Comment

Ben Brown
2021 to herald biggest change in biowaste market in recent years

With mandatory food waste collections now on the horizon decisions need to be made about collection and treatment. WRM Director Ben Brown considers what this means for the coming year

Tim Gent
The PRN system is ripe for reform, not replacement

Replacing the PRN system with an ‘all-in’ deposit return scheme is not the answer for glass, says Recresco director Tim Gent

David Newman
A System Change Compass - charting the path to the European Green Deal

David Newman, Managing Director of BBIA, considers the key messages of the new report 'A System Change Compass: Implementing the European Green Deal in a time of recovery', co-authored by SYSTEMIQ and the Club of Rome.

Edward Kosior of Nextek
Recycling is not sorted

Professor Edward Kosior, Managing Director of Nextek, argues the importance of shifting industry focus onto how sorted waste can be properly re-used.

Video

Can you imagine how much recycling gets missed across a county?
Over 32,000 tonnes of material that could be recycled is instead put in residual waste bins each year in West Sussex, costing the council an estimated £3 million a year in disposal costs. To highlight the scale of this waste, West Sussex County Council has created a video that visualises it on a personal and then county-wide level.
Gum Forest sprouts in London to make litterers reconsider spitting out their gum
Plastic pollution
China publishes five-year plastics pollution plan

The plan outlines the nation’s strategy for tackling plastic waste

Recycling bins
Zero Waste Scotland releases digital tool to tackle recycling confusion

The Recycling Sorter will provide information on what items are recyclable and which bins they should be placed in

AD plant
UK organisations urge COP26 President to support anaerobic digestion

The consortium, led by ADBA, addressed a letter to Alok Sharma encouraging him to advocate the practice

Waste collection
Bedfordshire pauses food waste collections to clear garden refuse backlog

Central Bedfordshire Council will redeploy food waste workers due to the ongoing national HGV driver shortage

Environmental policy
SUEZ survey reveals lack of environmental policy across UK businesses

The research revealed a disconnect between the awareness of ESG approaches and policy implementation

Soft plastic
Lidl announces plans to reduce plastic waste

The plans include introducing compostable produce bags and a soft plastics collection trial

Packaging
Recycling and packaging industries express ‘significant doubts’ over Defra EPR proposals

The ESA and 13 other national trade bodies stated their position in an open letter to the Government

Circular economy
SYSTEMIQ releases circular economy report ahead of Climate Week

The systems change company published the document with the aid of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation