Like any sector of industry, the environmental sector has its fair share of con artists and cowboys.

At one end of the scale is dodgy green claims. The big guys can be as guilty of this as anyone – Shell was recently criticised by the UK’s advertising watchdog for an advert featuring a drawing of flower heads emerging from refinery chimneys, implying the oil company used all its waste carbon dioxide to grow flowers.

More seriously, I’ve had more queries from people who have received dodgy literature from waste companies using scare tactics about the new waste treatment regulations. I’ve discussed this before, but here’s the Environment Agency view on the new regs. You do need to check your waste company is treating your waste, but you aren’t expected to do it yourself.

Finally beware of green shysters trying to sell immature or useless technology as the great new saviour of the planet. These guys run from the self-deluded through the dodgy Del-boys to the full-on criminal. The technologies can range from magnets which magically improve fuel efficiency through to full scale waste treatment facilities. My advice is always to treat environmental issues as you would any other business decision – get the facts straight, get third party references and, if it appears too good to be true, it usually is.