Connect with us

முக்கியச் செய்திகள்

Put a £5 deposit on vapes to stop fires, say waste companies

Published

on

Waste companies have called for a deposit of up to £5 to be charged on vapes to encourage people to dispose of them properly.

Disposable vapes were banned a year ago, partly because of the fires they can cause in bin lorries and waste facilities when thrown away with general rubbish.

But the industry body for waste companies says vape recycling has not improved enough, so a small, refundable deposit at the point of purchase is a "simple, fair, efficient and cost-neutral solution".

Some vape companies oppose the idea of a deposit scheme, saying it would encourage people to buy from illicit retailers who don't charge it.

Under the Environmental Services Association's (ESA) proposal, a deposit would be charged on vapes when purchased, and returned to customers when they dispose of the vape properly.

Vapes can already be returned to stores where they are purchased – which are meant to have facilities to take them back – or returned to recycling facilities.

They should not be put in normal bins, general recycling, or littered in the environment.

If they're crushed in bin lorries or waste treatment plants, vapes can short circuit and start a fire because of the huge amount of energy contained in their lithium batteries.

The ESA says a deposit would have to be large enough to incentivise people to dispose of vapes properly.

Biffa, the UK's largest waste company, has put forward the figure of £5, but that would be subject to consultation if the idea progresses.

Patrick Brighty, ESA's head of recycling policy, said: "Despite the ban, each week operators across the waste sector continue to see hundreds of thousands of carelessly discarded vapes arrive at their facilities hidden among other waste, which poses a major fire risk.

"Vapes discarded with other rubbish are also unlikely to be recycled, which is a chronic waste of the precious materials they contain."

He said the existing infrastructure to take back and recycle vapes was "currently underperforming" because of a lack of incentives for people to use it.

Carla Brian, public affairs and partnerships director at Biffa, told the BBC: "We want a consumer behaviour change… And we think an incentive is the way to do that."

The number of vapes thrown away each week has fallen since disposables were banned, but only from 8.2 million per week to about six million, according to recycling organisation Material Focus.

Some firms offer reusable vapes which are similar in size and price to popular disposable models, but added USB ports and reusable tanks make them qualify as reusable.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for these to be banned. Chairwoman of the LGA's health and wellbeing committee, councillor Dr Wendy Taylor, said year two of the ban must focus on enforcement and closing the "loophole" of these vapes.

"A year on, the volume of vapes in our bins has dropped, but industry has moved faster than regulation – the products causing fires in our bin lorries today are effectively the same disposables in a different shell," she said.

Marcus Saxton, chairman of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, conceded there was "more to be done" in encouraging people to recycle vapes.

But he warned a deposit scheme would encourage people to buy from illicit retailers who didn't make them pay it.

"Those retailers that aren't abiding by their legal obligation won't do this, it won't be enforced, and ultimately consumers will go to that route to purchase which is a complete disaster," Saxton said.

He added that "we know that there are a number of illicit retailers at the moment that are either taking supply from the black market or just not abiding by their legal obligations today".

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs did not directly respond to questions about a refundable deposit for vapes.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the government had taken "decisive action" to address the harm caused by disposable vapes.

She said ministers "are committed to going further" by holding retailers to account if they do not have vape recycling bins.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g4vqex028o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

முக்கியச் செய்திகள்

Ministers braced as Mandelson document release will expose government working

Published

on

The appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to Washington is like a bad news boomerang for the government.

Over and over again the prime minister's most consequential judgement in office circles back into ministers' airspace – and today it will do with gusto.

It will be "another one of those weeks" one senior figure said, wearily.

The scale of what is to come will be quite something: the largest government publication ever put before the Commons, and therefore us, other than the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War – and that was a 12 volume, 2.6 million word affair.

It won't be on that scale, but it will run to over 1,000 pages. The first tranche, back in March, amounted to 147 pages.

Printed and bound, the publication will be made up of three volumes. More than 160 of the pages are made up of Lord Mandelson's text messages and WhatsApps.

The bundle will include a substantial explanation from the government of how much effort it took for officials to collate all the information parliament required the government to release, describing it as thousands of hours of work from officials.

In big picture terms, the documents will offer a fascinating internal insight, at scale, into how government works: the private interactions, information flows and disagreements.

Those with an understanding of how the embassy in Washington works describe it as being almost like a government department itself in size – and, crucially, with connections to so many aspects of the Whitehall government machine, given the importance of the UK-US relationship. This is particularly true on military and intelligence matters, much of which will likely be redacted from this document drop on national security grounds.

But what could it tell us about arguments relating to defence spending, or the row about the Chagos Islands for instance?

