AdviceOnHowToStopClimateChangePartTwo

I recently wrote about how Environment magazine had written an article providing very clear guidance on how to be more effective in reducing energy consumption. In this post, we examine the ways in which the authors have had a good look at how people feel about climate change, and common attitudes.

At SkipsForYou, and AcornWaste we are very keen to look beneath commonly held attitudes and preconceptions about responsiblity and provide clear guidance on what really helps. Research by psychologists is just as useful in helping with this as are the more commonly examined statistics on emissions for example.

Gerald Gardner and Paul Stern who wrote the article, think that while most US people do accept that human activity is responsible for climate change, and are interested and motivated to reduce their energy consumption, there is just to much conflicting and unclear information around for people to be able to make effective changes. Many people in fact engage in activities that while being visible and tangible are less effective than other actions they could be taking. For example, many people will happily turn off lights or turn down their thermostat, but are not really sure about how much good this is doing.

This is partly because many green campaigns are great at motivating people to do something, but there are so many of them, and the whole problem seems so complex that it becomes unclear how change can be effected. There are publications such as "The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook" which give us checklists of green things we can do, but without a clear understanding of the impact of these changes.

Gardner and Stern suggest that (as any behaviourist would say) telling people to stop doing stuff is not helping. Instead, it is far better to focus on positive steps that can be taken. This is like positive reinforcement - we don't want to hear that we have to make sacrifices to change, but that we can be agents of change; taking active steps to become more energy efficient will lead to much larger reductions in energy use.

"...efficiency-improving actions generally save more energy — and reduce carbon emissions more — than curtailing use of intrinsically inefficient equipment. For example, buying and maintaining a highly fuel-efficient vehicle saves more energy than carpooling to work with another person, lowering top highway speeds, consolidating shopping or errand trips, and altering driving habits in an existing gasoline-inefficient motor vehicle. This general finding challenges the belief that energy savings entail curtailment and sacrifice of amenities. Not only is efficiency generally more effective than curtailment, but it has the important psychological advantage of requiring only one or a few actions. Curtailment actions must be repeated continuously over time to achieve their optimal effect, whereas efficiency-boosting actions, taken infrequently or only once, have lasting effects with little need for continuing attention and effort."

This approach should certainly help us in the UK, with see-sawing fuel prices and and people needing to save money any way they can. However, in the UK, it is also worth remembering that ordinary households contribute far less to emissions than in the US, and to question whether the government is actually right to enforce energy saving policies such as the removal of old-style lightbulbs. By creating such a 'nanny-state' policy, this again leaves the ordinary householder feel powerless to make changes themselves, and reverses the psychological approach endorsed by Stern and Gardner.

For anyone who is interested they have also written a very interesting book called, 'Environmental Problems and Human Behaviour', which goes into some detail into issues such as 'the tragedy of the commons,' a phrase coined by Garrett Hardin,(1968) a biologist at the University of Santa Barbara.

Advice On How To Stop Climate Change - Part One

Click on the image to see the energy savings guidance in more detail.

SkipsForYou, and their sister company, AcornWaste (for commercial waste management) are always keen to try to promote responsible waste solutions, and help to provide meaningful advice, especially through their websites. Many UK consumers seem to be confused about how they can best help in slowing down or stopping climate change, and while it is clear that our attitude to rubbish is one part of the jigsaw puzzle, a recent article in Environment (published last year) seems to suggest that with clearer guidelines, ordinary people really can help to save the planet.

The article focusses on reducing carbon emissions and draws attention to how, perhaps unexpectedly, U.S. households create around 38 percent of national carbon emissions. This is a level far higher than in any other country but China and, is in fact larger than the entire U.S. industrial sector.

