Millions of unwanted computers and laptops have been dumped in council tips rather than recycled or donated for use in other countries, according to a new report. A survey of more than 1,000 adults showed that fewer than half had donated an old computer to a charity and only one in 10 made sure they were recycled.

The report said it was clear that many people were making no attempt to recycle their unwanted computer equipment, often dumping goods in their household rubbish or even in the countryside.

Fujitsu Siemens called for dedicated areas to be set up at municipal tips across the UK to stop the waste of so many computers and other electrical goods.

Dave Pritchard of Fujitsu Siemens Computers said: “Although our survey showed that one in four people do take their rubbish to their local tip, unless their laptop or PC is assessed on the site, there is no guarantee that it will be passed on for re-use or recycle. This is a huge missed opportunity.”

The latest designs for the Olympic Park Energy Centre have been unveiled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). Sustainable energy and green fuels are at the forefront of the plans to power the Olympic Park during the London 2012 Games and in legacy.

The Energy Centre will be built in the west of the Olympic Park, providing an efficient power, heating and cooling system across the site for the Games and for the new buildings and communities that will develop after 2012. A planning application for the energy centre will be submitted this month and the latest designs have now been released as part of public consultation to allow local residents to have the opportunity to comment on the energy centre plans. Continue reading this post…

On Friday 22nd February, the Mayor of London called on Londoners to reuse their plastic bags and say ‘no’ to accepting new plastic bags. On average, Londoners use over 37 million new plastic bags each week – a weekly habit that adds to an annual total of 2.2 billion new plastic bags in the capital.

At the campaign launch in Oxford Circus last week the Deputy Mayor of London, Nicky Gavron, was joined by media partner thelondonpaper to encourage Londoners to use a reusable bag as well as reusing the plastic bags that they already have, instead of putting them in the bin where they will end up on landfill sites - this is a real waste of resources, causes harmful pollution and contributes to climate change.
Continue reading this post…

The London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, this week launched a campaign to encourage the drinking of tap water in bars and restaurants, rather than bottled water.

Backed by environment minister Phil Woolas, Friends of the Earth and water company Thames Water, the Mayor said cutting down on bottled water would bring a variety of environmental benefits, including a drop in the number of plastic or glass bottles requiring disposal or recycling.

Over two billion litres of bottled water are sold in the UK every year - 200 times more than 30 years ago - and currently only twenty percent of plastic bottles are recycled.

Continue reading this post…