menu

Making recycling twice as easy

Brighton & Hove Council

Brighton & Hove council is doubling the number of collection points in the city for old and broken kettles, hair dryers, toasters, DIY tools and irons.

Following the success of the ‘Bring banks’ for small electrical items introduced to the city last year, the council is setting up 10 new collection points. The council claims the new banks will make ‘recycling on the go’ easier for residents, especially those who find it difficult to get to the council’s household waste recycling centres.

The new sites can be found at:

• Marine Cliffs Car Park, Rottingdean

• Asda Marina

• Whitehawk Family Centre

• Leybourne Parade, Lower Bevendean

• Withdean Stadium

• Outside Hikers Rest P.H., Coldean Lane

• Opposite 57 Ladies Mile Road, Patcham

• Montpelier Crescent

• Opposite The Glass Centre, 224-226 Portland Road

• Goldstone Retail Park

The scheme is being expanded by the council and Veolia Environmental Services, as part of a drive to encourage residents to reduce waste, and to recycle more.

Cllr Pete West

Councillor Pete West, chair of the council’s Environment, Sustainability and Transport Committee, said:

“We are constantly on the lookout for new locations for recycling points so many more residents can easily recycle their unwanted items.

 “The average resident accumulates three new electrical items each year but only one in five of our small electrical items gets recycled. Hopefully, with 20 bring banks now available across the city, we can change this.”

Electrical items can contain hazardous and toxic metals which can be damaging to the environment when thrown away. Recycling these items helps preserve natural resources and protect the environment. Some electrical items also contain valuable raw materials such as silver while others can be used to make other items. For example – one iron contains enough steel to produce 13 steel cans!

All small items, broken or usable, are accepted including toys, shavers, phones, DIY tools, mobile phones and kitchen appliances. They just need to be small enough to fit through the chute.

Existing Electrical recycling points can be found at:

• Kingswood Street

• Little East Street (east of Brighton Town Hall)

• Whitecross Street

• Regent Street

• The Level, Union Road

• Tisbury Road – outside Hove Town Hall

• Upper Rock Gardens

• Wickes DIY, Davigdor Road (Lyon Close)

• King Alfred Leisure Centre Car Park

• Norfolk Square, Western Road

Larger items can be taken to the council’s household waste recycling centres or collected using the bulky waste service featured on the council’s website.

The electronics will be collected and taken to Lewes to be chipped and then sent on to Lincolnshire for further granulation and sorting, producing various mixed plastic and metals.

For more information on recycling and reusing electrical items, CLICK HERE: 

 

 

 

MP claims Councillors misled on Sport England 50m pool position

Mike Weatherley, MP
Mike Weatherley, MP

Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove & Portslade is claiming that Councillors on Brighton & Hove City Council’s King Alfred Project Board were misled by Council Officers on Sport England’s position on dividable 50m pools for the proposed new swimming pool planned for the King Alfred site in Hove.

The Project Board’s initial report in May 2013 contained claims that Sport England, the publicly-funded sports organisation, recommended against a 50m facility for the people of Brighton & Hove.

It has now been revealed that Sport England made no such recommendations. Sport England has stated in an e-mail to Mike Weatherley MP that it only makes recommendations on swimming pools after detailed research has been carried out. No such research has been carried out in Brighton & Hove.

Mike says the revelations beg the question of exactly who at Brighton & Hove Council is against building a 50m pool for Brighton & Hove. It is generall accepted that dividable 50m pools are cheaper, more compact, more flexible and better-used than an arrangement using separate pools. Campaigners can’t understand why Council Officers aren’t backing the 50m option and many suspect that the answer is connected to a prejudice against high-level sporting success.

The campaign for a 50m pool in Hove has come together following discussion between local residents, sports groups, Shiverers Swimming Club, the Amateur Swimming Association and various Olympic athletes including diver Chris Mears. The 50m option has only been on the table after Conservative and Green Councillors voted to consider a proposal tabled by Mike Weatherley MP’s in July.

Mike said:

“We all know that a dividable 50m pool is cheaper and more flexible than three little pools. The problem though is that the hidden figures against a decent 50m pool for Hove have yet to rear their heads, with residents asking if Officers are simply against competitive sport.”

Sport England said:

“Sport England does not give general support to one type of pool over another, rather it makes recommendations specific to local circumstances, having looked at the evidence with the local authority and other stakeholders.” 

Mark Cannon, Chairman of Shiverers Swimming Club, added:

“Our hundreds of local young swimmers fill the current small pools at the existing King Alfred. Membership is up 20% this year and if we are to help keep the Olympic momentum going then we simply need to provide them with the pool that they deserve. And the beauty is that the 50m option that swimmers are requesting costs less than building separate pools.”

Brighton & Hove Council have been asked to respond.

‘Pink Christmas’ in Stockholm

Pink Christmas in Stockholm

Stockholm has an excellent reputation among international LGBT travellers and for the last few years has been ranked as one of the world’s gay-friendliest destinations

In conjunction with Pink Christmas Week in Stockholm, Stockholm Visitors Board and VisitSweden will be offering a trip to Stockholm  for LGBT visitors/travellers.

Christina Guggenberger, project manager of the Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network in Stockholm Visitors Board, said:

“Pink Christmas is an annual highlight in Stockholm, with a number of Christmas events. ‘A Pink Christmas’ highlights that Stockholm has tons to offer gay and lesbian travellers during the Christmas season, too.”

Pink Christmas Week will be from December 9–15 in Stockholm, and is organised by Stockholm Gay Life. During the week, there will be Christmas markets, concerts and pink offerings at gay bars and clubs, as well as lectures and the Rainbow Fund’s prize presentation. One of the highlights will be the crowning of Lucia, followed by a “Pink Lucia” procession through parts of the city, culminating of course in a big party.

The Pink Christmas campaign can be found at www.facebook.com/gaylesbianstockholm and is based on a contest in which the prize is a trip to Stockholm. With themes such as Charge, Refresh and Recharge, the city hopes to feature how Stockholm’s offering can fulfill dreams of travel. The contest will take place over the three-week period from October 29–November 19, 2013.

The Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network is a partner-based project within Stockholm Visitors Board, which works to market and develop Stockholm as an interesting and attractive destination for the LGBT segment.Stockholm Visitors Board (SVB) is the official visitors bureau of Stockholm.  

For more information, CLICK HERE:    

To enter the competition, CLICK HERE: 

 

X