Day: 17 May 2007

Steep rise in complaints about water companies

Complaints about water companies were up by 10% last year as UK customers chose to express their dissatisfaction on 13,603 occasions over the 2006-7 period, the industry watchdog has said.

Protests as more water privatised

The World Bank's increasing push to privatise water resources came under the spotlight this week as activists criticised the approach as denying the poorest the right to water.

Millions to transform US brownfields

Large areas of derelict land across the US are to be put back into use thanks to $70.7 million in government grants made available for brownfield restoration.

Power stations drive CO2 emission rise

Carbon emissions from British industry covered by the EU ETS rose by 3.6% over the last year, mainly due to power generators switching from gas to coal, according to official data for 2006 released on Thursday.

Tradesmen told to ditch the skip and reuse waste

A website set up to help the public find trustworthy tradesmen is now trying to reduce construction waste by matching up materials left over from jobs with those who can make good use of them.

Helicopter enlisted to find fly-tips

The authorities in North Cornwall are taking extreme measures in their fight to tackle fly-tipping, making use of a helicopter to spot illegal dumps and catch tippers in the act.

Chinese banks ‘ten years behind’ on environmental standards

Financial institutions in China are lagging behind leading international lenders when it comes to ensuring the projects they are backing meet basic environmental standards.

6% of Scottish sites failing the environment

Nearly all of Scotland's major industrial sites are meeting their environmental responsibilities according to figures published by the country's environmental watchdog this week but a worrying few are still failing to do so.

Fashion industry eyes green future

While fashion's constant hunger for next season's collections may appear to fly in the face of the concept of sustainability, some within the industry are waking up to the need for a new look for the rag trade.

Irish waste taxes to be recycled

The Irish government plans to spend environmental taxes on the environment and is using €88m raised through levies on plastic bags and landfill sites to reduce the impact of waste produced by the country's householders.

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