Plastic

Kerbside box with plastic and cans
Councils face projected £61m annual loss of income from DRS

Local authorities in England will lose an estimated £61.4 million per year in net income once the deposit return scheme (DRS) reaches its 90 per cent return rate target, according to analysis by compliance scheme Valpak.  

aerial image of an AD plant
Environment Agency replaces quality protocols with resource frameworks

New guidance for compost, digestate and biomethane tightens plastics limits and removes market restrictions

Cover of WRAP's LA toolkit
Communication resources released for Simpler Recycling rollout

WRAP toolkit published with guidance and editable templates for local authorities implementing reforms

Woman in high-vis at an industrial composting site
Certified biodegradable plastics break down in soil and composting facilities
By Resource |
15 October 2025 |
BB-REG-NET report finds materials undergo mineralisation rather than accumulating as persistent microplastics
Artists impression of the proposed TVERF facility
Redcar & Cleveland requires overcapacity analysis before agreeing £2.1bn incinerator contract
By
Charles Newman
| 10 October 2025 |
Council passes motion also requiring carbon liability guarantees before committing to 40-year contract for residual treatment
Terracycle's Tom Szaky
How to Commercially Scale Reuse Across All Packaged Goods Categories
By
Tom Szaky
| 9 October 2025 |
Terracycle's Tom Szaky on how France is showing the way forward
Plastic Energy's chemical recycling plant in Almeria, Spain
Plastic Energy commercialises char byproduct as carbon black alternative
By Resource |
7 October 2025 |
Chemical recycling company reports 89 per cent emissions reduction for rubber filler material
Plant-based biodegradable materials used to substitute for single-use plastic
Inconsistent plastic definitions across UK regs create barriers for bio-materials
By Resource |
2 October 2025 |
BB-REG-NET report reveals regulatory confusion hampering manufacturers developing sustainable alternatives
Biffa's PET recycling facility at Seaham
Biffa completes Esterform acquisition to create integrated PET recycling business
By
Charles Newman
| 2 October 2025 |
Waste operator establishes vertical business model ahead of October 2027 Deposit Return Scheme
Resource Hot100 Innovator of the Year
2025 Resource Hot 100 Innovator of the Year
By Resource |
1 October 2025 |
New ideas and bold approaches are key to transformation from a linear to circular economy. The Resource Hot100 Innovator of the Year award recognises individuals that identify the opportunity to do something differently. 
Optical sorting machine at a recycling plant
Tetra Pak completes £1.4 million AI sorting investment with Scotland facility
By Resource |
26 September 2025 |
Levenseat Resource Management installs first AI-powered carton sorting technology in Scotland
Hands holding a bit of green plastic film
UK tax policies undermine bio-based plastics despite circular economy goals
By Resource |
26 September 2025 |
Research finds bio-based alternatives face £520 per tonne EPR fees while incinerating plastic waste generates 3 million tonnes of CO2 annually
Hand holding reprocessed polypropylene pellets
First food-safe polypropylene produced from ocean-bound waste
By Resource |
25 September 2025 |
Partnership prevents 500 million cups reaching oceans whilst meeting European food contact standards
Aerial image of Suez efw facilities at haverton hill
Energy-from-waste costs could rise 50 per cent under UK ETS expansion plans
By
Charles Newman
| 25 September 2025 |
Research commissioned by Suez estimates gate fees may increase £48 per tonne from 2028
Warehouse worker with hardhat wrapping boxes in stretch film parcel on pallet
UK plastic packaging tax undermined by fraudulent recycled content claims
By
Olivia Loughran
| 22 September 2025 |
RECOUP report reveals imported packaging falsely claiming recycled content is undermining UK recyclers' competitiveness
Toothpaste tube in a bathroom bin
Industry collaboration eliminates toothpaste tube contamination from recycling streams
By
Olivia Loughran
| 19 September 2025 |
HDPE redesign removes aluminium barriers and reduces wish-cycling ahead of 2026 collection requirements
Exterior shot of people outside a Salvation Army donation centre
Salvation Army textile collections reach 77,000 tonnes as voucher scheme doubles
By
Olivia Loughran
| 19 September 2025 |
SATCoL doubles clothing aid while cutting 505,000 tonnes of carbon
Surgical gloves being discarded
NHS shift from single-use plastics to bio-based products could unlock £120 million market
By
Olivia Loughran
| 18 September 2025 |
Research identifies opportunity to expand the UK bioeconomy through sustainable public purchasing
UK recycling infrastructure is unprepared for flexible plastics by 2027
By
Olivia Loughran
| 18 September 2025 |
North London Waste Authority Chair warns that new kerbside collection rules could fail without urgent investment in recycling capacity
CityToSea campaigners stood in a park holding banners to promote World Reuse Day
City to Sea closes after 10 years of plastic pollution campaigns
By
Charles Newman
| 16 September 2025 |
Environmental charity that helped to build a global refill network to cease operations citing competitive grant environment
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