Legislation

Welsh Government launches consultation on environmental governance post-Brexit
Welsh Government launches consultation on environmental governance post-Brexit

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.


The consultation was launched yesterday (18 March) by Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, and seeks to gather views on how an effective governance framework can be established that builds on Wales’ current legislative framework.

All areas of environment at high risk of damage due to ‘no deal’ Brexit, says Greener UK
All areas of environment at high risk of damage due to ‘no deal’ Brexit, says Greener UK

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.

Aluminium recycling could double with new reforms, says Green Alliance
Aluminium recycling could double with new reforms, says Green Alliance

New reforms, including a deposit return scheme (DRS), could see aluminium recycling almost double if implemented, preventing around £50 million of wasted resources each year, according to a new report by environmental think tank Green Alliance.

Julia Turner
An eye on the markets: Biomass market appeal
By
Julia Turner
| 7 March 2019 |
Julia Turner, Executive Director of the Wood Recyclers' Association, gives an update on the market for waste wood.
Swansea Council could fine residents for not recycling
Swansea Council could fine residents for not recycling
By
Kate Dickinson
| 5 March 2019 |
News that Swansea Council will be checking black bin bags for recyclables at the kerbside – and fining residents who fail to recycle properly – has been met with a mixed response from residents.
Defra secures deal to roll over EU waste shipments notifications
Defra secures deal to roll over EU waste shipments notifications
By
Rob Cole
| 4 March 2019 |
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.
WEEE collection figures for 2018 fall short of target once again
WEEE collection figures for 2018 fall short of target once again
By
Rob Cole
| 1 March 2019 |
The latest figures from the Environment Agency reveal that across the 2018 calendar year 492,532 tonnes of household WEEE were collected by producer compliance schemes, falling almost 45,000 tonnes short of the 2018 target.
Consulting the days away
Consulting the days away
By
Dominic Hogg
| 28 February 2019 |
Eunomia Chairman Dominic Hogg welcomes the release of the four consultations on packaging waste and recycling promised in the Resources and Waste Strategy, while asking whether a lack of system thinking in the consultation process will impede the creation of a coherent final system
Fashion producers should pay a penny per item to fund waste collection, say MPs
Fashion producers should pay a penny per item to fund waste collection, say MPs
By
Rob Cole
| 20 February 2019 |
Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has released its final report from its inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry, calling for sweeping changes to improve working conditions and reduce the amount of waste produced in the supply chain.
Waste criminal ordered to pay £1.3m for WEEE recycling fraud
Waste criminal ordered to pay £1.3m for WEEE recycling fraud
By
Rob Cole
| 8 February 2019 |
A convicted waste criminal has been ordered to pay £1.3 million for defrauding e-waste recycling schemes out of millions of pounds in a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Leeds Crown Court.
EU microplastics ban could be in force by 2020
EU microplastics ban could be in force by 2020
By
Kate Dickinson
| 30 January 2019 |
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”.
Gove raises prospect of waste stockpiling in the event of ‘no deal’ Brexit
Gove raises prospect of waste stockpiling in the event of ‘no deal’ Brexit
By
Rob Cole
| 29 January 2019 |
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.
Welsh projects share £1.4m funding from Landfill Disposals Tax
Welsh projects share £1.4m funding from Landfill Disposals Tax
By
Rob Cole
| 28 January 2019 |
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.
France to force online retailers to tackle compliance free-riding
By
Rob Cole
| 27 January 2019 |
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.
REA launches bioenergy review
REA launches bioenergy review
By
Rob Cole
| 22 January 2019 |
The Renewable Energy Association has launched a call for evidence as part of a far-reaching review of the future of bioenergy in the UK.
EU paves way for right to repair
EU paves way for right to repair
By
Rob Cole
| 18 January 2019 |
The EU will introduce legislation obliging manufacturers to make their products longer-lasting and easier to repair following ratification by European environment ministries.
New research shows vast extent of fly-tipping
New research shows vast extent of fly-tipping
By
Rob Cole
| 17 January 2019 |
New research from The Furniture Recycling Group (TFR Group) has revealed that 646,039 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in just five cities since 2013.
ADBA urges government Food Waste Champion not to neglect recycling
ADBA urges government Food Waste Champion not to neglect recycling
By
Rob Cole
| 10 January 2019 |
The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) has written to the government’s new Food Surplus and Waste Champion to urge him not to overlook the recycling of inedible food waste.
Householders could face £400 fine for fly-tipping
Householders could face £400 fine for fly-tipping
By
Kate Dickinson
| 8 January 2019 |
A new fixed penalty notice has come into force for householders who don’t use a licensed waste carrier and whose waste ends up being fly-tipped. 
South Korea latest country to ban single-use plastic bags
South Korea latest country to ban single-use plastic bags
By
Kate Dickinson
| 3 January 2019 |
The South Korean Government has banned single-use plastic bags, with potential fines of over £2,000 for businesses that do not comply with the new rules.
It’s time to vote for your Legends of Waste in this year’s Hot 100!
It’s time to vote for your Legends of Waste in this year’s Hot 100!
By
Rob Cole
| 20 December 2018 |
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.
Gove commits to ‘significant’ funding to local authorities
Gove commits to ‘significant’ funding to local authorities
By
Rob Cole
| 20 December 2018 |
Local authorities will be given “hundreds of millions of pounds” in order to help them boost their recycling rates and waste management performance following the publication of the Resources and Waste Strategy, Environment Secretary Michael Gove told MPs yesterday.
Industry welcomes ‘bold and radical’ Resources and Waste Strategy
Industry welcomes ‘bold and radical’ Resources and Waste Strategy
By
Rob Cole
| 18 December 2018 |
Key stakeholders have largely welcomed the publication of the Resources and Waste Strategy by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), calling it a “blueprint for the future” and “bold and radical”, though some reservations remain.