Government

Kerbside box with plastic and cans
UK Local Authority
Councils face projected £61m annual loss of income from DRS

Local authorities in England will lose an estimated £61.4 million per year in net income once the deposit return scheme (DRS) reaches its 90 per cent return rate target, according to analysis by compliance scheme Valpak.  

aerial image of an AD plant
UK Central Government
Environment Agency replaces quality protocols with resource frameworks

New guidance for compost, digestate and biomethane tightens plastics limits and removes market restrictions

Cages for fish farming in Scotland
Devolved Governments
Scotland consults on circular economy strategy to 2045

Draft strategy identifies five priority sectors and introduces national monitoring framework

Plastic waste in river
New EFRA inquiry into circular economy starts by targeting plastic waste
By
Beth Jones
| 21 May 2025 |
Backbench committee will examine progress towards resource efficiency, with an initial focus on UK role in the Global Plastics Treaty
Charlie Eddisford Communities Lead at Resource Futures
£1.5m funding creates community repair and reuse hubs in Devon libraries
By Resource |
19 May 2025 |
Libraries Unlimited partners with grassroots groups to transform libraries into circular economy action centres
Claudia Mensi, President of FEAD (the European Waste Management Association)
The Circular Economy Act must be bold! Europe's resilience depends on it
By
Claudia Mensi
| 12 May 2025 |
EU must prioritise circular economy to ensure material security and industrial resilience, writes Claudia Mensi, President of FEAD
Environment Agency officers checking shipping container that has recycling materials for export
Further arrests made in packaging export note fraud investigation
By Resource |
9 May 2025 |
Environment Agency and Metropolitan Police detain two men for unlawfully selling fictitious recycling export documentation
Bins next to UK Parliament
England’s residual waste fell by over 1M tonnes in 2023
By
Beth Jones
| 8 May 2025 |
Latest Defra statistics show 58.7 million tonnes of residual waste was generated in 2023, with reduction rates falling short of 2028 interim targets
Reverse vending machine in Iceland, Northern Ireland
Government appoints operator to run DRS schemes
By
Beth Jones
| 6 May 2025 |
Deposit Management Organisation to manage producer registration, container collection and financial systems across England, Scotland and N. Ireland
Island of Krk, Croatia
European cities become ‘part of the solution’ in waste prevention
By
Beth Jones
| 30 April 2025 |
Zero Waste Europe report highlights growing adoption of zero waste strategies, with over 86 municipalities focusing on prevention, reuse and repair initiatives over recycling
Waste cowboy fly-tipping in rural area
‘Waste cowboys’ targeted in new Government fly-tipping reforms
By
Beth Jones
| 30 April 2025 |
Review of waste crime legislation looks to remove regulatory barriers preventing councils from seizing and crushing vehicles used in illegal dumpings
WasteAid, The Gambia
WasteAid secures £237K for African waste management programmes
By
Beth Jones
| 29 April 2025 |
UK charity partners with Veralto to improve conditions for informal waste collections and reduce plastic pollution in The Gambia and South Africa
Cardboard packaging with RFID tag
PackUK eases 'red' and 'amber' ratings for Recyclability Assessment Methodology
By
Beth Jones
| 29 April 2025 |
New exemptions for all DRS-covered containers included in RAM update, following simplification sprint with stakeholders
Scene at a Household Waste Recycling Centre where three people look at the camera next to a newly unveiled compartment for recycling used coffee pods
Coffee pod recycling service reaches 200 local authority sites
By Resource |
28 April 2025 |
Three in ten UK households now have access to pod recycling points at waste and recycling centres
Firefighter extinguishing a fire in the back of a refuse collection vehicle
ESA calls for universal kerbside collection of batteries and electricals
By
Charles Newman
| 28 April 2025 |
Research shows mandatory collections could prevent 85 per cent of waste fires and save £6bn over a decade
Two people sorting usable food at a foodbank in Hackney
North London community fund awards £168,111 to waste prevention projects
By Resource |
25 April 2025 |
20 organisations receive grants to tackle waste streams through grassroots initiatives across seven boroughs
Aeriel shot of an energy-from-waste facility in London
Councils expect meeting ETS tax on incineration will hit services
By
Charles Newman
| 25 April 2025 |
LGA survey finds majority of local authorities anticipate reduction in other waste services once obligations to meet cost of UK Emissions Trading Scheme start in 2028 
Disused cobalt mine in Russia
ZWE call for full pricing of resource use in EU Circular Economy Act
By
Charles Newman
| 23 April 2025 |
Environmental NGO urges policymakers to introduce resource taxes and personal carbon allowances ahead of planned EC consultation
Illegal flytipping incident
Haringey issues over £1.3 million in fly-tipping and littering fines
By
Beth Jones
| 16 April 2025 |
At least 17 boroughs are increasing fines to £1,000 following the rise of illegal waste dumping in London
End of life cars stacked up in front of bales of metal
Trade bodies call for stronger recycled content targets in EU vehicle legislation
By
Charles Newman
| 15 April 2025 |
EuRIC and FEAD call for transparency and full-cost recovery in forthcoming End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations following auto manufacturers' €458 million cartel fine
Global Deposit Dashboard, Reloop
Deposit return schemes reach over 350 million people worldwide
By
Beth Jones
| 10 April 2025 |
Reloop launches Global Deposit Dashboard tracking global legislation, as the UK prepares for nationwide implementation by 2027
Matthew Ekholm, Digital Product Passport and Circularity Specialist at Protokol
The EU’s eco-legislation and navigating greenwashing accusations as a sustainable business
By
Matthew Ekholm, Digital Product Passport and Circularity Specialist at Protokol
| 10 April 2025 |
Matthew Ekholm, Digital Product Passport and Circularity Specialist at Protokol, explains how EU legislation helps businesses demonstrate sustainability credentials
Plastic pellets
EAC launches inquiry into impact of ‘forever chemicals’
By
Beth Jones
| 10 April 2025 |
The investigation will examine risks to humans and environment from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) found in everyday products