Rob Edwards

Junk mail tree-trashers outed by environmentalists

for Sunday Herald, 31 May 2009

It’s one of the banes of the modern age, and it’s destroying the world’s forests. But now we know who the main culprits are.

The big companies most to blame for cramming our letter boxes with junk mail have been unmasked. Well-known catalogue retailers, supermarket chains and publishing companies have all been labelled as woeful paper wasters.

One of the worst offenders is the clothing company, Boden, which recently hit the headlines after the US president’s wife, Michelle Obama, was reported to have ordered one of its catalogues. Several other catalogue companies have been fingered, including Freemans, Argos and Littlewoods.

Also under fire for failing to save paper are the Swedish home furnishing giant, IKEA; the supermarkets Morrisons, Somerfield and Sainsburys; Bauer, which publishes Bella, Heat and FHM; and Future, which publishes computer gaming magazines like XBox 360.

Some of the companies have leapt to their own defence, arguing that their paper is sourced from sustainable forests and recyclable. But consumers have expressed frustration at the mountains of junk mail and waste paper they create.

The average British household is bombarded by 650 items of junk mail every year. The UK consumes four times more paper per person than the world average, and paper production damages forests, pollutes water and helps disrupt the climate.

Shops failing to recycle batteries

from Sunday Herald, 10 May 2009

Scotland’s big-name retailers are failing to help customers recycle their toxic batteries - and they are ill-prepared for a new law that will soon force them to do so.

A survey by the Sunday Herald has uncovered confusion, ignorance and misinformation in the advice given by leading high street shops to customers inquiring about battery recycling.

All but one of 14 major retail chains with over 500 stores across Scotland said that they didn’t currently offer any facilities for battery recycling. And the only one that did - PC World - stressed that it wasn’t promoting its scheme in case it was overwhelmed.

Retailers have been accused of “burying their heads in the sand” by environmentalists, and criticised by battery manufacturers. In response, most of them said they were making efforts to begin battery recycling.

About 41 million batteries are used in Scotland every year, with the vast majority being dumped in landfill sites. Many contain toxic heavy metals like cadmium, mercury and nickel which can contaminate soil and water, threatening wildlife and human health.

The recycling that is thrown away

from Sunday Herald, 08 March 2009

Nearly 30,000 tonnes of waste collected for recycling in Scotland ended up being dumped as landfill, according to new figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

In some local authorities up to a fifth of the rubbish meant for recycling was rejected because it was contaminated, or because it was the wrong kind of waste.

The revelations have upset environmentalists, who fear that government recycling targets may not be met. Some councils accept that they need to do better, but others say the figures are misleading.

Sepa supplied the Sunday Herald with a spreadsheet (20kb xls) showing the amounts of waste collected for recycling but then rejected at the collection or processing stage during 2007-08. Across Scotland as a whole 4.4% - 29,126 tonnes - was rejected.

Councils in breach of waste dumping targets

from Sunday Herald, 12 October 2008

Seven Scottish councils have failed to meet government targets to cut the amount of waste they dump in landfill sites, according to new figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

The worst offender was Aberdeenshire Council, which disposed of 10,600 tonnes more waste to landfill than it should have done. The other six councils which exceeded their targets for 2007-08 were Aberdeen, North Lanarkshire, Inverclyde, Highland, East Lothian and Perth and Kinross.

The councils, and the Scottish government, have all come under fire for not doing enough to encourage recycling and waste minimisation. But they have defended themselves by pointing to a series of initiatives underway to improve their performance.

1,000 new waste plants planned for Scotland

from Sunday Herald, 29 June 2008

As many as a thousand new plants could be built to turn Scotland’s mountains of waste into heat and power for homes and businesses, according to a report for Scotland’s green watchdog.

But the report - to be published this week by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) - will provoke anxiety in communities across the country worried about pollution from waste treatment plants in their areas.

Sepa, however, insists that the proposed new facilities will be clean and strictly regulated. They include up to 741 gas-producing composting plants and 228 small-scale incinerators, all of which could supply hot water and electricity.

