Materials

Southeast Asian communities flooded with plastic waste since China ban
Plastic
Southeast Asian communities flooded with plastic waste since China ban

Communities in Southeast Asia have been flooded with plastic waste diverted from China following the introduction of the Chinese Government’s waste ban at the start of 2018, according to a new report.


The report by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and Greenpeace, entitled  ‘Discarded: Communities on the frontlines of the global plastic crisis’, brings the... More

Scottish councils unprepared for landfill ban, says report
Scottish councils unprepared for landfill ban, says report

Local authorities and waste management contractors in Scotland are not adequately prepared for its upcoming landfill ban, according to a Scottish Government report published today (24 April).

Biffa calls for separate collections of paper and card in consistency report
Glass
Biffa calls for separate collections of paper and card in consistency report

Waste management company Biffa has called on the government to recommend the separate collection of paper and card from households in addition to food waste in its eventual core materials collection model.

Bühler's PolyVision technology in use at STF Recycling's recycling plant.
Waste sector cleans up at Queen’s Awards
By
Rob Cole
| 23 April 2019 |
Technology company Bühler UK Ltd and litter collection tool company The Helping Hand Company have been awarded Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in the fields of Innovation and International Trade.
Kerbside collections boost Wiltshire’s carton recycling
Kerbside collections boost ACE UK carton recycling in Wiltshire
By
ACE UK
| 23 April 2019 |
Wiltshire Council’s carton recycling has increased to five million cartons collected in the last eight months since kerbside carton collections were introduced.
Simply Cups to launch cup recycling service in the Netherlands and Belgium
Simply Cups to launch cup recycling service in the Netherlands and Belgium
By
Rob Cole
| 18 April 2019 |
Cup collection and recycling service Simply Cups is set to expand its coverage into the Netherlands and Belgium from June in a bid to capture the 4.5 billion cups used in the two countries every year.
Logo for waste-to-hydrogen company PowerHouse Energy
Partnership brings UK step closer to first waste-to-hydrogen plant
By
Kate Dickinson
| 17 April 2019 |
PowerHouse Energy, the developer of waste-to-hydrogen technology, has signed an agreement for engineering services with Waste2Tricity.
A stack of mixed waste packaging
What should producer responsibility reform look like?
By
Kate Dickinson
| 16 April 2019 |
The government is consulting on reforms to the UK’s packaging producer responsibility regime. So what are Defra’s proposals for a new system and how have businesses responded so far? Ecosurety and SUEZ comment.
The new cardboard Guinness case
Guinness to replace plastic six pack rings with cardboard
By
Kate Dickinson
| 15 April 2019 |
Diageo, parent company of Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s beers, has pledged to remove plastic rings from its multipacks of cans as part of a drive to reduce plastic waste.
Cory Riverside appoint former Interserve director as CEO
Cory Riverside appoints former Interserve director as CEO
By
Rob Cole
| 12 April 2019 |
Dougie Sutherland has been appointed as CEO of Cory Riverside Energy after leaving ailing government contractor Interserve, which went into administration in March.
Starbucks to finance UK’s largest coffee cup recycling fund
Starbucks to finance UK’s largest coffee cup recycling fund
By
Kate Dickinson
| 11 April 2019 |
Coffee chain Starbucks and environmental charity Hubbub have come together to launch The Cup Fund, which will see grants going to at least 10 large-scale cup recycling projects.
Biffa announces three-year partnership with WasteAid
Biffa announces three-year partnership with WasteAid
By
Rob Cole
| 10 April 2019 |
Waste management company Biffa has announced a three-year partnership with UK-based charity WasteAid, which will see the company support WasteAid financially and share its expertise with communities in low-income countries to improve the management of waste.
City of London to introduce all-electric waste collection fleet
City of London to introduce all-electric waste collection fleet
By
Rob Cole
| 9 April 2019 |
The City of London aims to be the first UK local authority to run a fully electric fleet of refuse collection vehicles after it awarded a new tech-driven waste collection contract to Veolia.
Workers at Sellafield vote to strike
Workers at Sellafield vote to strike
By
Rob Cole
| 8 April 2019 |
Workers belong to the Unite union at the Sellafield nuclear waste reprocessing facility in Cumbria have voted to strike in a dispute over pay with facilities management outsourcer Mitie.
Milton Keynes faces £1.75m bill for recycling contamination
Milton Keynes faces £1.75m bill for recycling contamination
By
Rob Cole
| 8 April 2019 |
Milton Keynes Council has agreed a £1.75-million legal settlement with Viridor over contamination of recycling, and has called on residents to help improve recycling to avoid future costs.
Products from the Global Change Award winners
Five innovative companies turning fashion circular
By
Kate Dickinson
| 5 April 2019 |
Five companies have scooped a share of €1 million from H&M’s Global Change Award 2019, which supports businesses reducing textile waste or making clothing more sustainable.
Glasgow retailers join movement to reduce Scotland’s coffee cup waste
Glasgow retailers join movement to reduce Scotland’s coffee cup waste
By
Rob Cole
| 5 April 2019 |
Glasgow Fort and Buchanan Galleries have given their support to Cup Movement in Glasgow, the first initiative of its kind in Scotland to stop single-use cups from going to landfill or ending up being littered.
Valpak wins Shropshire Council WEEE collections contract
Valpak wins Shropshire Council WEEE collections contract
By
Rob Cole
| 5 April 2019 |
Compliance scheme Valpak has won Shropshire Council’s tender for the collection and treatment of household waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). 
Agrivert takes over contracts from Qila Biogas
Agrivert takes over contracts from Qila Biogas
By
Agrivert
| 3 April 2019 |
Agrivert has announced that it has taken over 12 Operation and Maintenance contracts previously run by Qila Biogas, three months after Agrivert’s successful £120-million sale of its UK operating assets to Severn Trent Green Power (STGP).
Swindon waste dealer given six-year company ban
Swindon waste dealer given six-year company ban
By
Rob Cole
| 2 April 2019 |
A Swindon-based waste dealer has been handed a six-year ban from running limited companies after two of his enterprises were found to be in breach of environmental regulations.
Some of the types of plastic that will be accepted in the Tesco stores
Tesco trials recycling scheme for soft plastic packaging
By
Kate Dickinson
| 2 April 2019 |
Tesco has launched a new collection scheme for hard-to-recycle plastics in partnership with Swindon reprocessing company Recycling Technologies.
Community RePaint celebrates 25 years keeping paint from going to waste
Community RePaint celebrates 25 years keeping paint from going to waste
By
Rob Cole
| 2 April 2019 |
Since its inception in 1993, Community RePaint has been working to reuse as much leftover paint as possible, redistributing 5.5 million litres to community organisations and low-income individuals at affordable prices, and providing training opportunities for people out of work up and down the country.
Plastic bag underwater
Australia could ban microbeads and single-use plastic bags
By
Kate Dickinson
| 1 April 2019 |
Australia could become the latest country bring in stricter single-use plastic restrictions after the Labor Party announced plans to ban microbeads and lightweight plastic bags.