Folk in government are braced for the inevitable awkwardness of exchanges that they had assumed at the time would be forever private being catapulted into the light of day. Many of the messages are expected to reflect the reality that, at the time, Lord Mandelson was seen as one of the most influential powerbrokers in the Labour Party.

"Excruciating", "sycophantic" and "cringeworthy" are the words being used to describe some of them. Let's see.

The very human tone and tenor of messages – particularly on WhatsApp where text is so often a substitute for in the moment verbal conversation – is likely to stand out.

We understand a good number of cabinet ministers were lavish in their praise of Lord Mandelson immediately after he was sacked. Could there be some comparing and contrasting to be done between those messages, if they are in this tranche, and what any of those ministers have said publicly about him since? And what about criticisms made of the prime minister?

We are not expecting to see the vetting file compiled prior to the decision to send Lord Mandelson to Washington.

The Guardian has reported that the former ambassador's associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel were among the concerns raised by the vetting agency.

In April, Sir Olly Robbins, the former head of the Foreign Office, told MPs that he granted Lord Mandelson security clearance to take up his post as ambassador having put "mitigations" in place.

But it is not expected that today's documents will include any record of any measures taken to mitigate any security concerns.

The BBC understands Lord Mandelson doesn't believe there were any security concerns, wasn't asked to do anything to deal with any and there has been a muddling of key details relating to these claims.

There were separate concerns raised in the process about potential commercial conflicts of interest arising because of clients of Lord Mandelson's now defunct consulting firm Global Counsel.

These were dealt with by the deputy head of mission in the embassy overseeing any dealings with these companies, we are told.

By the end of today, from Downing Street's perspective, could they be through the worst of all this?

Yes, probably – but it won't be entirely over.

The police investigation into Lord Mandelson continues. He has repeatedly let it be known that he believes he has not acted criminally, did not act for personal gain and is cooperating with the police.

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wezlrle75o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Continue Reading

முக்கியச் செய்திகள்

Girl, 13, dies in hospital after river rescue

Published

on

A 13-year-old girl has died after going missing in a river near a North Yorkshire beauty spot.

The teenager was reported missing at 18:30 BST on Sunday at the River Wharfe, near Burnsall, in the Yorkshire Dales.

She was found a short time later and rescued from the water, but despite efforts from members of the public and being taken to hospital in an air ambulance, North Yorkshire Police confirmed she had later died.

There have been at least 15 water-related deaths during the recent heatwave.

Burnsall is a village in Wharfedale, situated north of Skipton, and a popular destination for outdoor activities.

MP for Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith, thanked emergency services and local residents who supported the rescue at the weekend.

In a social media post earlier, he said: "This morning all my thoughts, prayers and wishes are with the family of the young girl who died in Burnsall yesterday.

"I was so sorry and sad to hear this horrific and devastating news."

In South Yorkshire, the search for an 11-year-old boy missing after going into the River Don entered a third day Monday.

Emergency crews were called to Ferry Boat Lane, Mexborough, at about 20:00 BST on Saturday to reports a boy had entered the water but had not been seen getting out.

On Monday, South Yorkshire Police said extensive searches by specialist officers, an underwater search team and Mountain Rescue volunteers had resumed at first light, both in the river and on land.

The boy's family was being supported, the force added, and urged members of the public to stay away from the area to allow crews to carry out their work.

A 15-year-old girl from Cheshire died in hospital on Saturday after getting into difficulty in the sea off the coast of Merseyside on Bank Holiday Monday.

A woman in her 60s died on Saturday after she and a man got into difficulty after entering the water in Thornton Cleveleys to "rescue their dog". Lancashire Police said the man, also in his 60s, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old man died after being rescued from a lake in Nottinghamshire, and a body was found in the search for a man who got into difficulty in the water in the Norfolk Broads.

In South Yorkshire, emergency search crews remained at the scene overnight into Monday as they waited for first light to resume the search for a boy who was believed to have gone missing in the River Don.

Emergency crews were called to Ferry Boat Lane, Mexborough, at about 20:00 BST on Saturday to reports a boy had entered the water but had not been seen getting out.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz02v4x8x05o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Continue Reading

முக்கியச் செய்திகள்

Premier League record-holder James Milner retires after 24-year career

Published

on

Former England international James Milner has announced his retirement after a 24-year Premier League career.

The versatile 40-year-old was out of contract after spending the past three seasons with Brighton.

Milner played for six teams in England's top flight and broke the record for most Premier League appearances in February.

He started his career with Leeds and went on to win three Premier League titles – two with Manchester City and one with Liverpool – and also helped the Reds win the Champions League in 2019.

Latest Brighton news, analysis and fan views

Ask about Brighton – what do you want to know?

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/clyp4jmyym0o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 by 7Tamil Media, All rights reserved.