The European Parliament has voted to support the Green Deal for Europe, backing proposals which include a circular economy action plan, an EU-wide model for separate collection of waste and rules on mandatory recycled content.
The government has released a wide-ranging briefing paper on plastic waste ahead of the return of the Environment Bill, expected at the end of the month.
The European Commission’s European Green Deal includes proposals to introduce an EU-wide model for the separate collection of waste and rules on minimum recycled content, promising a step change in the EU’s approach to resources and waste.
The leading trade association for the UK plastics industry has published a survey revealing that a majority of its members want to remain in the EU and believe that a no-deal Brexit will have a significant impact on their businesses.
The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) has called on the Netherlands Government to rethink its decision to introduce a tax on the import of refuse derived fuel (RDF).
The Circular Plastics Alliance, a group of public bodies, businesses and trade organisations, has published a declaration committing to increasing the use of recycled plastic by 2025.
A group of more than 50 environmental, social justice and human rights NGOs have sent a letter to the Commission Expert Group working on an EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy asking to keep waste incineration out of the scope of green finance.
The government cannot rule out diverging from EU environmental laws transposed into UK law post-Brexit, new Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers told MPs.
Each tonne of RDF diverted from the Netherlands as a result of its proposed tax on the import of waste will result in an additional 261 kilogrammes of CO2e emissions, according to a briefing note published by the RDF Industry Group.
Municipal waste data from Eurostat shows that the UK’s recycling rate remains some way short of the EU’s top recycling nations, though it performs better when it comes to diverting waste from landfill.
The RDF Industry Group has responded to the Dutch Government’s new tax proposals, warning that they will be ‘counterproductive’ in reducing CO2 emissions.
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.