It highlights 17 actions that can be taken, although there is still room for discussion as to the actual energy savings - this assumes for example that equipment is used until it stops working, rather than replaced - the energy saved is cancelled out by the cost of energy used to manufacture the new equipment. Obviously here in the UK, we are less likely to use air-conditioning, but this is still a useful checklist to use in order to gain a clearer understanding of what we can do to reduce emissions for example. Don't forget to give us a call, in any case, to see whether we can help you with removing any equipment that you are replacing. SkipsForYou and AcornWaste are stringent in meeting ll regulations regarding waste management.

Transport:
Carpool to work. 4.2
Get frequent tune-ups, including air filter changes. 3.9
Avoid sudden acceleration and braking. 3.2
Aim to halve shopping trips – combine errands. 2.7
Cut speed from 70mph to 60 mph. 2.4
Keep your tyres at the correct pressure. 1.2
Total energy saving could be up to 17.6 per cent of previous energy used.

Home:
Replace 8% of our bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Turn down the heat from 72f to 68 in the day and to 65 at night. Turn up thermostat on air conditioner from 73f to 78f.
Only wash clothes on cold or warm wash – cold rinse.
Total energy saving could be up to 26.2 per cent of previous energy used.

Longer term, higher cost actions:

Transport:
Use low-rolling resistance tyres. 1.5
Buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. 13.5
Total energy saving could be up to 15 per cent of previous energy used.

Home:
Caulk or weather strip your home. 2.5
Install or upgrade attic insulation and ventilation. 7.0
Total energy saving could be up to 9.5 per cent of previous energy used.

Long term, high cost actions:

Home:
Install more efficient heating. 2.9
Install more efficient air-conditioning. 2.2
Install a more efficient fridge/freezer. 1.9
Install a more efficient water heater. 1.5
Total energy saving could be up to 8.5 per cent of previous energy used.

SkipsForYou and AcornWaste Can Help You Move House

Moving house can be very stressful, and can put a lot of pressure on the family unit, especially if you have children. Children can get incredibly upset by moving, and even grieve - for their old friends, for the secure networks they might have built up at school with teachers and peers. We offer some signs to watch out for below and also tips on how to ensure your children feel involved with the move, and so more in control of what is happening.

SkipsForYou and AcornWaste can help with some of this stress, by arranging for a skip for you to deal with unwanted stuff, or rubbish, before you move. There is no point in paying to move junk that will end up just taking up space at the new house. Make a fresh start and sort out rubbish before you leave, and also feel good about the reduced carbon emissions as a result of not moving rubbish from one location to another! It doesn’t matter which UK area you are moving from or to, we can deliver a skip anywhere. If you think you might need more help, we can also deliver a man with a van, skip bags, help with house clearance, portakabin hire, and even deal with your confidential data destruction.

We can help you with your house move through thorough preparation and also use of check-lists.

Moving House and Stress:
Moving house has ramifications for all the family. However, while adults may feel more in control as they re involved in decision-making, and focusing on practical issues, children can get caught up in feelings of loss and grief. Children can feel powerless, as they are having their friends and known environment taken away from them.

Signs of Stress in Children:
Not all children will be upset – some may enjoy the move hugely and be full of excitement. However signs to watch out for are in younger children: thumb-sucking, bed wetting, regression – going back to talking baby talk for example, and clinginess (just what you need when you’re dashing round!)

Older children may show signs of loss of appetite, insomnia, hair twirling, shyness or aggression. You might also see changed sleeping patterns, problems with concentration, stomach aches or headaches. If your child’s personality seems to change, this could be down to the stress of the move.

Don’t forget that some of these symptoms might just show that your child is adjusting – and that they will naturally get over it, once they’ve had a settling-in period. Make sure that your children get plenty of healthy food, rest and some chance to stretch their legs, if you are very busy with the move. Don’t forget that stress is great for viruses, so try to keep calm, and keep your immunity up. Look into local sitting services; you can always have someone entertain your child , and very importantly to talk to and listen to them, in a quiet calm area, while you get on with packing and unpacking. And, even if you do manage to get help with the children, do also try to spend some time with them yourself - listen to their fears and concerns and point out the positive aspects of the move to them.

