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Householders Given 2020 Deadline For Cutting Waste
HOMES across
Merseyside have been given a 2020 deadline for cutting down on
household waste. The 5 District Councils have made the
commitment in an updated Waste Strategy for Merseyside.
The document, which was originally launched in 2005, has been
updated and sets out how waste will be managed in the region for the
next dozen years and better used as a resource. The key
document, published by Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) on
behalf of the Merseyside Waste Partnership (MWDA, Knowsley,
Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral Councils), re-iterates the
2005 recycling targets and establishes a range of new initiatives to
improve the region’s waste performance.
Top of the list is a challenge to Merseysiders to cut the growth of
household waste to 0% by 2020. The volume of waste produced by
Merseyside homes has actually started to decrease recently – from
581kg per head in 2005, to 549kg in 2007/2008. Although the figure
is dropping, households are still producing over 700,000 tonnes of
rubbish a year.
Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, said:- "The region is making good
progress in terms of increasing recycling performance, with
householders across Merseyside recycling over 29% of their waste
last year - up 7% from the previous year. But more needs to be done
to avoid landfill fines and reduce carbon and methane emissions
which contribute to climate change - sending material to landfill is
not just bad news for the planet, but for our wallets too.”
Other key recommendations made in the Joint Municipal Waste
Management Strategy (JMWMS) include:-
* Improve Merseyside recycling levels to 44% by 2020 (from 29% in
2007/8)
* MWDA to identify
ways of improving performance at its Recycling Centres to optimise
recycling rates, including improving the segregation of paper and
card for recycling and garden waste for composting
* MWDA to consider
treatment options including Anaerobic Digestion for the processing
of kitchen waste by 2010
* Where energy is
generated from waste treatment (either through biological or thermal
processing) CHP (combined heat and power*) systems shall be
encouraged to maximize the efficiency of the conversion process
The Strategy also recommends that all Partners should deliver good
quality recyclates to the market place, and maximize the recovery of
materials through an efficient collection and treatment process.
Key to the future of Merseyside’s waste management is reducing the
amount of waste being produced in the first place. Part of the Waste
Strategy is a new Waste Prevention Strategy for Merseyside. This
aims to bring about behavioural change in relation to waste. Its
recommendations include:
• Get 500 families using environmentally friendly real nappies by
2010
• Achieve a 5% year-on-year increase in the number of people
registered with the Mail Preference Service (MPS)
• host a minimum of 2 Swap Days per year in each Merseyside district
(Swap Days are a community initiative designed to encourage
residents to exchange and reuse unwanted items for free)
• Continue delivering a range of regular compost giveaways and offer
subsidised home compost bins to Merseyside residents
• Continue to support community recycling and social enterprise
waste management initiatives.
These targets are part of a broader programme designed to make sure
the region can meet future waste recycling and treatment targets and
comply with landfill legislation.
Already many of the districts across Merseyside have introduced new
kerbside collection schemes for recycling. Plans for new waste and
recycling facilities will also be developed by MWDA and submitted
over the next 18 months, including a recent proposal to create a
Recycling Park in Gillmoss, Liverpool.
Carl Beer continued:- "These new pledges by ourselves and the
Councils of Merseyside represent how much more needs to be done over
the long term. We are still creating too much waste - over 700,000
tonnes every year - reusing or recycling too little and not getting
enough value from what we’re throwing away.”
Councillor Kevin Cluskey, Chairperson of the Waste Disposal
Authority said:- "The new strategy is as much about awareness
and education as it is about targets. We want the public to fully
understand what materials they can re-use and recycle and how to
avoid creating waste in the first place. Ourselves and our
District Council partners will promote, develop and align new
initiatives to educate and raise awareness of residents including
the introduction of new visitor and education centres at our new
waste management facilities across Merseyside.” |
Minister welcomes review of the Government's engagement with older
people
MINISTER for
Pensions and Ageing Society Rosie Winterton has welcomed the
publication of a review of how the Government currently engages with
older people. John Elbourne, former Chief Executive for
Prudential Assurance, was asked in May 2008, by the former Pensions
Minister Mike O'Brien, to examine whether older people are currently
able to inform Government policy and actions at all levels.
Rosie Winterton said:- "I would like to thank John Elbourne
for the considerable amount of work he has put into his review and
for his final report. I want to ensure that everyone with an
interest in this important area has an opportunity to provide
thoughts and views on John's findings and recommendations.
Therefore, I am asking people to send their comments to us over the
next two months and I will consider all of them carefully before
giving my response to the report."
The main recommendations of the review are:-
* Establishing a national advisory forum for older people, to be
chaired or co-chaired by the lead Minister for older people and
supported by regional advisory forums
* Enhancing the role that regional Government Offices play in
supporting and developing engagement with older people
* Setting up regional forums to support local authorities to develop
effective engagement strategies so that a truly diverse range of
older people's voices can be heard
* Building on the support for older people's forums around the UK,
including the Older People's Advisory Groups
* The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should fund Better
Government for Older People, at current levels, until the end of
March 2009
Comments on the review should be submitted to DWP by 9 January 2009
and the Government will respond by 30 January 2009.
Southport Poets in for £1000 Prize!
ONE poet from
Southport and one from Liverpool could win £1000 in a competition to write a poem about
their home town/city. The closing date is almost upon us in this
annual competition run by United Press, to encourage more people
into writing poetry.
“It’s free to enter, and the aim of the competition is to
encourage more people to try writing poetry. It is great therapy and
a great way of expressing yourself. We’re hoping for
some superb entries from Southport and Liverpool.” said
Peter Quinn, Managing Director of United Press.
This annual competition was won last year by Stephanie Spiers of
Stafford who wrote a poem about her local river. The previous year’s
winner was Jerry Beachill, who wrote a poem about village life near
Rotherham, and previous to that, the winner was Owen Lowery who
wrote a poem about Billinge, his home town.
The closing date is 31 December 2008.
To enter the competition send up to 3 poems of 160 words and 20
lines each to:-
United Press Ltd
Admail 3735
London
EC1 1JB
Or you can check out the website at
www.unitedpress.co.uk or phone 0870 240 6190
POLICE SHOULD PROTECT AND NOT PERSECUTE PROSTITUTES
COMMENTING on
the Government announcement that men who have sex with women who
have been trafficked or forced into prostitution will face
prosecution, local Euro-MP Chris Davies said:- "I am be
opposed to making prostitution illegal or to making it a offence for
men to seek to purchase sex. Governments should not interfere in
what people do of their own free will without harm to others.
The proposal from the Home Secretary is intended to apply in cases
of coercion. It is impossible to disagree with the sentiment but the
practice will be quite different.
A better approach would be to legalise, regulate and tax the trade.
It should no longer be illegal for women to manage the operation of
the brothel where they provide sexual services. The police should be
protectors of prostitutes not their persecutors."
What are your views on this? Email
us to
news24@southportreporter.com. |
