UK Business Briefs: spectrometers, environmental lawyer, recycling; and SUDS

In this week’s UK Business Briefs, a new portable spectrometer to investigate past changes in the Earth’s climate; an environmental law firm strengthens its environmental credentials; a recycling group in Scotland adds another company to its membership; and guidance on sustainable urban drainage systems.


Spectrometer manufacturer StellarNet UK has launched its new EPP2000C Colour Measurement System. The new system has already proved to be a spectacular success with the Physical Geography Laboratories in the University of Cambridge, where it measures the colour bands in core samples, says StellarNet. As well as allowing scientists to investigate rapid changes in the Earth’s past climate, they can also make comparisons with present-day changes, says the company.

Environmental law firm Baker and MacKenzie has announced the appointment of Peter Hawkes, formerly from Australian solicitors Herbert Smith. Hawkes has experience in a broad range of environmental health and safety law issues and is also a member of the UK Environmental Law Association’s Climate Change Working Froup, which focuses on the legal issues concerning renewable energy and emissions trading developments.

The Recycling Advisory Group for Scotland (RAGS) has registered its 100th member. Orrtec Ltd, the vertical compost unit specialists, became the 100th member when it joined up during the RAGS Conference in Perth on 13 and 14 November. RAGS was established in 1993 to coordinate the promotion of recycling and associated issues in Scotland. It has a membership of the key organisations involved in recycling, reuse and reduction in Scotland, including local authorities, community recycling groups, private waste and recycling companies, government agencies and material organisations.

Construction research organisation, CIRIA, is concerned that despite active promotion by industry to encourage the uptake of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS), barriers still exist, such as a lack of specific technical guidance for the design and construction of permeable surfaces, which offer better management of surface water runoff. To address this, CIRIA has published Source Control using Constructed Pervious Surfaces, which discusses the critical issues that should be considered when designing and constructing pervious pavements that are used as a technique for stormwater source control.

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