Make your move less stressful:
Make sure you talk to your children well ahead of the move so they have plenty of time to adjust. Help them to decide on things like colours to decorate with, perhaps an area of the garden that might be theirs - if you have no garden, talk about how they can help you ot grow herbs in pots for the kitchen windowsill. Small children can perhaps be easiest to move - they depend more on just being with you for their security, so as long as you're around, this should help them. Tell them stories about other children who are moving. It can be a good idea to take items like their bed with you, or at least check that they sleep in the same bedding. This way the transition will be more gradual.

School-age children can get very upset about moving away from friends. It is difficult to decide whether to move in term-time or in the holidays. Holidays give the child time to adjust- but not the same opportunity to make friends as if they were at school. Do your best to find parents' groups in the community that will give your child a chance to meet other children.

Teenagers may be very upset by moving. Listen to them and treat what they have to say with respect (if it's reasonable.) If the move means losing a girl or boy friend this can be terrible for them - imagine how you would feel. It can be easy to dismiss these feelings in a young adult, but they are very keenly felt, despite your teenager just setting out with these emotions. If you can arrange visits back to see old friends this might help. Try to compromise and most of all let your teenager know that you share their concerns and are doing your best to understand.

Sort out your children's room or rooms first - this gives them a secure base and their own territory. Try to stick to normal mealtimes and bedtimes. Be patient but firm with difficult behaviour. Use reward charts for good behaviour if this is appropriate. Expect your child to take at least 6 weeks to 'settle-in' and expect some slightly erratic behaviour during this time. If the erratic behaviour continues past this time, then it might be worth a visit to the doctor or to think about counselling, especially with any of the following: headache, stomachache, depression solitude, apathy, lower marks at school, and anti-social behaviour such as lying, or stealing.

However, do also remember that humans are designed to be able to cope with stress and that most of us do pull through. This can be a positive time where you can find out a lot about both yourself and your children. And don't forget to call Skipsforyou for help if you want more advice, or Acornwaste for commercial help.

Tracking Your Trash - Big Brother Waste Monitoring

Huge amounts of waste are to be tracked using electronic surveillance methods. Volunteers are to donate 3,000 pieces of rubbish, which will be tagged, initially in Seattle and New York. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology project, called Trash Track, has been designed with the aim of helping people to focus on what happens to their waste when they dispose of it.

Professor Carlo Ratti, head of MIT SENSEable City Lab, said, "Trash is one of today's most pressing issues - both directly and as a reflection of our attitudes and behaviours. Our project aims to reveal the disposal process of our everyday objects, as well as to highlight potential inefficiencies in today's recycling and sanitation systems. The project could be considered the urban equivalent of nuclear medicine - when a tracer is injected and followed through the human body."

Assaf Biderman, associate director of the lab, said, "The study of what we could call the 'removal chain' is becoming as important as that of the supply chain. Trash Track aims to make the removal chain more transparent. We hope that the project will promote behavioural change and encourage people to make more sustainable decisions about what they consume and how it affects the world around them."

Friends of the Earth's Senior Waste Campaigner Michael Warhurst has said that this could be a "useful tool" for highlighting the impact of rubbish.
"[Waste] doesn't simply disappear when we throw it away, and all too often it ends up causing damage when it could be recycled instead. People must have much better information on - and control over - where their rubbish and recycling ends up."

In order to monitor how the pieces of rubbish move around the cities and beyond, the MIT team has developed a small mobile sensor, based on cheap and easy mobile phone functionality encased in resin, that can be attached to individual pieces of waste.The location of these pieces of waste and the journey that they go on, is transmitted to a central server. The journey is then shown on a map in real time. Eventually the team will ensure that the waste is disposed of responsibly, and the tags re-used.

