Plastic

Warehouse worker with hardhat wrapping boxes in stretch film parcel on pallet
UK plastic packaging tax undermined by fraudulent recycled content claims

Fraudulent recycled content claims on imported plastic packaging are undermining the UK's Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) and threatening the survival of domestic recycling operations, according to a new report from RECOUP, the UK’s plastics recycling charity.

Toothpaste tube in a bathroom bin
Industry collaboration eliminates toothpaste tube contamination from recycling streams

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

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 
Xampla secures £10.2m to scale plant-protein based packaging
By
Olivia Loughran
| 4 September 2025 |
Cambridge materials company targets five-year phase-out of 10 billion single-use plastic items
Conveyor belt leading a mix of plastics and bioplastics to a near infra red sorter
Bio-based plastic sorting trial demonstrates recycling breakthrough
By Resource |
3 September 2025 |
PROSPER project successfully separates contaminated bio-based packaging from conventional plastic streams using NIR technology
Female student putting a plastic bottle into a deposit return machine
Scottish college launches reverse vending machine trial offering 20p per bottle
By
Olivia Loughran
| 3 September 2025 |
Four-week pilot at New College Lanarkshire tests financial incentives ahead of 2027 Deposit Return Scheme
FlexCollect 'survival' bag for plastic film to be collected in
FlexCollect results show blueprint for flexible plastic packaging collections
By
Charles Newman
| 1 September 2025 |
Three-year project demonstrates viable collection methods whilst identifying capacity gap and policy reform needs for 2027 rollout
Worker in a safety vest and mask inspects a pile of plastic bottles within a large recycling facility
European plastic recycling industry faces "imminent collapse"
By Resource |
29 August 2025 |
Plastics Recyclers Europe warns that nearly one million tonnes of capacity could disappear by 2025
Recyclables being emptied out back of waste vehicle
Quarter of councils plan recycling service change with gate fees expected to rise
By
Charles Newman
| 28 August 2025 |
WRAP's latest annual report of treatment costs finds many councils have delayed decisions until government policies on Simpler Recycling and EPR are implemented. 
Huw Irranca-Davies holding a glass bottle
Wales launches reuse-focused deposit return scheme consultation
By
Charles Newman
| 19 August 2025 |
Stakeholders asked for views on proposed reuse targets for 2031-2040 and phased glass inclusion with zero deposit transition approach
© Florian Fussstetter/UNEP, Flickr album, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
UN plastic pollution treaty talks collapse without agreement
By
Charles Newman
| 15 August 2025 |
High Ambition Coalition nations including UK refuse to accept weakened text after 'like-minded' oil-producing countries block production caps
Global plastic treaty negotiations reach deadlock in final days of the INC 5.2
By
Olivia Loughran
| 12 August 2025 |
Talks in Geneva stall amid growing opposition to production limits from oil-producing states
Alliance to End Plastic Waste pilots simple recycling system across four Indonesian villages
By
Olivia Loughran
| 7 August 2025 |
Malang Regency project demonstrates door-to-door collection model requiring 80 per cent household participation for economic viability
Final plastics treaty negotiations target full lifecycle approach
By
Olivia Loughran
| 6 August 2025 |
Waste management provisions among key measures under discussion in Geneva
Wet wipe
Defra announce draft regulations to enforce wet wipe ban in England
By
Olivia Loughran
| 30 July 2025 |
New rules propose a £200 fine for businesses selling wet wipes containing plastic
Recycling crew
Government provides details of £1.1 billion packaging EPR allocation for English councils
By Resource |
29 July 2025 |
Extended producer responsibility payments highlight the variability in costs of recycling services
Paul Synnott, MD of Seda UK
Packaging Reform Must Support – Not Stifle – Fibre-Based Innovation
By
Paul Synnott
| 25 July 2025 |
Paul Synnott, co-chair for the Alliance for Fibre-Based Packaging on the contradiction of current EPR base fees