The Dutch Government’s announcement of new refuse-derived fuel (RDF) import taxes has been met with criticism by the RDF Industry Group, which suggests that the proposed taxes will be ‘counterproductive’ in reducing CO2 emissions.
The proposed taxes, which were announced on Friday 28 June, come as part of the Dutch Government’s climate change strategy, which aims to reduce the Netherlands’ greenhouse gas emissions by 49 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Italian bioplastics company Novamont is participating in an initiative with the Italian Embassy in the UK to help the diplomatic mission to recycle or compost all of its waste.
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.
MPs have expressed serious concerns with proposed environmental policy after Brexit, saying that environmental principles are being ‘severely downgraded’.
A report by Greenpeace and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives critiques the “inefficient” and “predatory” system of plastic waste exports from wealthy countries to communities in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
A new report by the European Commission claims that the total cost of not implementing EU environmental law came to €55 billion in 2018, and costs are set to increase unless action is taken to improve performance against environmental targets.
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.
The government has warned waste exporters to expect delays at container ports such as the Port of Dover in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, and says businesses should seek ‘alternative’ export, recovery or disposal routes for their waste.
“16 full-time civil servants” will fill the environmental governance gap in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement, a situation Environment Secretary Michael Gove has described as “sub-optimal”.
The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on Environmental Principles and Governance aimed at considering how to maintain coherent and effective environmental governance once the UK leaves the EU.
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.
An agreement has been reached by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to maintain 100 per cent of the UK’s notified waste shipments to the EU in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
Households in the Irish town of Sligo have more than doubled the amount of organic waste collected for recycling following a year-long consumer awareness programme.
Over 300 refuse workers belonging to the Unite union are set to strike for two days a week from 19 February in an escalation of a continuing dispute with Birmingham City Council.
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 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.
The Global Circularity Gap Report 2019 states that only nine per cent of the world’s natural resources are being reused – and governments must drive changes in unsustainable patterns of consumption to avoid global warming.
The EU will introduce legislation obliging manufacturers to make their products longer-lasting and easier to repair following ratification by European environment ministries.
Roger Morton, Director of Axion Polymers, explains what opportunities for the UK waste and resources sector could arise out of the UK’s departure from the EU.
Who across the waste and resources world has done enough to etch their name into the pantheon of greats as this year’s Legend of Waste? You can tell us now by voting in this year’s Hot 100.