Glasgow bids to go greener

from Sunday Herald, 29 June 2008

The Dear Green Place wants to get greener. Glasgow City Council has launched a bid to become one of Europe’s most environmentally-friendly cities.

The council’s leaders are trying to shake off the city’s image as one of the most polluted, most wasteful and most road-obsessed in Scotland by agreeing a series of initiatives aimed at making it more sustainable.

The council has set up a high-level consortium led by Strathclyde University to examine every aspect of life in the city. The objective is “to position Glasgow as one of Europe’s most sustainable cities within five to ten years”.

Big new incinerators could bust government limit

from Sunday Herald, 01 June 2008

Plans to build eight major waste incinerators across Scotland are threatening to bust the Scottish government’s limit on waste-burning, according to a new survey.

Waste companies are proposing to boost Scotland’s incineration capacity 12-fold to over a million tonnes a year. Huge new plants are being planned in Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, Highland and East Lothian.

Dangerous waste for Africa seized

from Sunday Herald, 18 May 2008

Two shipments of potentially dangerous waste en route to Africa have been seized by Scotland’s environment watchdog, the Sunday Herald can reveal.

The shipments are now under investigation by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as part of a major new crackdown on illegal waste exports. This is the first time that such action has been taken in Scotland.

The wrong kind of waste hampers composting

from Sunday Herald, 04 May 2008

One in ten of the wheelie bins collected for composting end up being dumped on landfill sites because they are contaminated with the wrong kind of waste.

The latest figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) reveal that nearly 33,000 tonnes of waste collected for composting by local authorities were disposed of as landfill in 2005-06.

According to SEPA and local councils, this is because the waste is contaminated with plastic, tree trunks and other items that can’t be composted. They are urging members of the public to be more careful about what they put in organic bins.

Composting: seriously good shit

a talk to the Composting Association Scotland's seminar, 'Planning, Permitting and Purchasing, Perth, 01 May 2008 

It is good, if somewhat unexpected, to be here. I am not a government minister, in fact more often a government critic. So it’s hard to resist a platform which could have been Richard Lochhead’s or Michael Russell’s. I wish Richard Lochhead well with he and his wife’s new baby.

Like any good opening speaker, I'll start with some jokes, and I'll assume you're broadminded. Composting: in crude terms, in one sense, maybe stretching definitions a little, what we’re talking about here is shit - and boy are there lots of jokes about that. I particularly like the way the simple word can be used to help define almost any human framework of belief.

Plan to dig out old waste dump for new schools

from Sunday Herald, 10 February 2008

An unprecedented plan to excavate a giant waste dump dating back more than 60 years to make way for two new schools has prompted fears of an environmental disaster.

North Lanarkshire Council last week gave the green light to building St Ambrose and Drumpark secondary schools on an old landfill site in Coatbridge. But in order to prevent the build-up of explosive methane leaking from the site, the council is planning to remove all the waste.

For council officials this is “challenging”, but for local residents and politicians, it’s frightening. “It’s an appalling idea,” said Joe Ambrose (61), who overlooks the site from his front window.

Environment watchdog goes green - mostly

from Sunday Herald, 27 January 2008

Scotland’s environmental watchdog is succeeding in greening itself by cutting pollution, waste and air travel - but it still has a problem with the mountains of paper it uses.

The latest green audit of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), to be published tomorrow, shows that the organisation is on track to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 20% of 1998-99 levels by 2010.

But it has failed to meet its target to reduce paper consumption per employee by five per cent of 2005-06 levels. Only a three per cent cut was actually made, though measures have now been introduced to try and improve on that.

Waste breaches covered up by council

from Sunday Herald, 06 January 2008

A litany of damning allegations about illegal waste dumping, pollution breaches and the mishandling of confidential data on children have been covered up by a Scottish local authority.

Senior officials at Aberdeenshire Council doctored an internal waste audit to cut out its most serious findings, including a warning that the council was vulnerable to “legal action, expensive penalties, loss of credibility and extensive reputational damage”.

