Thousands of pink bottles wash up on Cornish coast

Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the manufacturer of Vanish stain remover, has said that it is ‘deeply concerned’ at the appearance of thousands of unlabelled, pink plastic bottles on the beaches of Cornwall.

The bottles have been appearing on Poldhu Cove, Polurrian Cove and Gunwalloe Fishing Cove since Monday (4 January) and have also arrived in Porthleven’s outer harbour with thousands more still expected to come to shore.

RB has begun an investigation to confirm a link to their products. It is currently thought that the bottles may originate from a shipment of Vanish stain remover, which fell from the DS Blue Ocean in May 2015, although this is yet to be confirmed.

The bottles are reportedly sealed, although some have leaked leaving foam in the water. The effect of the spill on wildlife is not yet clear although the environmental effect of the household product, which has caustic properties, ‘may be relatively small’ according to the National Trust.

RB is now providing ‘financial, technical and logistical support’ to the National Trust and local authorities to help clean up the affected areas and to ensure that all bottles are recovered and properly disposed of. This has been aided by beach clean ups organised at Porthleven, Polurrian Cove and Poldhu Cove by groups Surfers Against Sewage and Friends of Poldhu Cove.

The situation is being closely monitored by Natural England, the coastguard and Cornwall Council. A spokeswoman for the council has advised the public to keep children and animals away from any further bottles that are washed up.

Trial educational programme to promote plastic recycling awareness

An educational programme designed to engage schoolchildren in plastics recycling has been launched in schools in Buxton, Derbyshire.

‘R-Generation’ has been developed by manufacturer Nestle Waters, plastics recycling association RECOUP and schools campaign Wastebusters and aims to change attitudes towards recycling, highlighting the importance and benefits of reprocessing plastics.

The programme provides primary and secondary educational resource packs that include multimedia assemblies, lesson plans and teacher’s notes, as well as enterprise and pledge competitions with prizes to stimulate interest.

The primary school pack helps students understand the recycling journey of plastic bottles, with a ‘Pledge 4 Plastics’ competition inviting pupils to pledge to recycle one more bottle every week to win ‘Baby Busta’, the a 100 percent rPET soft toy, made from five recycled plastic bottles. Secondary school resources explore plastic as a material, innovations in recycling and the psychology behind attitudes towards recycling.

The programme is being trialled in Buxton, with a view to it being made freely available to schools nationally.

Craig Yates, Headteacher at Buxton Community School, commented: “The students have found it fascinating to explore the science, technology and engineering behind plastic production and recycling but also to understand the important role the consumer plays in 'closing the loop’.”

Steve Morgan, RECOUP’s Technical Manager, said: “With the UK plastic bottle recycling rate still under 60 percent and legislative drivers and rising costs of sending material to landfill, there is a clear need to educate and engage with the future generations.”

Communities Minister urges Christmas ‘treecycling’

Communities Minister Marcus Jones has urged householders to reduce, reuse and recycle Christmas rubbish and encouraging them to find out about available waste management schemes in their respective areas.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, local authorities estimate that householders generate a third more waste over Christmas than at any other time, and Jones highlighted alternative disposal options for Christmas waste. He praised several councils across England for putting in place initiatives designed to reduce waste over the Christmas period.

‘Treecycle’ initiatives to dispose of Christmas trees have been introduced by several different authorities. In Bath and North East Somerset, trees are collected for composting whereas in Bradford District Council, adults with learning difficulties are being taught at a local community centre to cut up trees for mulching.

In Poole transport costs are being reduced by the provision of a service that chips trees on site. As it reportedly costs nearly £100 to send 40 Christmas trees to landfill sites, these initiatives will reduce both waste and money spent on tree disposal.

Jones said: “From Christmas trees to the dinner with all the trimmings, we can often be left a lot of waste to get rid of. Councils across the country offer great initiatives to ensure we are donating our unwanted goods to a good home, meaning we don’t face a depressing January dodging old Christmas trees and overflowing bins on our pavements.

“My message to households is simple: find out what schemes are running in your area so you can reduce, reuse and recycle your Christmas rubbish.”

Deer found with a dozen plastic bags in stomach

Dog walkers have been urged to clear away their pet’s waste after the stomach of a deer in Leicestershire was found to be full of plastic more than 12 dog poo bags.

The deer was part of an annual deer cull at Bradgate Park in Newton Linford when it was found to be full of bags discarded by dog owners. Park Director Peter Tyldesley said: "As its stomach was being examined for any signs of parasites such as lungworm we found all this plastic. At first we thought it was bale twine from a hay bale. We untwisted a few bits and it all seems to be small plastic bags.

"It seems people have got the message about bagging up their dog's poo but then they apparently just chuck it into the long grass. I don't know what they think is going to happen to it. Now they know."

Tyldesley said that the deer was still perfectly healthy and that in the past park employees have found deer that have been killed by eating bags. He said: "They basically stop being able to digest anything so they slowly starve, it's not a nice way to go."

Ricardo-AEA appoints new Managing Director

Sustainability consultancy Ricardo Energy & Environment (Ricardo-AEA) has announced that Tim Curtis has been appointed as its new Managing Director, replacing Robert Bell, who is retiring after 40 years with the company.

Part of international consultancy and engineering company Ricardo plc, Ricardo-AEA provides technical insight to government, public agencies and businesses, working across multiple environmental sectors, including energy and climate change, air quality, sustainable transport, resource efficiency, water, environmental impact and waste management.

Curtis joined the company, then known as AEA Technology, in 2007 and has held directorial roles in delivery, strategic programmes and energy consultancy. In November 2012, when the company was bought by Ricardo, he became Director of Operational Development.

Commenting on his appointment Curtis said: “It is a privilege to be appointed the managing director of Ricardo Energy­­­ & Environment. I look forward to working closely with our senior leadership team to grow the company and strengthen our reputation as a global leader in providing highly regarded and innovative solutions for our clients.”

Ricardo plc CEO Dave Shemmans added: “I would like to welcome Tim as the new managing director and thank Robert for his leadership over many years. Tim brings a depth of experience across the environment and energy arena and I look forward to working more closely with him.”