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licence conditions relating to dust and waste storage at Eldin Industrial Estate in Midlothian. It was fined £4k at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. According to Sepa, the firm pleaded guilty for failing to carry out water spraying of stock- piles containing dry, crushed and screened waste materials in order to prevent particulate emissions to air, and for having stockpiles of waste exceeding 3m in height. NEWS March 2015 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 9 Psst! Factors that devalue a good home Food wrappers and cigarette butts on pavements or wheelie bins overflowing with rubbish will put off house buyers before they see a property, according to a report commissioned by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. The study entitled 'Exploring The Wider Costs Of Litter' revealed that rubbish strewn around streets in towns and cities, or fly-tipping in country lanes, can take between 2.7% and 11.8% off the value of properties. The average house price in England and Wales at the end of last year was £176,581, so using these percentages, the presence of litter would take £4,768 to £20,837 off its value. In London, the average house price was £461,453 last month, so £12,459 to £54,451 could be knocked off the value, while in the South-West between £4,996 and £21,836 would be lost from the average £185,051 value of a home. Homeowners in the North-West, average price £112,566, would lose £3,039 to £13,283, while in the Northeast, average value £97,783, the price could be reduced by £2,640 to £11,538. Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Phil Barton said that the organisation would like the Government to take the lead on dealing with litter. He said: "We'd like to see them calling together those who produce and sell packaging which ends up as litter, and local authorities, so we can educate and inform the public so they understand the consequences of what they're doing." WRAP's Liz Goodwin mustered a few laughs when she gave her opening remarks at the 'Labour markets report launch' in Westminster in January. She said: "I am delighted to be here, and thank you all for coming. "Tonight we are going to talk about how a circular economy can boost the economy, growth and create jobs. Some of you will have heard of the circular economy, some not. Nigel Farage says he hasn't a clue what it is… "As you can imagine, I lost a lot of sleep over this!" Here at LAWR, every now and then we do hear of bizarre stories. However, we nearly choked on our cornflakes when we heard the news item about a traffic warden being investigated after a parking ticket was placed on a wheelie bin. According to the BBC, the warden was accused of "bizarre behaviour" by onlookers as the penalty charge notice was stuck on the bin which was on double yellow lines in Carmarthen. Carmarthenshire Council said no ticket was inside the wrapper and the incident was a light-hearted moment. However, it said the warden's conduct was being looked into. Salesman Mike Jones told the BBC that he spotted the warden talking to other motorists about the wheelie bin from a town centre shop blocking the road. He said: "It was bizarre – I realised I had just watched a warden give a ticket to a wheelie bin for bad parking. "...it was parked on double yellow lines." Recycling Bits and Pieces create electricity for the national grid has opened for business in Hertfordshire. The Biogen. It will process 45,000t of food waste each year from supermarkets and THIS MONTH'S TOP STORIES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY MIX UP - Viridor has retained an important contract with Scotland's fifth largest local authority to transform waste across council offices and depots, schools, libraries, day care and community centres. Viridor will provide mixed recycling services to some 355 premises. Keep Britain Tidy

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