Cans, cartons, glass – a report from think tank Green Alliance reveals why single-use alternatives to plastic water bottles are not as eco-friendly as people think.
New research from Tap Warehouse has revealed that only half of all bathroom packaging in the UK is recycled, accounting for 30-40 per cent of total landfill waste.
Since the five pence charge was introduced in 2015, single-use plastic bag sales by the seven biggest retailers in England have fallen by 90 per cent, according to new figures from Defra.
A new report from Imperial College London recommends that the tax on plastic packaging should be set at £150 per tonne in order to incentivise producers to include more recycled content in their products.
Theresa Villiers will replace Michael Gove Environment Secretary after Boris Johnson’s extensive cabinet reshuffle following his confirmation as the UK’s next prime minister.
Defra’s response to the resources and waste consultations confirm that big changes will be on the cards for 2023, with a deposit return scheme, extended producer responsibility regime and consistency of collections all proposed for introduction by then.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced new joint business and government investment in R&D around new forms of packaging made from plants, wood chippings and food waste.
Resources Minister Therese Coffey said that there was “no threat to the sustainability of kerbside collections” from a deposit return scheme as she backed an ‘all-in’ model at an evidence session of Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
Paper coffee cups can have a lower carbon footprint than reusable cups, especially if they are recycled, according to life cycle research commissioned by packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki.
UK charity organisation the British Heart Foundation is to sell pre-owned toys in compostable packaging after teaming up with Direct Packaging and compostable film manufacturer Futamura to reduce its plastic footprint.
Members of the UK Plastics Pact have committed to removing eight problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic items from shelves by the end of 2020 and have identified a further 19 items to take action against by 2025, though campaigners say the industry’s approach is “inadequate”.
The amount of undetectable black packaging coming to market is expected to be cut by 66 per cent by the end of 2019 due to efforts to reduce the amount of black plastic used in packaging and developments in detectable pigments and sorting equipment, says industry report.
