LAWR

NEWS May 2014 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 19 Pick up or pay up, a lot of noise and Will.i.am Stencils at 20 known dog-fouling hotspots in Croydon are reminding lazy dog-walkers that they should clean up when their pet leaves a 'calling card'. The bright yellow pavement stencils carry the simple 'pick up or pay up' message and will be backed by increased enforcement patrols by uniformed council officers. Dog fouling is a significant problem in some parts of the borough, and the new initiative is being introduced alongside other measures to cut down on littering and fly-tipping. The work is funded through an additional council investment of £100,000 to tackle these issues. Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety and public protection, said: "Those owners who think it's OK to just walk away after their dog has been to the toilet need to think about the way they are spoiling everyone else's enjoyment of the area. If they get caught they'll soon feel the pain of a fine and the possibility of an expensive prosecution." The noise of vehicles used in Guernsey's new kerbside collection recycling scheme are keeping some residents awake, according to reports from the BBC. Some people living in St Peter Port have complained about the noises made by the lorries when reversing.The vehicles used in the parish are operated by States Works. Malcolm Cleal, general manager, apologised and said switches had been installed so the reversing beepers could be turned off. British actress Joanna Lumley met up with R&B artist and eco designer Will.i.am in his home in Los Angeles to talk recycling last month. The US artist, and mentor on The Voice, opened up to Lumley on BBC One programme and talked about his life and about his partnership with the Coca Cola Company to launch Ekocycle. Ekocycle is a new venture that promotes recycling and turns waste plastics into clothes for Will.i.am's own fashion line and other items such as headphones. Part of the documentary showed Will.i.am take Lumley to his shop in LA to demonstrate how the waste plastic water bottles are turned into cotton for thread to make jackets and trousers. There is an old saying that you can judge a man or woman by the shoes they wear. They reveal whether he/she takes pride in the little things. But have you heard of the latest trend? LAWR understands that the latest trend is to buy trainers already scuffed. No joke! You can actually by an expensive pair of trainers already scuffed and unpolished for around £100 (delivery included). Has the world gone a bit mad? LOL Recycling Bits and Pieces The month in resource management NEVER WALK ALONE - Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority's Ravenhead Recycling Centre at Burtonhead Road in St Helens reopened last month after an extensive redevelopment. VIPs and councillors along with pupils from Hope Academy, Newton le Willows, and members of the local community join the MRWA, Cheetham Hill Construction team (who redeveloped the site) and Veolia Environmental Services staff to officially reopen the Ravenhead Recycling Centre. YOUR ROUND-UP OF THIS MONTH'S TOP STORIES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY As part of a programme of wildlife habitat improvements in the Royal Parks, a large floating wetland island has been built on the Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park. Made from recycled plastic materials, in- cluding plastic bottles, the BioHaven floating island has been planted with native aquatic plants. UK firms will need to adopt a circular approach to steal a march on their competitors, WRAP Waste contract WRAP urges businesses to adopt circular approach chief executive Liz Goodwin has warned. Speaking at the Sustainability Live Conference in Birmingham, Goodwin said that UK businesses had been slow to adopt a circular approach and that the linear model was "unsustainable". She also warned that the "throwaway linear economic model" could become a "millstone around the necks" of firms.

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