A lot of green campaigners are glossing over the transition from tagging to tracking - but of course the reality behind such a project, is that not only our private lives are now under surveillance, but also, our rubbish. Although such a project is theoretically fascinating, in reality, it has rather a Big Brotherish feel to it. "Think about a future where thanks to smart tags we will not have waste anymore," said Mr Ratti. "Everything will be traceable."

Acorn Waste and Skips For You owners, Paul and Karen Cairns are not sure just how Mr Ratti proposes that smart tags will get rid of waste - other than by punishing those who generate it - ie you or me. If, in the meantime you are interested in getting rid of waste responsibly, SkipsForYou tries to ensure that as much waste as possible gets recycled in the skips that they hire out.

Do Global Warming Stories Go Too Far?

Is news about global warming doing more harm than good? The news media loves nothing better than a story with fear factor, and global warming contains many of the objects necessary to make a good horror story. There is a vague unspecified danger, that could result in floods, freak weather, death, destruction and annihilation. The trouble is though, that with the models that are used to show what might happen with say, a sea-level rise of x feet, quite often the rationalist is not on hand to say, ' but we don't actually know that we will see a rise in sea-levels of x feet.'

Al Gore, who does some great work on climate change, has shown how a sea-level rise of 20 feet would flood Florida, New York, Holland, Bangladesh, and Shanghai, even though there is no real hard evidence that such rises would occur. However, the end result is increased anxiety, apathy and nihilism among young people. Many very young children, and teenagers are actually frightened that they are going to die, or lose their friends and family, as a result of assimilating so-called 'facts' like these.

54% of American voters believe the news media exaggerate claims about global warming. Many now believe – incorrectly – that global warming is not even caused by humans. In the United Kingdom, 40% believe that global warming is exaggerated and 60% doubt that it is man-made.

Psychologists are seeing more anxiety in people concerned about climate change. An article in the Washington Post cited nine-year-old Alyssa, who cried when her mother bought a t-shirt showing a tree-frog, saying 'extinction is forever."

"I don't like global warming because it kills animals, and I like animals. I worry about it because I don't want to die."

Another nine-year old showed the Washington Post his drawing of a global warming timeline. "That's the Earth now. And then it's just starting to fade away. In 20 years, there's no oxygen." Then, to underline his point, he collapses to the floor.

Another survey of 500 American pre-teens found that one in three children believe that they don't have a future because of global warming stories, while in the United Kingdom another survey,of 1,150 youngsters (carried out by Somerfield) showed that half of young children aged between seven and 11 are anxious about the effects of global warming.

It's time to step back - yes, let's focus on recycling, and do our best for the environment, but without the threat of extinction hanging over our heads if we fail to separate out our plastics from our glass. And, don't forget that if you do have a lot of rubbish to throw out, order a skip from www.skipsforyou.co.uk or www.acornwaste.co.uk if you want something commercial, and a lot of this worry is taken off your hands. Paul Cairns, the business owner, ensures that as much is recycled as possible. So you can concentate on sorting out the science from the speculation while skipsfoyou sorts your waste.

Dispose of Plastic - What the Symbols Mean

Although we all have to dispose of household waste, and we are all mostly aware of plastic recycling, if you do recycle your plastics, you may have a vague awareness that there are different types of plastic and that they should be treated in different ways. You might even know that you can tell something about a plastic container by the code that’s somewhere on it. I always really struggle to find these symbols, and even when I do find them, to actually read them.

These symbols indicate the type of plastic resin that the item has been made from and come from The Resin Coding System, introduced in 1988 by the American Society of Plastics Industry. They are a variant on the ‘mobius loop’ (the three arrows encircling the number). So these numbers do not necessarily mean that the plastic is recyclable; whether or not it is depends on your local recycling facilities.

There are seven numbers and some will show you that the plastics you are using are healthier or more environmentally friendly than others.

