Materials

Artists impression of the proposed TVERF facility
Plastic
Redcar & Cleveland requires overcapacity analysis before agreeing £2.1bn incinerator contract

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has passed a motion establishing eight mandatory preconditions before the authority will approve any binding commitment to the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF), the planned 450,000 tonne per annum energy-from-waste plant approved for the Teesworks site in Grangetown.

Terracycle's Tom Szaky
Plastic
How to Commercially Scale Reuse Across All Packaged Goods Categories

Terracycle's Tom Szaky on how France is showing the way forward

Energy from Waste residual treatment plant in Germany
Zero Waste Europe proposes cap-and-trade system for residual waste

Revenue-neutral levy mechanism between Member States as part of Circular Economy Act would reduce both landfill and incineration, reducing sector's greenhouse gas emissions

UNTHA XR3000C mobile shredder at Bloomfield Recycling's depot
Bloomfield Resources invests £600k in UNTHA shredder to accelerate zero-to-landfill goal
By Resource |
12 September 2025 |
Birmingham recycling firm installs XR3000C mobile shredder to increase recovery rates and divert all waste from landfill
Gillian Martin, Iain Gulland, Dominic Fry at pioneering biotech start-up, MiAlgae
Scotland circular economy worth £7.1bn and 81,000 jobs study shows
By
Charles Newman
| 11 September 2025 |
State of the Circular Economy report reveals 'significant and thriving' economic landscape
Doctor removing blue plastic gloves and throwing them in the bin
Healthcare single-use plastics could cost health systems €34 billion annually by 2040
By
Charles Newman
| 10 September 2025 |
Study shows 53 per cent reduction in hospital plastic waste achievable through proven circular strategies
Whole used tyres for recycling
TRA warns domestic tyre processors could follow plastics industry into crisis
By Resource |
8 September 2025 |
Industry body warns of similar fate to plastics sector amid market pressures and regulatory failures
Bales of plastic recycling waiting to be processed
Plastic Overshoot Day highlights overproduction ‘we can’t recycle our way out of’
By
Olivia Loughran
| 5 September 2025 |
Global plastic waste generation projected to reach 225 million tonnes in 2025, surpassing reprocessing capacity 
Xampla secures £10.2m to scale plant-protein based packaging
By
Olivia Loughran
| 4 September 2025 |
Cambridge materials company targets five-year phase-out of 10 billion single-use plastic items
Conveyor belt leading a mix of plastics and bioplastics to a near infra red sorter
Bio-based plastic sorting trial demonstrates recycling breakthrough
By Resource |
3 September 2025 |
PROSPER project successfully separates contaminated bio-based packaging from conventional plastic streams using NIR technology
Female student putting a plastic bottle into a deposit return machine
Scottish college launches reverse vending machine trial offering 20p per bottle
By
Olivia Loughran
| 3 September 2025 |
Four-week pilot at New College Lanarkshire tests financial incentives ahead of 2027 Deposit Return Scheme
FlexCollect 'survival' bag for plastic film to be collected in
FlexCollect results show blueprint for flexible plastic packaging collections
By
Charles Newman
| 1 September 2025 |
Three-year project demonstrates viable collection methods whilst identifying capacity gap and policy reform needs for 2027 rollout
Worker in a safety vest and mask inspects a pile of plastic bottles within a large recycling facility
European plastic recycling industry faces "imminent collapse"
By Resource |
29 August 2025 |
Plastics Recyclers Europe warns that nearly one million tonnes of capacity could disappear by 2025
John Bason, Chair of UK DMO
UK DMO appoints John Bason as chair for DRS rollout
By Resource |
29 August 2025 |
Former Associated British Foods finance director and FareShare chair selected to lead scheme administrator for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Recyclables being emptied out back of waste vehicle
Quarter of councils plan recycling service change with gate fees expected to rise
By
Charles Newman
| 28 August 2025 |
WRAP's latest annual report of treatment costs finds many councils have delayed decisions until government policies on Simpler Recycling and EPR are implemented. 
Aerial view of scrap metal loaded onto a ship
Steel export restrictions pose risk to UK metals recycling industry
By
Charles Newman
| 26 August 2025 |
BMRA commissioned research by Sheffield Hallam University finding that quotas or bans could cost sector billions in lost value and jeopardise thousands of jobs
Truck carrying a waste skip on a uk motorway
Defra to replace waste carrier, broker and dealer registration with environmental permits
By Resource |
26 August 2025 |
Operators must pass assessments and training requirements under new permit system with enhanced enforcement powers
Packaging EPR: from uncertainty to action
By
John Redmayne, Managing Director at ERP UK
| 20 August 2025 |
With new regulations now in force, John Redmayne considers the implementation practicalities that producers now face
Huw Irranca-Davies holding a glass bottle
Wales launches reuse-focused deposit return scheme consultation
By
Charles Newman
| 19 August 2025 |
Stakeholders asked for views on proposed reuse targets for 2031-2040 and phased glass inclusion with zero deposit transition approach
Resource Futures team in front of the Fixy Project van
Resource Futures community programmes deliver £3.8m in household savings
By Resource |
15 August 2025 |
B Corp sustainability consultancy's networks diverted 1,192 tonnes from disposal whilst creating 150 employment opportunities
Global plastic treaty negotiations reach deadlock in final days of the INC 5.2
By
Olivia Loughran
| 12 August 2025 |
Talks in Geneva stall amid growing opposition to production limits from oil-producing states
Alliance to End Plastic Waste pilots simple recycling system across four Indonesian villages
By
Olivia Loughran
| 7 August 2025 |
Malang Regency project demonstrates door-to-door collection model requiring 80 per cent household participation for economic viability
Final plastics treaty negotiations target full lifecycle approach
By
Olivia Loughran
| 6 August 2025 |
Waste management provisions among key measures under discussion in Geneva