LAWR

NEWS ROUNDUP July 2015 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 9 This month's news … in a minute Water waste Cambridge City Council marked the start of its new Love Food Hate Waste campaign by filling a punt with a quarter tonne of food – the amount the average family throws away each year. There will also be a rationing challenge this month, with residents signing up to 'make do' on wartime rations. The council will be giving away kitchen caddies. Bon appetit France has passed a law forcing supermarkets to donate unwanted food to charity, or send it to farms to be turned into animal feed or compost. The councillor who led the campaign, Arash Derambarsh, wants to take the legislation global. A UK petition calling for similar legislation attracted 150,000 signatures within a couple of weeks. Irish waste plan Ten local authorities in Ireland have been set a number of key targets under the six- year Southern Region Waste Management Plan. These include a 1% reduction in household waste generated per capita per year and the recycling of 50% of managed municipal waste by 2020. A 'three bin system' will be rolled out across the region. RDF tender The process of selecting a destination for Guernsey's RDF has reached the tender stage. More than 40 potential destinations were identified and this is being whittled down, with a final decision expected by the end of the year. The contract will start in 2017 and will involve between 20,000 and 25,000 tonnes of the island's waste. Sleeping safely Biffa is to install CCTV in 140 of its 800 waste collection vehicles by the end of the year. The cameras will help identify the people sheltering in waste containers, with information passed to local homeless charities. Ninety-three lives were saved last year thanks to Biffa's teams checking waste containers before emptying them. Bag a bargain A new community reuse shop has opened at the South Sefton HWRC in Merseyside. A joint venture between Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, waste company Veolia and national charity YMCA, the shop will clean up used and 'pre-loved' items and put them up for sale at knockdown prices. There will also be PAT testing for electrical items. New waste laws The Welsh Assembly has published details of a new Environment Bill, which will require businesses and the public sector to segregate waste. Bans on energy from waste are also included, as well as powers for ministers to extend the charging scheme on plastic bags to other carriers, including bags for life. The government says the plans will save firms money. No minister, yes sir Eric Pickles is to be knighted. The former secretary of state at DCLG has attracted controversy for his support of weekly waste collections, not least with a £250m fund to help councils reinstate the services. He has already changed his Twitter handle. Perhaps this softened the blow of losing a seat in the cabinet - he is now anti- corruption tsar.

• Cover