1: This is polyethylene terephtalate, also known as PETE or PET. Most disposable soda and water bottles are made of clear PET, and it’s usually considered safe. However, it does have a porous surface that allows bacteria and flavours to pass through the plastic – do not keep re-using these bottles without rigorous cleaning, and watch out for where they are stored. These are mostly happily picked up or dealt with by your council.

2: High density polyethylene, or HDPE. This is what milk containers, washing-up liquid bottles, juice containers, butter and mararines tubs and toiletry bottles are made from. Again, your local council will normally collect these. This plastic is considered safe and has low risk of leaching.

3: Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC – makes up food wrappers, cooking oil bottles, plumbing pipes, and clothese for some of the more exotic among us. It is a very tough but not considered safe – it contains phthalates, which can be associated with interference with hormonal development. Some consider that even if the food wrap is indicated microwave-safe, you should still avoid letting it touch your food.

4: Low density polyethylene (LDPE). Grocery bags, some food wrap, squeezy bottles, and bread bags – this is considered to be a safe plastic – but unfortunately a lot of councils do not have the means to re-cycle LDPE.

5: Polypropylene – can be used to make yoghurt containers, and other wide-necked food containers, as well as cloudy plastic water containers, medicine bottles, ketchup bottles, and straws. This is felt to be safe, and can normally be recycled by your council.

6: Polystyrene, or Styrofoam, is difficult to recycle and there is some evidence that it can leach potentially toxic chemicals. It’s used to make disposable containers and packaging. from which disposable containers, plates, cups and packaging are made.

7: “”Anything else.” Includes plastics invented after 1987, and polycarbonate, including BPA, iPods, computer cases, some baby bottles and stain-resistant food containers. It is difficult to recycle and most curbside recycling programs won’t accept it. Better not to use this stuff for food and drink – you do not really know what might be in it.

If in doubt, and wanting to get rid of large quantities of plastic, among other items, that you know are not recyclable by your council, do phone our skip hire company or email SkipsForYou to ask their advice. If you are ordering a skip, you can ask the sales team any question about recycling and they will do their best to answer and also to let you know what will happen to the waste that can’t be recycled.

Waste Management Concepts

SkipsForYou are very familiar with some of the legislation and regulation behind waste-management and skip hire. We thought it might be useful to discuss some of the more common waste management terms, although these can vary world-wide and may have different ethical, political and social implications from country to country.

Here, SkipsForYou talks briefly about the Waste Hierarchy, Polluter Pays Principle and Extended Producer Responsiblity.

Waste hierarchy - The waste hierarchy refers to the "3 Rs," otherwise known (especially to Bob The Builder afficionados) as 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.'

This classifies waste management strategies in a hierarchy of desirability. It's best to reduce rubbish, after that, it's desirable to re-use items that might otherwise be thrown away, and following those two, then recycling also helps, in terms of processing waste in some way so it's either regenerated, or gets converted to some other item which is useful. For example by taking bottles to the bottle bank, they will then be melted down and re-used as glass, whereas recycled plastic packaging does not tend to be made into more of the same sort of plastic packaging.
According to www.britglass.co.uk, glass can be recycled over and over without any reduction in quality or appearance, and since the UK has more than 50,000 bottle banks, this is being done quite sucessfully.
The waste hierarchy is the foundation of most waste minimization strategies, focussing on extracting the most benefits from products, and creating the minimum amount of waste.


The Polluter Pays Principle aims to make people focus on the amount of waste they are creating, by making them pay for appropriate disposal of the waste. There are obviously pros and cons with this approach, such as the fact that while our economy might be dependent on small businesses being able to operate, this sort of a system is going to be far more punitive for small companies than for large industries who can easily afford waste levies, and in fact even afford fines for incorrect waste disposal.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)is a system where producers take responsibility for their products throughout the life cycle, including end-of-life disposal costs. This means that firms which manufacture, import and/or sell products are required to be responsible for the products after their useful life as well as during manufacture. This is taking away the costs associated with disposal from governments and tax-payers, upstream to the manufacturers.