A suggestion that the council could also be guilty of “double standards” was omitted, along with the conclusion that “waste management as a service appears to be near the bottom of the list of priorities for Aberdeenshire Council”.

Scotland accused of 65 breaches of European laws

from Sunday Herald, 16 December 2007

Scotland has been accused by the European Union (EU) of 65 violations of laws meant to prevent pollution, protect wildlife and control waste, according to a secret government database released to the Sunday Herald.

The number of alleged breaches of European legal directives over the past six years is twice as high as previously admitted, prompting accusations yesterday that Scotland's record was "shocking" and had been "covered up".

The range of environmental crimes investigated by the EU is very broad. They include breaking rules on overfishing, hazardous waste, water pollution, sewage, radiation protection, plant imports, pesticides, birds of prey and pigs.

Warning that waste target could be missed

from Sunday Herald, 16 December 2007

Ministers are being warned that Scotland could fail to meet a vital target to stem the growth in waste - but that burning large amounts in big incinerators is not the solution.

Instead, the Scottish government is being urged by its environmental advisors to reduce the mountains of rubbish produced by households and businesses. Landfill bans and other compulsory controls should be considered in the drive towards a “zero waste society”, they say.

Recycling targets at risk from spending change

from Sunday Herald, 09 December 2007

Targets to boost recycling could be breached and more incinerators could be built because Scottish ministers have stopped ring-fencing council spending on waste.

A decision by the Scottish government to allow local authorities to decide on their own spending priorities has provoked alarm amongst professionals, politicians and environmental groups - and concern from ministers’ own green watchdog.

Setting the scene on sustainable waste management

a talk to the 6th Annual Scottish Waste Management Conference, Glasgow, 10 October 2007

Thank you. Like a good opening speaker, I've tried hard to find a good joke about waste, but I failed. All the waste jokes I found on the internet were, well, rubbish. And one I was sent by the consultant George Niblock, who may be known to some of you, was, well, unrepeatable. So I've slightly adapted a joke mocking engineers instead. Forgive me if you've heard it.

A mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, a waste engineer and a computer software engineer are all travelling along the road in an old banger when all of the sudden the car backfires loudly and comes to a juddering halt.
"Ah!" says the mechanical engineer, "I know what the problem is - it'll be the valves, or the piston in the engine."
"Nonsense!" says the electrical engineer. "It'll be a problem with the spark plugs or the battery!".
"No, no, no," says the waste engineer, "there's bound to be something wrong with the exhaust."
As they argue, they notice that the computer software engineer hasn't said anything, so they turn and ask what should be done.
"Errr," says the computer software engineer, "how about we all get out of the car, count to ten, get back in again and just try to restart it?"

Scotland still bottom of European waste league

from Sunday Herald, 07 October 2007

Despite investing £375 million over the last seven years to cut the huge amounts of waste dumped as landfill, Scotland is still languishing at the bottom of the European rubbish league.

A Scottish Government analysis passed to the Sunday Herald reveals that only Greece amongst the 15 European Union countries has a worse record. Scotland's position is "shocking", say environmentalists.

Incinerator go-ahead sparks fears

from Sunday Herald, 09 September 2007

Scottish ministers have come under fierce fire for giving the go-ahead to a controversial waste incinerator near Perth, paving the way for others around the country.

Companies and local authorities are planning up to ten new incinerators to make energy from waste and cut the amount of rubbish dumped as landfill. But environmentalists brand the plants as "cheap and nasty" and say they will jeopardise efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling.

SNP challenged to solve its environmental policy problems

from Sunday Herald, 02 September 2007

Scottish National Party ministers are this week being challenged to solve the problems that plague their environmental policies on pollution, transport, waste and wildlife.

A powerful coalition of all Scotland's major environmental groups is urging the new Scottish government to cut carbon emissions, reduce car and air travel, ban large incinerators and stem the loss of wild plants and animals.