Legislation

Over £300,000 available for litter-fighting projects across Britain

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has announced today (15 August) that over £300,000 is now available for community projects aiming to get tough on litter.


The first round of funding announced a year ago saw a number of councils, charities, businesses and public projects awarded almost £125,000 to take innovative steps to tackle littering in their communities.... More

The committee has added that the EEAO would need to be overseen by Parliament, reporting on a bi-annual basis, to ensure it remains independent. During its inquiry, the EAC heard from respondents, including Lord Deben, who warned of a history of environmental watchdogs (such as the Environmental Agency and Natural England) “being brought more and more under the control [of the Department]”. Creagh also warned that the government has “more experience of getting rid of environmental watchdogs than of setting
MPs call for ‘world-leading’ UK environmental watchdog

MPs in the Environmental Audit Committee say the oversight body should have legal powers to hold the government to account on the goals set out in its 25 Year Environment Plan.

 

Flawed monitoring leading to overestimation of UK packaging recycling, says NAO
Flawed monitoring could lead to overestimation of UK packaging recycling, says NAO

A report from the National Audit Office has called the UK’s packaging recycling rates into question, warning that fraud and error in the PRN system are not being properly monitored by Defra and the Environment Agency.

No more incinerators until proper emissions monitoring in place, says UKWIN
No more incinerators until proper emissions monitoring in place, says UKWIN
By
Rob Cole
| 17 July 2018 |
Harmful emissions from incinerators are going unreported and pose significant public health problems, according to new research from the UK Without Incineration Network, an anti-incineration campaign group.
Gove fails to guarantee current environmental standards won’t fall after Brexit
Gove fails to guarantee current environmental standards won’t fall after Brexit
By
Rob Cole
| 12 July 2018 |
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has been accused of “papering over the cracks” by MPs in Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee during an evidence session on the proposed Environmental Principles and Governance after EU Exit Bill.
Madrid to end incineration of waste by 2025
Madrid to end incineration of waste by 2025
By
Kate Dickinson
| 12 July 2018 |
As part of a new strategy on waste designed to meet higher EU targets, the city of Madrid is planning to introduce separate collection of organic waste and completely eliminate incineration.
Ministers meet to discuss UK-wide deposit return scheme
Ministers meet to discuss UK-wide deposit return scheme
By
Rob Cole
| 9 July 2018 |
Ministers from the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments, as well as officials from Northern Ireland, met on 6 July to discuss plans for a collective deposit return scheme for drinks containers that would operate in all nations of the UK.
Scottish Government opens public consultation on deposit return
Scottish Government opens public consultation on deposit return
By
Rob Cole
| 2 July 2018 |
The Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on a deposit return scheme (DRS) for Scotland to gather stakeholder opinions on how such a scheme for Scotland should work.
Deposit return: A tried and tested solution for Scotland
Deposit return: A tried and tested solution for Scotland
By
Clarissa Morawski
| 22 June 2018 |
Clarissa Morawski, Managing Director of Reloop, makes the case for deposit return schemes in the fight against plastic waste.
Wales votes to ban microbeads
Wales votes to ban microbeads
By
Kate Dickinson
| 20 June 2018 |
Following a vote by the Welsh Assembly, plastic microbeads will be banned in personal care products in Wales from 30 June.
EU Circular Economy Package becomes law
EU Circular Economy Package becomes law
By
Rob Cole
| 20 June 2018 |
The EU’s Circular Economy Package (CEP) has been published in the EU’s Official Journal, meaning the legislation will enter into force at the start of July, 20 days after its publication.
HSE sets out health and safety solutions for waste sector
By
Kate Dickinson
| 18 June 2018 |
A new report into health and safety in the waste and recycling sector has underlined a need for better safety management to combat the disproportionate levels of fatal injury in the industry.
Five things we learned at Resourcing the Future 2018
Five things we learned at Resourcing the Future 2018
By Resource |
15 June 2018 |
From marine litter and the UK Plastics Pact to China’s waste ban and the future of waste and resources strategy, here are some of our key moments from a busy two days of discussion and debate at CIWM’s Resourcing the Future conference.
UK and EU must act to ensure continued trade of RDF, says industry group
UK and EU must act to ensure continued trade of RDF, says industry group
By
Rob Cole
| 7 June 2018 |
The refuse derived fuel Industry Group has called for urgent action from the UK Government and the EU to ensure that the export of RDF from the UK to Europe will continue unhindered after Brexit.
India to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022
India to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022
By
Kate Dickinson
| 7 June 2018 |
The Indian Government has taken an “unprecedented” step against plastic pollution in pledging to cut out all single-use plastics by 2022.
‘Latte levy’ could cost £819m and risk UK jobs, says industry group
‘Latte levy’ could cost £819m and risk UK jobs, says industry group
By
Rob Cole
| 5 June 2018 |
The Paper Cup Alliance, which represents UK cup manufacturers, has claimed that a levy on disposable coffee cups could cost the economy £819 million and result in 11,000 job losses in the coffee retail sector.
Barnet considers scrapping separate food waste service
Barnet considers scrapping separate food waste service
By
Rob Cole
| 4 June 2018 |
Barnet Council is considering scrapping its weekly food waste collections in favour of sending it to incineration along with residual waste, despite the local Conservative Party’s election manifesto containing a promise to maintain the service.
Scotland bans disposable coffee cups in government buildings
Scotland bans disposable coffee cups in government buildings
By
Kate Dickinson
| 1 June 2018 |
The Scottish Parliament has announced that it will be banning single-use coffee cups in its main buildings in order to cut down on single-use plastic waste.
Reduce residual waste collections to reach EU recycling targets, says ESA
Reduce residual waste collections to reach EU recycling targets, says ESA
By
Kate Dickinson
| 30 May 2018 |
UK councils could meet EU recycling targets by reducing residual waste collections and increasing separate food waste services – but at a significant extra cost without government intervention, according to a new report from the Environmental Services Association.
EU proposes single-use plastic bans to combat marine litter
EU proposes single-use plastic bans to combat marine litter
By
Kate Dickinson
| 29 May 2018 |
The European Commission has proposed a full ban on some of the most commonly used and littered disposable plastic products in Europe, including single-use cutlery, plates, drinks stirrers, straws, cotton buds and sticks for balloons.
EU member states give circular economy package seal of approval
EU member states give circular economy package seal of approval
By
Rob Cole
| 25 May 2018 |
The final legislative hurdle to creating a more resource efficient Europe has been overcome after the EU Council approved the EU’s Circular Economy Package (CEP) in Brussels on Tuesday.
Which local authority is England’s worst fly-tipping offender?
Which local authority is England’s worst fly-tipping offender?
By
Gethin Roberts
| 23 May 2018 |
New research finds that The City of London has the biggest illegal rubbish dumping problem in England, with 238 fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 people.
Mayor of London targets 50 per cent cut in food waste in final Environment Strategy
Mayor of London targets 50 per cent cut in food waste in final Environment Strategy
By
Rob Cole
| 23 May 2018 |
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has presented the final draft of his London Environment Strategy to the London Assembly for consideration, with targets such as becoming a zero-carbon city and reducing the capital’s food waste by 50 per cent by 2030 among the proposals in the revised document.