Kirstie Allsopp likes Skipdiving

First, as far as skips go, (and some of ours go miles!) DO ask permission, and do get in touch with us if you would like more advice on any aspect of skip hire, rubbish removal or recycling. Kirstie Allsopp's new programme Homemade Home has attracted a large audience of viewers who presumably want to try to make and do, rather than go out to the shops. It's a great programme for the recession in some ways, although in others, it's clear that Kirstie inhabits a world far removed from most of us. Besides all that, we were interested to see her skip-diving. Although it is pleasurable, to 'reclaim' skip treasure - there are a few dos and don'ts:

Whose Skip is it Anyway?
The skip will nearly always belong to someone; it will have been hired out, and besides that, will probably be on private land. We advocate going and asking the house owner or property owner if you see anything you like the look of. Otherwise you could get into all sorts of trouble.

What Not To Wear in a Skip:
I think re-cycling is completely brilliant – but it could be that until they’ve got to know you, people in the neighbourhood might not, and any girls you might want to attract could be a trifle judgemental, if they see you rummaging around. (Unless it’s Kirstie Allsopp.) Wear dark clothes, and there is less chance that neighbours will notice you as you look over the rubbish with your beady eye.

The advice of the seasoned skip-diving professional is also not to wear anything that could get you into trouble – ie no markings on your shirt that are easy to identify. Don’t know if you need to worry, as you are going to be asking to remove items, aren’t you? Similarly, wear robust footwear – and don’t forget, we are talking rubbish here – don’t wear anything you’re too attached to. It just might have all sorts of unsavoury stuff on or around it.

You could consider having a torch, after all, skips can be quite deep and you might want to examine the rubbish quite carefully. Perhaps even a pair of thick gloves, too.

Make sure you’ve got room in your boot, and that the boot has in it, before you start, some cardboard boxes. The car should also contain a friend, so that, just suppose you were chatted to by the police, you can say that your friend is moving, and you were looking for cardboard boxes.

Most importantly, DO NOT make a mess. Even if you do spot something in a skip, it’s very late at night and you don’t want to ask if you can take it, if you litter, you are breaking the law and can be prosecuted. Leave the skip as it was, and you are also being responsible to other recyclers who also would like not to get into trouble for skip-diving.

Serious skip-divers also like to frequent the back of computer repair stores, electronics stores, car shops, satellite shops, book shops, industrial estates and mobile phone stores. Again, though, these premises are mostly private, so ask permission. And if you are truly a bad, bad person, you could go and take a look behind some flower stores, or even horticultural nurseries. Some flowers that get thrown out by flower shops are hardly wilted at all! However, I don’t think even Kistie would be impressed by ‘reclaimed’ flowers, so here you really and truly do not want to be seen!

The Dark Side of Skips:
Remember that in fact, this is where a lot of hackers and identity thieves get their information. Although I would never advocate doing this, imagine sorting through the waste outside large companies. This is why you should always ask permission – you can get some really nasty treatment, if the police see you being nosy with a skip and suspect identity theft. Or, perhaps even worse, they might think that you’re a journalist.

Teach Children to Recycle

Some of us may still be struggling with recycling - finding ourselves throwing out things in the 'main rubbish' that we do secretly know could be recycled. Although we struggle, we can make things easier for the next generation, by getting in there now and showing our children how to recycle. This way, they are being educated from scratch to accept recycling as part of the scheme of things.

Although landfill sites are managed responsibly in the UK, and there is much research being undertaken in order to help improve the ways in which these can be run, we should still be aiming to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.


Teach the Young to Recycle:
It's best to involve children by getting them to see both the serious and the light side of rubbish. You can explain about the concept of space on this planet, and about how there is a huge demand for items to consume - items which are very difficult to get rid of, once they stop working. These are both quite complicated subjects but children do seem to grasp them, especially if they are also shown by example. So do set your children the task of separating out your own household waste, into categories like: paper, organic (for compost), glass, plastics etc.. Children generally love 'ordering' and 'sorting' things, although, the reverse side of this is, as Jack Dee said, that it can sometimes seem as though you are having to file your rubbish, rather than just throw it away.


