MPs have today published their assessment of the Government’s choice for Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), a new public body designed to hold the Government to account for breaches of environmental law, replacing the role formerly held by the European Commission prior to the UK’s exit from the EU.
Peter James, partner and head of health and safety at national law firm BLM, explains what waste management companies need to be aware of when it comes to Covid-19 inspections.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that it will be extending the plastic bag charge in England to all retailers from April 2021 as part of its ‘war on plastic waste’.
The Environment Agency (EA) has announced that it will be increasing storage limits at waste transfer stations under its new standard rules permits, with details revealed in a consultation response document on Monday (24 August).
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is to consult on a revised Waste Management Plan for England, though it is not currently proposing any new policies.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is set to introduce legally-binding targets for waste and other environmental issue areas as part of the government’s Environment Bill.
Glass recycling company Recresco has reiterated concerns from the glass industry over the mooted ‘all-in’ UK deposit return scheme (DRS) for beverage containers, warning it could have a “negative rather than a positive impact” on the UK recycling.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has released two policy papers on monitoring and evaluation of the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy for England.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow has warned the tobacco industry to “step up” and play its part in tackling cigarette butt litter or the government will consider legislating to force the industry to tackle the issue.
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) has expressed concerns over a lack of permitting capacity at the Environment Agency (EA) in response to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a significant infrastructure investment in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a consultation on the future of recycling in the country as it seeks to reach a 65 per cent recycling rate by 2035.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has urged the government to accelerate the transition to a circular economy as part of a Covid-19 recovery plan that prioritises the climate crisis, reiterating its call for a ban on biodegradable waste to landfill by 2025.
Enforcement undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency (EA) for breaches of environmental regulations have totalled £1.65 million for the past six months.
The risk posed to the waste and resources sector by Brexit has increased over the last few months, with the UK falling further behind EU standards and ambition, according to Greener UK’s latest Brexit Risk Tracker.
Garden waste collections may be made free by the passing of the Environment Bill to improve consistency in recycling, says Environment Secretary George Eustice.
Plans to include fuels made from non-renewable materials in the EU’s renewable energy plans could undermine recycling progress, according to a new policy briefing by Zero Waste Europe, Bellona Europe and Rethink Plastic.
Most classes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the UK must now be classed as hazardous waste or containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) unless it can be proved otherwise, according to updated guidance by the Environment Agency (EA).
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced yesterday (8 June) that any methodology for calculating the 2020 waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) compliance fee will take the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic into account.
A coalition of trade organisations has written to the Environment Secretary George Eustice (1 June) pressing for a ‘total ban’ on oxodegradable plastics.
BBIA Managing Director David Newman looks at how Italy’s new EPR scheme for compostable packaging will work and what lessons it can provide the UK as it revises its packaging EPR system.
