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Europe – steel packaging "essential for achievement of EU metal packaging recycling targets" Over 2.2 million tonnes of post-consumer steel packaging were recycled in Europe last year, a recycling rate of 60% in the enlarged EU1 and an estimated 62.5% in EU15 (up from 61% in 2003). Over the last …

Germany – cost analysis for the monitoring of NiCd batteries in municipal solid waste Development of a monitoring strategy and assessment of related costs The Germany EPA has issued a useful small report Cost analysis for the monitoring of NiCd batteries in municipal solid waste – development of a monitoring …

Germany – dioxins from waste incineration consigned to history Statements have been made by the German Federal Government that dioxins from waste incinceration in Germany have been rendered negligible by advances in legal and technical controls. The following is from a September 2005 report from the German Federal Ministry for …

– interesting study on SWM from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) The JICA have published an English language study entitled: Supporting capacity development in solid waste management in developing countries -towards improving solid waste management capacity of entire society. Introduction Waste is said to be "a mirror of society" since …

Japan – used generator brushes recycled into mechanical pencil leads Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and Tombow Pencil Co. have jointly developed mechanical pencil leads recycled from generator brushes used in TEPCO‘‘s thermal power plants. Japan for Sustainability reports that generator brushes are made from highly pure graphite (over 97 …

UK – new environmental technology projects announced Out of 89 EU-wide projects, ten will be led by Britain, the most ever approved for the UK. In total, £36m will be injected to develop new technology and approaches to protect and enhance the environment in the UK, including some £9.4m from …

The European Commission is proposing a comprehensive review of environment policy. EIS reports that the thematic strategies in this area stem from its new approach aiming to improve EU law-making, simplify and clarify existing rules and propose less cumbersome framework legislation where new legislation is deemed necessary. They seek to …

Hard targets needed if EU policy objectives on cutting packaging waste volumes are to be met Specific targets rather than general objectives are needed if policies concerning packaging waste are to succeed, a report released today by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen states. The ‘‘Effectiveness of Waste Packaging …

Millions of households across England will be tempted to recycle more of their rubbish and cut down their waste with many local authorities offering prize draws, cash rewards and community gifts from this October. Around 50 schemes across the country will pilot, test and assess various approaches to incentivise people …

The National Assembly for Wales has issued a report on meeting landfill and recycling targets. The report includes a series of recommendations aimed at introducing measures to improve the performance of authorities that are struggling to meet targets. Issues regarding planning and public education are also examined. Among the many …