So set up an area in your home with bins for the main items that your local council will collect. There is a lot of information available that can explain further to children how materials can be recycled; you can get this on-line, or from your local library. Your child's school will probably be participating in some sort of scheme to help educate children about this subject, too.

School:
Many schools in the UK now are involved in environmental education, which is a core part of the curriculum, and they will take recycling for granted. You may even find that your children can teach you about recycling and rubbish disposal! Many schools are also very grateful to receive arts materials in the form of old boxes, toilet rolls etc, and this way your child can also see that waste materials can be re-used in entertaining ways.

It is also educational to take the family to the local recycling centre, where they can again see old things being categorised in various ways. Once they are over a certain age they can also visit a landfill site to learn more about how they work.

Finally, if you are clearing out rubbish in your home and have large items that need throwing out, do not forget to check with your local skip hire company, or your man and van collection service, how responsible they are about waste disposal. If your children hear you asking questions like this, this will also educate them and you will be setting them a great example.

Biochar - recycle sewage and help stop climate change

Whoever would have thought people could get excited over sewage? Well they are, in Rothamsted, in South-East England, where trials of a new waste-management process are about to begin.Normally, sewage treatment is a significant source of greenhouse gases, and so contributes to global warming. Sewage waste is usually incinerated, creating carbon emissions, and the resulting ash is used in the building industry.

A new process, that results in the creation of something called biochar, could change all this. The creation of prevents escape gases from going into the atmosphere; instead they are actually used to drive the process of treatment itself, and the product can also improve soil structure and water retention, and make soil more attractive to worms. This has been shown in Australia, the US, and Germany, where it has been found that the honeycomb structure of biochar helps to create a reservoir for moisture and fertilisers, thus cutting demand for the carbon-intensive soil treatments, and improving farm productivity.

In the sewage treatment process, a conveyor belt conveys a stream of drying effluent into a cooker where it is cooked, using gases that have actually been generated from cooking. Once cooked, what emerges is charcoal, with the carbon locked in - carbon that would otherwise have gone into the rest of the environment. This charcoal is then buried in the ground to prevent the carbon from entering the atmosphere for a projected 1,000 years or more.

Those who work with the technology are so excited by it that they want it included in the next global climate agreement, backed by activists, concerned about climate change.

At Bingen, the design engineer for the biochar plant, Helmut Gerber, originally created the pyrolysis equipment to help solve the problem of ash from sewage waste choking conventional boilers. Now, 10% of the sewage stream is diverted to the pyrolysis plant, where it is heated using very little oxygen, and where carbon monoxide and methane are burned to heat the pyrolysis process. This also results in lower fuel costs and less carbon emissions from the sewage treatment process. Mr Gerber thinks that it is possible that around 60% of the sewage carbon is locked into the char. This also helps to neutralise the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere - the removal that the plants that go to create the bio-mass were originally responsible for. So the whole process is 'carbon negative.'

Some bio-char points: Making the technology affordable could be difficult. Moreover, current systems do not reward carbon storage, but rather the production of energy from biomass and waste. Biochar would need clear global incentives. However, these might be provided by the fact that, as Professor David Manning at Newcastle University, believes, that devleoped correctly, biochar could lock up as much carbon as the amount that is generated by aviation.

Biochar attracts worms. It captures nutrients that would otherwise disappear in water run-off, reducing the need for carbon-intense soil treatments or fertilisers.
Research at Cornell University in New York, US, seems to show that burying biochar can double the soil's storage of organic carbon, whereas compost releases its carbon in a relatively short period of time.

Australian research shows that biochar can reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soil. Nitrous oxide is a very powerful greenhouse gas. At the University of Bayreuth, Germany, Dr Bruno Glaser says that research suggests that biochar could double plant growth in poor soils.

