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News Report Page 8 of 10
Publication Date:-
2024-01-19
 
News reports located on this page = 2.

£30m to clean up sea travel and turbocharge coastal economies

COASTAL communities and businesses across the country will benefit from:- £30m of new decarbonisation funding, helping to drive economic growth and create jobs; delivering on the Government's Plan for Change.

The funding comes from the latest round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC6) has just been launched. CMDC is designed to support clean maritime technologies including:- electric, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, wind power and more.

Previous rounds of the competition have seen funding delivered to over 300 organisations, bringing in more than £100m of private investment across the UK.

Successful projects have included:- the installation of Britain's 1st electric chargepoint network across ports in the South West; the largest ever retrofit of a hydrogen research vessel in Wales, and the installation of a state of the art carbon capture system on a vessel.

Maritime Minister, Mike Kane said:- "This new £30m investment is part of our Plan for Change; growing the economy and making Britain a Clean Energy Superpower. I'm proud to see this funding boost growth and create jobs throughout the UK, as well as ushering in an era of zero-emission shipping."

Yesterday the Maritime Minister visited Hull to see how the City has benefited from:- £3.7m of CMDC funding through 1 of the programmes flagship projects:- GT Wings' AirWing. The innovative wind propulsion system has been built and delivered locally at:- Alexandra Dock, and will reduce emissions on vessels by up to 30%.  

The 1st AirWing is being assembled at the MMS Docks in Hull and will be installed on a Carisbrooke Shipping vessel, with sea trials scheduled for March 2025.    

This groundbreaking project is creating opportunities for skilled workers and bringing economic activity to the Region, positioning Hull as a hub for maritime innovation.  

Innovate UK will open the 6th round of the CMDC on:- 22 January 2025. The application window will close on:- 16 April 2025.

Mike Biddle, Executive Director, Net Zero at Innovate UK, said:- "Innovate UK is delighted to partner once again with the Department for Transport to deliver the latest instalment of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. CMDC Round 6 is a great opportunity for UK innovators to take part in a world-renowned maritime transport R&D grant funding programme. The competition focusses on the ever-more prevalent issue of decarbonisation within the industry and we're looking forward to seeing participation from across the maritime transport sector and beyond, focussing on physical, digital, system and skills-based innovation."

George Thompson, CEO of GT Wings, said:- "We're extremely excited about the imminent launch of AirWing™, our next-generation, compact wind propulsion technology designed to help even the most challenging ocean-going vessels decarbonise by harnessing wind power. This progressive step has been made possible thanks to the support of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which recognised the transformative potential of this innovation and GT Wings' ability to scale it for market impact. With the UK leading the way in modern wind propulsion, it's an exciting time to be driving fresh innovation in this space."

Captain Simon Merritt, Senior Fleet Manager at Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd, said:- "We look forward to the first AirWing being installed on our cargo ship this month, significantly reducing fuel consumption and emissions. This project has been accelerated with funding from Department for Transport and Innovate UK under CMDC Round 4. It demonstrates the power of collaboration between leading British companies, turning innovative ideas into real solutions to decarbonise the maritime industry while creating job opportunities in the UK."

The 6th round of funding brings the total invested through the CMDC to £159 million, accelerating the vast economic benefits that green maritime funding has on local jobs, industries and economies.   

CMDC funding comes from the £236m UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UKSHORE) programme which is focused on decarbonising the UK maritime sector through research and development. Innovate UK is the delivery partner for CMDC and will manage the distribution of funds to successful applicants.


Liverpool sets out roadmap to boost recycling

LIVERPOOL City Council's Cabinet is set to consider a new Recycling and Waste Strategy, which will take steps to improve recycling and waste collection across the City.

The strategy includes:- a new weekly, separate collection for household food waste to be introduced in 2026, making Liverpool a cleaner, greener place to live and work.

It follows the news that Liverpool's domestic recycling rate sits at just 17.9%, trailing behind the national average of 43.4%.

A major focus of the strategy is on household waste and recycling, with an aim to reduce the amount of waste produced and bring recycling rates in line with other local authorities in the country.

Additionally, research has shown that, of the 135,000 tonnes of domestic rubbish sent for incineration each year, 2 ⅓ could be recycled elsewhere.

The new strategy outlines steps that need to be taken in the next 5 years to manage waste effectively in Liverpool, reducing the negative impact it has on the environment and promoting sustainability.

Currently, waste disposal costs the Council £27.7 million annually, which could reduce by £1.6 if the recycling rate was in line with the national average.

As well as cost saving, reducing the amount of waste that is sent for incineration and adopting eco-friendly practices such as carbon neutral bin lorries are crucial steps towards Liverpool City Council's commitment to reaching net zero by 2030. Waste collection and processing currently accounts for 9% of emissions within Liverpool, which is roughly 1,700 tonnes of CO2.

To reach this goal, the strategy includes 6 clear objectives:-

  • Reduce purple bin waste.

  • Increase collection of recyclable materials.

  • Promote posiitve waste behaviours.

  • Deliver a high performing, efficient and effective service.

  • Optimise environmental performance.

  • Enable a circular economy to help the climate.

Work has already started to meet these goals, with the introduction of solar bins and underground refuse bins across the City, as well as optimising collection routes to reduce the number of emissions from waste collection vehicles.

Last year, the Council announced plans to take full control of waste collection and cleansing services, currently provided by Liverpool Streetscene Services Limited.

Additionally, Keep Liverpool Tidy, in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy has seen a big increase in community litter picking since it started in 2022.

To support local communities to make the necessary changes to reach these objectives, Cabinet will also be asked to agree an 8-week public engagement period across the City. A series of engagement events will be held to help raise awareness of waste reduction and give residents the opportunity to discuss how the Council can support them to recycle more.

The Cabinet report also details upcoming changes to recycling across England, which are due to be implemented from:- 1 April 2026. These include a new food waste collection service and an increase variety of materials that can be recycled in blue bins.

Liverpool City Council, along with local authorities across the country will have a new, weekly food waste collection next year to help bring down the amount of household waste. A significant amount of all waste in purple bins is found to be food waste (a total of 32.75%).

Following the national changes, this waste will be able to be recycled and composted down instead of being sent for incineration.

To help prepare for these changes, the strategy highlights the importance of positive waste behaviours across all visitors, residents and businesses. The planned engagement process will look to support people with this and ensure they have the information they need to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Liam Robinson said:- "We're committed to making Liverpool a cleaner, greener place to live and work, as well as reaching Net Zero across the City, and how we tackle our waste is a key component to helping us to reach that goal. Waste collection and processing makes up around 9% of the City's emissions. That is too high. This new strategy outlines important steps that both the Council and our communities can make to help us to reduce the amount of carbon we're releasing into the atmosphere. Reducing the amount of waste that we produce, and recycling as much of our rubbish as possible means that less gets sent to incinerators and more gets reused again and again. This could also lead to a significant cost saving for the Council, delivering best value for our residents. This new strategy is a major step towards us working together as a community to protect the environment for generations to come."

Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene said:- "The recycling and waste strategy affects everyone who lives, works and visits Liverpool. We have outlined crucial steps that the Council will make moving forward, but we can't do it alone. Every single person in the City needs to take responsibility for their waste. Our recycling rates are 1 of the lowest in the country and it's only through working together that we can make the improvements we need. By engaging with our residents, we'll make sure everyone has the information and support they need to make small changes in their day-to-day lives, which can make a lasting difference. Reducing the amount of waste we create, and taking care to use our blue bins correctly doesn't have to be difficult, but it does have to be done together."

 
      
 
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