News in brief

Environment Minister Alan Meale has clarified an apparent inconsistency in the UK policies on exports and imports of waste. Under the UK Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste, which came into effect in June 1996, imports of waste from European Community Member States, with the exception of Ireland and Portugal, for disposal by high temperature incineration are being phased out under an annual quota. It was not clear whether the waste imported under the quota needs to be disposed of or simply imported by 31 May 1999, the quota expiration data, but an amendment to the Plan, which came into effect 19 January last month states the waste must arrive at the disposal facility by 31 May 1999.

Source: IEM

Uponor has won an award from Severn Trent Water for Stock Supplier of the Year 1998. The trophy is awarded to the company demonstrating the highest levels of service over a number of categories assessed during the year. Accepting the reward was Stuart Godfrey, head of Uponor’s sales and marketing. Several initiatives were put in place by Uponor during the last year, including new software, telephone systems and changes in production, packaging and despatch.

Source: WWT

Michael Kokocinski of Burnley has been jailed for eight months for illegally depositing and keeping waste at “the largest unlicensed landfill site known to Agency officers in the North West”. Officers estimated that since 1991, at least 23,600 cubic feet of controlled waste, including oil drums, empty propane gas bottles, paint tins, mattresses and timber windows had been deposited at the site.

Source: IEM

ANGLIAN Water has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,800 having been found guilty of supplying water unfit for human consumption. The incident involved the supply of discoloured water to the town of Halstead in Essex in December 1997.

Source: WWT

Businesses responsible for loading and/or transporting more than a small tonnage of dangerous goods by road or rail must use a qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) by 31 December 1999. The DGSA must be able to advise colleagues about how to safety transport and handle dangerous goods as required by EC directives and UK regulations.

Source: IEM

DR Jean Shaoul, Manchester University, has written a report entitled ‘Water clean-up and transparency’. Her paper examines the accountability of the regulatory processes in the water industry and determines whether consumers and the public at large can be protected, as the government claims, via a system of regulation. The report criticised Ofwat for making little effort to ensure that the finances were spent on the purposes for which they were designated. According to Ms Shaoul, the regulatory system appeared to build-in some safeguards but when water companies failed to meet their targets, they were not subject to any financial penalties via price reductions or clawbacks. She made the comment that both quality regulators prefer to rely on encouragement rather than enforcement and prosecution. For more details contact Dr Jean Shaoul on 0161 275 4027.

Source: WWT

The number of companies achieving certification to ISO 14001 is continuing to rise: a total of 2,098 sites have been certified worldwide, 48% in Europe, 41% in Asia and 10% in North America. UKAS data, analysed by EAG Environ, shows that of the 998 certified sites in Europe, 72% are located in the UK with 17% in the electronics sector, 14% in the chemicals sector and 5% in machinery manufacturing sector.

Source: IEM

The RSPB and Water UK recently held a workshop to promote biodiversity in the water industry. It builds upon a Good Practice Guide published by the RSPB which highlights existing examples of good practice in the water industry. Copies of the guide are available from the RSPB – telephone 01767 680551.

WWT

Magistrates have ordered textile printing company, Alexander Drew and Sons Ltd, to pay œ6,000 in fines and costs for breaching a licence to take water from a site at Rochdale. The company, which held a licence authorising the abstraction of no more than 150,000 gallons per day from land at Spotland, Rochdale, was found to be removing 480,000 gallons. Robin Johnston, a former company director, was fined œ1,000 after pleading guilty to being the director responsible for making the false statement as part of the information he provided to the Agency.

Source: IEM

Michael Rouse has been re-appointed as chief drinking water inspector for England and Wales for the period up to September 2002.

Source: WWT

The first Social Reporting Award for UK enterprises has been announced by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The award scheme, designed to encourage best practice in reporting the social accountability issues that face all organisations, will be run separately, but in parallel with the ACCA’s environmental awards. The first cycle will begin in mid-1999. For details contact Rachel Jackson on 0171 396 5845.

Source: IEM