The UK has reduced the amount of food waste going to landfill by almost two million tonnes since 2013, according to a report from food waste recycling company ReFood.
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 government has rejected proposals for a one pence tax on clothing to fund the collection, recycling and reuse of textiles as it continues to support voluntary commitments over legislative action.
Domestic markets for recycled plastics are struggling to take hold, with policy-makers scratching their heads over how to stimulate demand. Rob Cole examines the government’s proposed 'plastics tax' and asks whether it will achieve its desired outcome
The French Government is set to ban the destruction of unsold non-food goods as part of new legislation on the circular economy, though concerns have been raised that it does not go far enough.
Plastic straws, drinks stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds will be banned in England from April 2020, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced.
WRAP has released a progress report detailing the steps taken by members of the UK Plastics Pact to tackle plastics pollution, including removing black plastic packaging and replacing plastic cutlery and straws.
Key stakeholders from across the packaging supply chain have written to Environment Secretary Michael Gove to outline their priorities for the next stage of delivery of the Resources and Waste Strategy.
Drinks containers made from aluminium, steel, glass and PET plastic will now carry a 20 pence deposit in Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s new deposit return scheme.
In a world first, key global stakeholders including Nestlé and PepsiCo are backing new enzymatic technology in a bid to boost the recyclability of PET plastic products.
Coffee chain Starbucks and environmental charity Hubbub have come together to launch The Cup Fund, which will see grants going to at least 10 large-scale cup recycling projects.
Glasgow Fort and Buchanan Galleries have given their support to Cup Movement in Glasgow, the first initiative of its kind in Scotland to stop single-use cups from going to landfill or ending up being littered.
MEPs in the European Parliament have approved plans to ban some single-use plastic products and increase the collection and recycling of plastic bottles, with legislation to be implemented in member states by 2021.
A new food waste reduction project has been launched by Zero Waste Scotland across Dundee, Angus and Fife as regions aim to meet the Scottish Government’s goal of reducing food waste by 33 per cent by 2025.
Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has released its final report from its inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry, calling for sweeping changes to improve working conditions and reduce the amount of waste produced in the supply chain.
Some of the UK’s biggest disposable coffee cup retailers, recyclers and producers, including Frugalpac, have teamed up for the Cup Movement, a new recycling and reduction scheme in Scotland.
A group of major UK retailers are not doing enough to reduce the environmental and social impact of the clothes they sell, according to an interim report published by Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee.
UK retailer Iceland has introduced the first in-store reverse vending machine in Northern Ireland as it continues its efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of single-use plastics on the environment.
A £1-million fund is on offer from Waitrose & Partners, with support from behaviour change charity Hubbub, for projects aiming to reduce plastic pollution.
