Press Releases

On this page we have links to a number of press releases that have been released over the recent past. Many of them relate to the Recycling Incentives Scheme, but there ones on recycling and reuse generally.

A WASTE OF TIME?
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST RUBBISHED

A Freedom of Information request about plans to build a massive waste treatment facility at a secret location somewhere in the South of Tyne area has been turned down by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) after 3 local councils urged it to keep local people in the dark.

The FoI request to DEFRA was made by BAN Waste, the Tyneside based waste policy group, following an application by South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, for a multi-million pound grant under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to procure a ‘residual waste treatment and disposal infrastructure’ in the area.

The partnership formed by Sunderland, Gateshead & South Tyneside Councils initially identified 9 waste treatment facility options but has recently narrowed the range of options to 3 following a public consultation in July.  Ban Waste believe that the questions in the consultation questionnaire were misleading asking the general public whether ‘obtaining benefit from rubbish by modern treatment facilities’ was a good idea but not stating what ‘modern treatment facilities’ people would be supporting. The initial ‘expression of interest’ for a mega waste facility was approved by DEFRA in July.

BAN Waste, which was born out of the fight against the disastrous Byker incinerator, fears the secret plans may lead to a massive growth in incineration in the north east.

DEFRA was asked by a BAN Waste member in September what type of waste treatment infrastructure was being proposed.  Despite repeated letters and calls, it took them 6 weeks to refuse to grant the FoI request on the grounds that ‘the councils involved do not wish this type of information to be made public’.

BAN WASTE spokesperson, Dan Alliband, said ‘The general public should be shocked at this conspiracy of silence by the three councils and Defra.  All we wanted to know is what waste treatment options are being proposed but now we are wondering what 'secret' information can be so damaging that the councils want to hide it from their own public?.  If the PFI deal is for incineration it will be disastrous for the environment and tie local Council Tax-payers into mortgaging waste incineration for the next thirty years.  We need to know what the councils and DEFRA are signing up to behind everyone’s backs.  The Partnership needs to come clean now.’

BAN Waste are holding a public meeting to consider these issues and explore the potential waste treatments and technologies available on November 20th  commencing at 7pm at The Healthy Cities Project, 14 Great North Road, Newcastle.

Defra report back on success of recycling incentives schemes around the country.

Children in schools are one of the best ways to get the message across to since they can have great influence on what happens at home.

Demand for bins soars when you have an attractive recycling incentives scheme.

Giving clothes and household items to charity shops is far better than binning them.