My four New Year green resolutions for the government

Tis the season for making New Year’s resolutions this week so environment expert Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd, gives four of his green suggestions to the government to help the UK reduce our carbon footprint.

Rooftop revolution: The government should remove planning permission for solar panels and they should be mandatory on all new homes as soon as possible.

Ron said about a million homes in the UK now have these green panels, many of which were paid for with incentives that began in 2010. But when they were withdrawn so the number of installations stalled.

He said industry and home owners must be encouraged to ensure more solar panels are installed to help the country reach net zero.

Ban disposable vapes: The sale and manufacture of these single-use devices should be banned to protect children and the planet. Ron said the problem is that the vapes litter the streets, are hard to recycle and are bad for the environment. There are 13 million disposable vapes thrown away every week in the UK.

They often contain batteries inside a plastic casing which is difficult to separate without special equipment. Also, the batteries can increase in temperature sharply and become inflammable if crushed and have caused fires in bin lorries.

Show some bottle: A pioneering bottle deposit scheme to reduce waste and boost recycling should be speeded up. It was due to be introduced this year, but has been put back until 2025. An estimated 14 million plastic bottles are used across the UK each year and they make up a quarter of all litter.

Although recycling rates for drink containers stand at about 70 pr cent authorities hope they can increase this to 90 per cent by making people pay a probable 20p deposit which will be refunded when they return to the shops the bottle with its cap or lid attached for recycling.

“Another difficulty is that four million glass bottles are used in the UK each year, but they will be excluded from schemes in England and Northern Ireland although they can be deposited under plans for Wales and Scotland,” said Ron. “Excluding glass bottles is a missed opportunity and should be rectified so the same rules apply throughout the United Kingdom.”

Retailers will have to provide places where people can return the bottles, but shops will be able to choose whether to accept them over the counter or to use reverse vending machines.

Prune gardeners’ bills: My final suggestion is that people with eco-friendly gardens should be rewarded with lower council taxes for all they are doing to help combat global warming.

They are resisting the trend for impermeable artificial grass lawns, concrete patios and tarmac driveways. Instead, they are going for gardens with plenty of vegetation which can absorb rain and reduce flash flooding, which are expected to become more frequent due to climate change.

They are also providing a refuge for wildlife and helping keep cities cooler during the expected increase in heatwaves.
For more advice on green energy and recycling contact Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd which is based at Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park, on 01782 756995. In the mean time have a happy and peaceful New Year.

Caption: Set a shining example – make solar panels mandatory on all new homes, says Ron Fox.