Coca-Cola has reduced the weight of its famous glass ‘contour’ bottles by 20% to make them more eco-friendly.

The 330ml bottle is 13mm shorter and 0.1mm wider than the original design.

All Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero glass bottles will be made in the lighter-weight format from now on.

The new redesigned bottle weighs in at 210g compared to the old 263g bottle, which was originally developed in 1916.

The firm said converting to the lighter packaging would cut its raw glass usage by an estimated 3,500 tonnes and CO2 emissions by 2,200 tonnes annually. Read the rest

Governments from around the world meet up this week to discuss the issue of climate change and how to reduce carbon emissions.  The two-week meeting in Bali will also debate how to help poor nations cope in a warming world.

It is the first such meeting since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gave warning that current evidence for global warming was “unequivocal”.  The annual meeting, organised by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is under pressure to deliver a new global agreement on how to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions.  Read the rest

Ever wondered what to do with your old books?  A company called Rebound Designs has put them to good use by making them into these unique bags.  Read the rest

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council has chosen the defence specialist company, VT Group, as its preferred bidder to design, build, finance and operate waste management and recycling facilities in the areas under its jurisdiction as part of a programme valued at more than £700m.

VT Group will begin construction of new facilities and infrastructure in 2009, and in the meantime will take over the existing facilities, where it is expected to benefit from initial revenues following financial close some time in 2008. The company will subsequently manage the waste recycling sites for a 25 year period.

Wakefield has already secured government Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding of £33 million for the project, which is valued at £700 million. Read the rest

Google has launched a UK Carbon Footprint Project which aims to help people in the UK to calculate, track and compare their carbon footprints with other people living in the UK. Read the rest

Waverley council in Surrey has been recognised as the best council in England for promoting recycling and reducing the amount of household waste being sent to landfill.  Waverley council, which covers Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere, was recognised by Defra for having the “largest decrease in total household waste per head”.

Councillor John Sandy of Waverley council said:

“In 2002 we were throwing away to landfill 44,000 tonnes [of rubbish], this year it has dropped to 26,000 tonnes, and this is a significant amount better than any other local authority.”

The council runs alternate weekly collections of household waste and recyclables, and aims to increase recycling rates across the borough to more than 30%.  The council has put the success of its waste management and recycling down to its residents and the hard work of the council’s waste management team.  

A Northamptonshire company has been prosecuted by the Environment Agency for breaking recycling laws.  Eden Industries (UK) of Wellingborough has been fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,250 for failing to comply with packaging regulations for two years.

The Wellingborough magistrates were told that the failure to recycle had been revealed during a routine enquiry in November 2006.  The company said that it had been unaware of the rules regarding recycling and had probably made the person responsible redundant during restructuring of the company.

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A new simplified recycling logo has been backed by the British Retail Consortium and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). 

The idea was proposed following discussions between a number of retail groups, including Alliance Boots, ASDA, B&Q, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Tesco Supermarkets Ltd, The Co-Operative Group and Waitrose.

The British Retail Consortium said the logo would replace the “confusing array” of symbols and messages used on packaging.  The aim is to simplify labelling and encourage consumers to recycle more.  Under the proposed system, the logo will show if packaging is either widely recycled, locally recycled or not recycled.  Read the rest

The Sunday Times has today launched a search for the most environmentally friendly companies in the UK.  The project follows other successful surveys, such as the The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, and the results are expected to be published next May. 

Working with Bureau Veritas, which is one of the world’s main environmental management consultancies, and Munro Global, the leading market-research group, The Sunday Times has produced a survey that asks questions which assess the environmental performance of a business.

The survey will collect information on environmental management, such as recycling,energy use and carbon footprint.  Read the rest