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
A knife piercing a pile of food waste
#WasteNothingChallenge sees Bristol producing 77 per cent less waste

The Bristol Waste Company recently published the results of their zero-waste challenge, which saw a significant reduction in household waste

Four bins, from left to right – yellow, blue, red, and green
Study links EPR innovation with competitive environments

A recent study published by Adelphi finds that EPR schemes tend to thrive when in competition with multiple PROs

Plastic bottles floating in the ocean
New research reveals ‘disconnect’ between litter and marine plastic

A recent survey conducted by YouGov for Keep Britain Tidy has found that few people understand the link between inland waste and marine plastic

Soft plastics
Petition calls for soft plastic recycling schemes in UK supermarkets


The change.org petition has gained traction recently, calling for supermarkets to provide a solution for flexible plastic waste

Three Leafield Environmental bins in front of a Cardiff University building
Over 10,000 new Leafield bins at Cardiff University

Cardiff University commissioned the project to Leafield Environmental in January of this year, with the company completing installation in March

Three waste incinerator chimneys pouring out white smoke
Incineration proposals incompatible with UK net-zero and recycling targets

In a new report, XR Zero Waste issued a series of urgent recommendations to align incineration proposals with environmental targets

Plastic cup on beach
Environmental organisations call on UK Government to ban polluting plastics

In an open letter to the Environment Minister, a group of 21 organisations urged the Government to align with the EU Single-Use Directive

Food waste
WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment extended to 2030

The agreement will see the UK food and drinks sectors face more ambitious sustainability targets to meet UN climate objectives