants outside of the water industry has passed 100 for the very first time. The official figures, gathered by bioeconomy consultants NNFCC and WRAP, reveal that the number of AD plants in the UK has nearly … Read more
Plastic has become an unavoidable material in our modern world. Plastics are versatile and durable, but this durability can make disposal problematic. A Green Paper published by the European Commission aims to launch a structured discussion about how to make plastic products more sustainable throughout their life cycle and reduce the impact of plastic waste … Read more
Plans for new waste management infrastructure which will enable arc21, the umbrella waste body for 11 Councils in the East of Northern Ireland, to meet European landfill diversion targets and manage its waste more sustainably have been unveiled. The announcement has triggered a programme of extensive public consultation designed to explain the proposals in detail, … Read more
The European Recycling Platform (ERP), Ireland’s only pan-European compliance scheme for electrical and electronic waste and waste battery recycling, has welcomed the transposition of the RoHS Directive into Irish law. The RoHS Directive (Directive 2011/65/EU) came into legal effect in Ireland last month and relates to the “restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances … Read more
Revised regulations on decorative paints and solvents were published on January 1st 2013. Re-sprayers and dry cleaners are required by law to register with their local authority, and have their premises inspected to ensure that they use appropriate products, dispose of waste in an appropriate manner and take measures to protect the environment. Commenting on … Read more