Seven people were fatally injured in the waste and recycling industry in 2018/19, a lower figure than last year’s 12 deaths, according to provisional statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last Wednesday (3 July).
The Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) has stated that some form of packaging compliance fee could be introduced in 2020, but that the tight legislative timetable would preclude its introduction in 2019.
The government has rejected proposals for a one pence tax on clothing to fund the collection, recycling and reuse of textiles as it continues to support voluntary commitments over legislative action.
Domestic markets for recycled plastics are struggling to take hold, with policy-makers scratching their heads over how to stimulate demand. Rob Cole examines the government’s proposed 'plastics tax' and asks whether it will achieve its desired outcome
The Packaging Scheme Forum has warned of a looming crisis in the packaging recycling industry, with the price of Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) for plastic rising while recycling rates drop. Could a packaging compliance fee be the solution?
A Welsh Assembly committee has called for the government to take swift action on plastic pollution, including banning wet wipes and introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
The French Government is set to ban the destruction of unsold non-food goods as part of new legislation on the circular economy, though concerns have been raised that it does not go far enough.
Plastic straws, drinks stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds will be banned in England from April 2020, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced.
Victoria Hutchin, Associate Waste & Resource Management Consultant at WYG, assesses how extended producer responsibility reforms could impact how we deal with litter.
Key stakeholders from across the packaging supply chain have written to Environment Secretary Michael Gove to outline their priorities for the next stage of delivery of the Resources and Waste Strategy.
Drinks containers made from aluminium, steel, glass and PET plastic will now carry a 20 pence deposit in Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s new deposit return scheme.
A report from the Committee on Climate Change says the UK can reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but will need to invest in low-carbon energy technologies and implement a ban on biodegradable waste to landfill by 2025.
The government is consulting on reforms to the UK’s packaging producer responsibility regime. So what are Defra’s proposals for a new system and how have businesses responded so far? Ecosurety and SUEZ comment.
MEPs in the European Parliament have approved plans to ban some single-use plastic products and increase the collection and recycling of plastic bottles, with legislation to be implemented in member states by 2021.
Greener UK states that the ‘increasingly ominous prospect’ of leaving the EU without a deal ‘poses potentially dire consequences for the environment, in the short and longer term’ across all areas of environmental policy.
Consultations have been opened on four key measures in the Resources and Waste Strategy, seeking views on producer responsibility, consistent collections, deposit return schemes and the plastics tax.
The European Union could be banning a range of microplastics in products by 2020 – but critics say the proposal needs to be tightened up to ensure it will have “real impact”.
The Environment Secretary Michael Gove has outlined Defra’s preparations for the stockpiling of waste in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit in a letter to Lord Teverson, Chair of the European Union Energy and Environment Sub-Committee in the House of Lords.
The Welsh Government has revealed a range of environmental projects set to benefit from more than £1 million of funding raised through its Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme.
The French Government is set to introduce new rules obligating online marketplaces, such as Amazon, to ensure that the collection and recycling of waste arising from products sold through their sites is properly financed.
