Resource Use

Gove: No deal solution for environmental governance is ‘sub-optimal’
Gove: No deal solution for environmental governance is ‘sub-optimal’

An Interim Secretariat made up of “16 full-time civil servants” will fill the environmental governance gap in the event of a no deal Brexit, a situation Environment Secretary Michael Gove has described as “sub-optimal”.


Gove, along with Resources Minister Therese Coffey, was giving evidence on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), which provides scrutiny of the environmental impact of government... More

UK recycling infrastructure struggles to cope
Recycling
UK recycling infrastructure struggles to cope

The UK will not be able to meet its 2035 recycling targets without sweeping change, according to a new report from packaging producer DS Smith.

TOMRA e-book on the benefits of using 100 per cent recycled plastics
Recycling
TOMRA e-book on the benefits of using 100 per cent recycled plastics

TOMRA Sorting Recycling has published a new e-book on the viability of using 100 per cent recycled plastics in goods production.

Clothing on hangers in a charity shop
London tackles fast fashion waste
By
Kate Dickinson
| 20 March 2019 |
Londoners have saved over 750,000 items of clothing from landfill in six months through textile reuse charity TRAID.
Coral opens new plastics recycling facility in Merseyside
Coral opens new plastics recycling facility in Merseyside
By
Coral Products (Mouldings) Ltd
| 20 March 2019 |
Coral Products (Mouldings) Ltd has just launched its new 360-degree circular economy plastic recycling plant in Haydock, Merseyside, as it seeks to minimise plastic waste sent to landfill.
Welsh Government launches consultation on environmental governance post-Brexit
Welsh Government launches consultation on environmental governance post-Brexit
By
Rob Cole
| 19 March 2019 |
The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on Environmental Principles and Governance aimed at considering how to maintain coherent and effective environmental governance once the UK leaves the EU.
Education is key on Global Recycling Day 2019
Education is key on Global Recycling Day 2019
By
Kate Dickinson
| 18 March 2019 |
With global resource use predicted to double by 2060 if trends continue, Global Recycling Day is aiming to shine a light on the power of education to change public attitudes towards recycling and consumption.
Council approves agreement to end Birmingham bin strike
Council approves agreement to end Birmingham bin strike
By
Rob Cole
| 18 March 2019 |
All further scheduled industrial action by refuse workers in Birmingham belonging to the trade union Unite has been called off after Birmingham City Council approved an agreement to bring the strike to an end on Friday 15 March.
Household waste disposal solution enters technical trials
Household waste disposal solution enters technical trials
By
Rob Cole
| 15 March 2019 |
The HERU (Home Energy Resource Unit), a new domestic waste disposal appliance found to be less impactful in terms of CO2 emissions than more traditional waste collection methods by environmental consultants Ricardo Energy and Environment, has gone out for technical trials this month. 
Recycled plastic products celebrated at EPRO awards
Recycled plastic products celebrated at EPRO awards
By
Rob Cole
| 14 March 2019 |
A toothbrush and bottle made from 100 per cent recycled plastic have taken home the Best Recycled Plastic Product Innovation and Sustainability Awards run by the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations (EPRO).
All areas of environment at high risk of damage due to ‘no deal’ Brexit, says Greener UK
All areas of environment at high risk of damage due to ‘no deal’ Brexit, says Greener UK
By
Rob Cole
| 13 March 2019 |
Greener UK states that the ‘increasingly ominous prospect’ of leaving the EU without a deal ‘poses potentially dire consequences for the environment, in the short and longer term’ across all areas of environmental policy.
Bristol residents challenged to achieve zero waste
Bristol residents challenged to achieve zero waste
By
Kate Dickinson
| 12 March 2019 |
The council-owned Bristol Waste Company has launched its #WasteNothing Challenge, asking 50 households to track their waste and recycling for a year.
Romaquip secures new contracts
Romaquip secures new local authority contracts for Kerb-Sort vehicles
By
Romaquip
| 12 March 2019 |
Vehicle manufacturer Romaquip has added four more local authorities to its growing portfolio of contracts for its Kerb-Sort recycling collection vehicles.
Aluminium recycling could double with new reforms, says Green Alliance
Aluminium recycling could double with new reforms, says Green Alliance
By
Rob Cole
| 11 March 2019 |
New reforms, including a deposit return scheme (DRS), could see aluminium recycling almost double if implemented, preventing around £50 million of wasted resources each year, according to a new report by environmental think tank Green Alliance.
EA sting discovers 11 illegal waste sites in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire
EA sting discovers 11 illegal waste sites in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire
By
Rob Cole
| 11 March 2019 |
The one-day operation last Thursday (7 March) discovered six sites where waste had been burned, three where construction and demolition waste had been stored, one that contained household waste and one that was operating as a scrapyard.
Birmingham bin strike suspended as agreement reached
Birmingham bin strike suspended as agreement reached
By
Rob Cole
| 8 March 2019 |
The Unite trade union has called off the Birmingham bin strike scheduled for today (8 March) after a new deal was put forward to bring the dispute to a close.
India implements ban on imports of plastic waste
India implements ban on imports of plastic waste
By Resource |
8 March 2019 |
The Indian Government has banned all imports of solid plastics waste as part of a drive to tackle pollution and littering.
Julia Turner
An eye on the markets: Biomass market appeal
By
Julia Turner
| 7 March 2019 |
Julia Turner, Executive Director of the Wood Recyclers' Association, gives an update on the market for waste wood.
Bringing waste full circle
TerraCycle: Bringing waste full circle
By
Kate Dickinson
| 7 March 2019 |
TerraCycle offers recycling programmes for all sorts of complex waste streams –and now it has announced Loop, its new ‘waste-free’ online shopping service. Kate Dickinson talks to Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, about addressing the root cause of waste.
High-rise recycling
High-rise recycling
By
Rob Cole
| 7 March 2019 |
The Surrey Waste Partnership has been making strides with a recycling programme to tackle the difficult problem of waste management in flats. Will Simpson finds out more
Doing themselves Stroud: Maximising the benefits of fortnightly collections
Doing themselves Stroud: Maximising the benefits of fortnightly collections
By
Dr Sarah Kemp
| 7 March 2019 |
Following Stroud District Council’s incredible increase in its recycling rate over the last two years, Dr Sarah Kemp, Junior Modeller at Eunomia Research and Consulting, explores whether its approach to waste provides a model for other councils to replicate
Hot 100 2019 winner Cat Fletcher
Hot 100 2019: Reuse champion Cat Fletcher named as 2019’s Legend of Waste
By
Kate Dickinson
| 7 March 2019 |
The top 10 in Resource’s annual list of influencers, the Hot 100, has been announced, with Cat Fletcher, Reuse Manager at Brighton and Hove City Council and co-founder of reuse network Freegle, taking the top spot.
Robbie Staniforth
WEEE: The only constant is change
By
Robbie Staniforth
| 7 March 2019 |
Robbie Staniforth, Head of Policy at compliance scheme Ecosurety, looks at the changing factors affecting WEEE collection targets.