Arcgisa to collect used domestic oil

One litre of oil can contaminate 1000 litres of water

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR Arcgisa, the Campo's waste management company, yesterday signed an agreement with a subcontractor, Hermanos Padilla, who has the concession to pick up and recycle used domestic oil for the next five years. 114 containers, with a 420-capacity each, will be installed at permanent public markets and Puntos Limpios recycling centres, as well as in certain streets or other locations in the seven municipalities in the area. All we have to do is put the oil into a plastic bottle (image), sel it with its top, and place it in a container. That way, both the oil and the bottle get recycled. The oil will be used for making bio-fuel, according to the concessionaires. To start with, the containers will be emptied once a month, until an information campaign is finished and the best routes have been determined. They also pointed out that a single litre of oil poured down the drain can contaminate over 1,000 litres of water, aside from creating blockages and problems at the water purifying plants. Bars and restaurants can apply for a free 25-litre container that will be identified and controlled, so they can be properly registered and then removed, with a certificate of proper usage, which is required by law.

Are you entitled to winter fuel allowance?

SPAIN A recent decision by the European Court has allowed expat British residents in Spain to claim their winter fuel allowance despite many attempts by the UK government and indivduals against it. If you're a pensioner living in Spain, you are qualified to apply. The qualifying week is September 17 to 23 - that's next week! If you need any help, please contact Phil (617 390 984) or Alberto (685 052 684). We have the forms.

Petrol and diesel up again

A litre of petrol rockets to record highs

SPAIN The price of a litre of petrol went up by 2% this week, an accumulative increase of 9% since the first week in July. For the first time ever, a litre of normal petrol costs an average €1.47. Diesel went up too, of course, by 2.5% this, at an average pump price of €1.395. Diesel is used by close to 80% of vehicles in Spain. And, naturally, the price goes up as holidaymakers are heading home from the seaside, which the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) calculates at>>>PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU WILL SOON BE UNABLE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ITEM UNLESS YOU HAVE SUBSCRIBED. Subscription information will be available soon>>>

Cepsa San Roque plant to begin producing bio-diesel in November

Cepsa refinery, San Roque

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) The Cepsa refinery will be producing bio-diesel by November, according to a statement by the company. The R&D department at Cepsa's refinery in Huelva has developed a new process for making bio-diesel fuel from vegetable (i.e. renewable) oil and that plant is beginning production right now, while production at San Roque is scheduled for the end of the year. In development since 2007 at the refineries in Huelva and Tenerife, the new fuel is intended to meet all the latest environmental directives set out by Brussles and Madrid. The company's three refineries involved with the fuel are scheduled to eventually be producing 100,000m3 per year. One of the advantages of bio-diesel is that it produces far less air pollution and contamination than standard carbon fuels, although there are those who say that producing the initial vegetable oil needed has caused world

Company regrets sullage tanks fire

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle/Brian Reyes) Nature Group, the company that operates the sullage plant in Gibraltar, yesterday expressed its “sincere regret” over Tuesday’s port fire and its gratitude to everyone involved in the operation to extinguish the blaze. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, the company said it would continue to work with the local authorities to minimise the impact of the fire. “Nature’s board and local staff express their sincere regret at this severe incident and the inconvenience caused to the general public in Gibraltar, as well as to people on board the passenger vessel, “Independence of the Seas”,” the company said.>

Brussels proposes diesel price rise for Spain

SPAIN The Euroepan Commission today proposed increasing the minimum tax on diesel fuel, as it is more pollutant than petrol. Should the measure be approved, Spain will have to put up the price of diesel by  8 céntimos per litre between now and 2018. For the transport industry the increase would be around the 11 céntimos mark because Brussels also wants to eliminate the fiscal benefits enjoyed by 'professional diesel', which would also impact on farming and agriculture, among others, but not heating oil. The proposal also includes a tax rise for kerosene (from €330 to €386 per 1000 litres) and natural gas (from €2.6 to 10.8). All in the name of global warming and the harmful effects of these and other more specialised fuels.

Petrol in Spain up by 1% in one week, 5% in a month

SPAIN (Agencies) The price of petrol in Spain now averages €1.321 per litre (diesel is €1.289) throughout the country, according to the EU's Oil Bulletin.This works out at an increase of 1% for petrol in a single week, to historical levels of over €1.30: and a 5% increase in petrol pump prices in a month - diesel went up by 7% in the same period. The government has been taking emeregncy measures to try to cut down on oil imports, which account for over 75% of energy imports. Among these measures is a reduction in the top speed limit to 110kph and a reduction in rail fares. Last night, the price in Gibraltar was £0.99 (€1.17 approx.) for unleaded, and £0.96 for diesel.