Research on biochar began back in 1947. But this has been forgotten until the 1980s. Now there is a lot of excitement about what biochar can achieve.

Paul and Karen Cairns, owners of national UK skip hire company, SkipsForYou, have said that they are keen to tell people as much as they can about initiatives like this - given the recent landfill tax hike, they want to see not only their sub-contractors understanding how best to reduce landfill, but also spread the word to a wider audience.

Landfill Tax Hits UK

Alistair Darling has confirmed that the Landfill Tax is to rise to £32.00 per tonne from April 1. A lower rate of tax, for inert waste, such as bricks and stones - will be £2.50 per tonne. This is the largest rise since it was first introduced as an environmental tax, in 1996. And it seems that the tax will continue to rise yearly, up to almost £50.00 per tonne.
The tax has meant that overall waste recorded at landfill sites has fallen by around 26%. HMRC has said that the tax is to "encourage the disposal of less waste; to recover more value from waste through recycling and composting, and to stimulate moves to more environmentally friendly waste management methods".
The UK is trying to move from using landfill sites, and this may help us to meet European waste targets, set through the Landfill Directive.
"Landfill tax increases the price of waste sent to landfill, encouraging more sustainable ways of managing waste. The tax - working with other measures - has been successful with overall quantities of waste recorded at landfill sites registered for the tax falling by around 26%. The UK is on track to meet its 2010 targets under the Landfill Directive."
Council Tax payers will feel this in their new bills as councils will be raising prices in order ot meet the expected higher costs of processing household waste. And skip companies and waste management companies may be raising their prices, as a result.
Paul Cairns, owner of SkipsForYou and Acorn Waste commented, that although householders may be worrying about rising council tax costs, he would hope not to be passing these costs on: “We’ve tried, right from day one, to use only those contractors that are already committed to recycling and green initiatives. We’re hoping not to have to raise our prices, as we shouldn’t be affected too much by this. It’s only companies that haven’t thought it through, and haven’t tried to recycle that will be penalised.”

Obama Shunts SkipsForYou

Skip hire and rubbish recycling companies, SkipsForYou.co.uk and AcornWaste.co.uk are up against the most impressive of reasons for having been shunted from their original exhibition at easyFairs Interior Fit-Out. That reason is President Obama, and his forthcoming presence at the G20 summit in London, already marked by protests.
The leaders of the G20 summit have decided to host their conference at London ExCel, at the same time as when many of the UK's most brilliant architects and designers were to be hosting stands. So although some important people may be talking rubbish on 1st and 2nd of April 2009, if you really want to find out what's going on with recycling, skip hire and rubbish clearance, come and see SkipsForYou and AcornWaste (alongside designer and TV favourite Grand Designs) on the new dates of 29th and 30th April.
The G20 summit next week, is however, going to be looking at some of the same issues that SkipsForYou and AcornWaste are concerned with: G20 will be a test of how many countries are still thinking about climate change in the light of recession-busting measures, such as the spending of trillions to bail out banks and leverage the global economy. Talks will also be taking place in Bonn next week, looking at creating a new climate treaty in Copenhagen in December. At these talks, according to analysts, countries will be urged to spend around $2 trillion-3 trillion on "green" causes.
The United States, the European Union, and South East Asia have plans for the next two years to spend around $300 billion-500 billion, to boost low-carbon technologies, improve efficiency and protect the environment. However, many are worried that these measures may be affected by rising pubic debt, despite the fact that much spending would also help to create jobs, as well as ensure lesser future problems with energy expenditure and lowering carbon emissions.
SkipsForYou and Acorn Waste owner Paul Cairns, said, 'Well, we were going to be looking forward to April Fools Day, but now we'll probably get more from the later date of the exhibition - and also find out what news there is for recycling, climate change and waste legislation coming out of the G20 Summit.'