Resource Use

WRAP logo
Recycling
WRAP funding to support business waste recycling

£1 million of funding has been announced to support business waste recycling in England.


The money comes as part of the Resource Action Fund, an £18-million investment bundle administered by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Clive Betts MP
Recycling
Government must allow councils flexibility to achieve recycling targets

If targets in the Resources and Waste strategy are to be met, the government must provide adequate funding and allow local authorities to develop recycling strategies and collection systems that are appropriate for their communities, says the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. 

An image of three disposable coffee cups
Reuse
Scottish panel recommends 20-25 pence ‘latte levy’

A panel of environmental experts in Scotland has recommended that a 20-25 pence charge should be placed on disposable coffee cups, a policy that the UK Government has previously rejected.

Therese Coffey and Chris Preston appear before the Efra Committee
Coffey dismisses local authority concerns regarding ‘all-in’ DRS
By
Rob Cole
| 18 July 2019 |
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.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove
‘All-in’ deposit return scheme has Gove’s support
By
Kate Dickinson
| 17 July 2019 |
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has put his weight behind an ‘all-in’ DRS for drinks containers as part of a speech on the need to act on climate change, pollution and natural degradation.
An image of waste lighting
Recolight proposes changes to WEEE system
By
Imogen Benson
| 17 July 2019 |
Lighting compliance scheme Recolight has called for changes in e-waste regulations.
Bottles made from clear plastic
Maximising recyclability: New guidance from UK Plastics Pact
By
Imogen Benson
| 16 July 2019 |
The UK Plastics Pact has identified clear PET as the best option for rigid plastic packaging, in new guidance published today (16 July).
Mixed plastic and card food packaging
Public wants ‘national standard’ for packaging recycling
By
Kate Dickinson
| 16 July 2019 |
A majority of the British public wants all food packaging to be made 100 per cent recyclable anywhere in the country, according to a survey commissioned by WRAP and INCPEN.
A mountain of electronic waste
$15m initiative to boost e-waste recycling in Nigeria
By
Imogen Benson
| 15 July 2019 |
The Nigerian Government is hoping to kick off a circular economy for electronic products with support from the Global Environmental Facility and UN Environment.
Rolls of paper in a paper mill
European paper recycling rate falls as export markets tighten
By
Rob Cole
| 12 July 2019 |
The European paper recycling rate has fallen by 0.8 per cent in 2018, largely due to a sizeable fall in exports of paper for recycling, according to the Confederation of European Paper Industries.
A pile of waste wood for reuse or recycling
A year of success for Community Wood Recycling
By
Kate Dickinson
| 12 July 2019 |
Social enterprise Community Wood Recycling has rescued over 20,000 tonnes of waste wood from landfill in 2018/19, according to the organisation’s annual report.
Food waste
Exeter to introduce food waste collections
By
Imogen Benson
| 12 July 2019 |
Exeter City Council has announced plans to introduce kerbside collections for glass and food recycling. 
The front page of the report by Zero Waste Scotland
Scottish consumers spend £600 million annually on single-use packaging
By
Imogen Benson
| 10 July 2019 |
Consumers in Scotland are spending £600 million on more than 300,000 tonnes of single use packaging for their groceries every year, according to Zero Waste Scotland. 
A truck disposing of residual waste in a landfill site.
CCC urges biodegradable landfill ban as carbon reduction efforts stall
By
Rob Cole
| 10 July 2019 |
The Committee on Climate Change says the UK should bring forward a ban on biodegradable waste to landfill to 2025 after a new report published by the Committee revealed the UK to be ‘lagging far behind’ on efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
A jar of honey with an on-pack recycling label
OPRL launches review of labelling rules
By
Imogen Benson
| 9 July 2019 |
The On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme has announced a review of its labelling rules to ensure they keep up with collections service developments.
An image of a health and safety traffic cone
Waste sector fatalities 17 times higher than industry average
By
Imogen Benson
| 8 July 2019 |
New figures from the Health and Safety Executive reveal that although the number of waste and recycling workplace fatalities has dropped to seven from last year’s 12, the sector remains one of the most dangerous industries to work in.
Production of the paper-packaged snack bars
Nestlé launches snack bars wrapped in ‘world first’ recyclable paper
By
Imogen Benson
| 5 July 2019 |
The ‘YES!’ snack bar range by food and drink multinational Nestlé will be the first of its kind to be wrapped in recyclable paper packaging.
Participants of the 2018 Walk for WasteAid
Annual Walk for WasteAid takes place in Manchester
By
Imogen Benson
| 5 July 2019 |
Waste management charity WasteAid is holding a sponsored walk through Manchester to raise money to prevent plastic pollution.
A mound of food waste
Food waste recycling in Scotland up 40 per cent
By
Rob Cole
| 5 July 2019 |
Scotland has increased its food waste recycling by 40 per cent between 2013 and 2017, saving thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions, according to new reports published by Zero Waste Scotland.
Four boxes of meal prep
Over one third of ‘meal prep’ food wasted
By
Imogen Benson
| 5 July 2019 |
Research from food waste app Too Good To Go reveals that a third of ‘meal prep’ dishes are thrown away due to uncertainty over how long they can be kept for.
Hands holding food and other biodegradable waste
UK makes progress towards zero food waste to landfill
By
Kate Dickinson
| 4 July 2019 |
The UK has reduced the amount of food waste going to landfill by almost two million tonnes since 2013, says a new report from ReFood, but big challenges remain before we can reach zero waste.
A pack of nappies with confusing labelling
#BinYourNappy campaign launched amid nappy disposal confusion
By
Imogen Benson
| 4 July 2019 |
The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has launched a campaign to encourage parents to dispose of nappies in the general waste bin, after a survey revealed one in 10 parents admitted to throwing used nappies in the household recycling.
Novamont’s Mater-Bi bioplastic confirmed as fully marine biodegradable
Novamont’s Mater-Bi bioplastic confirmed as fully marine biodegradable
By
Rob Cole
| 3 July 2019 |
Research has established that Novamont’s compostable bioplastic Mater-Bi is fully biodegradable in the marine environment within four to 12 months.