UK Local Authority

The Insider: So much for quality
The Insider: So much for quality

The Chinese ban on low-quality secondary materials seems to have gone off with more of a whimper than a bang in UK markets, at least for the moment. Global outlets prepared to pick up low-quality material at bargain basement prices have averted crisis and relieved pressure on UK recycling systems.


Industry commentators, your writer amongst them, had forecast dire consequences with stockpiling of unsaleable material, a spate of fires, littering, fly tipping, fractured relationships and... More

Wales: Leading the recycling world?
Wales: Leading the recycling world?

Gerry Gillespie, Board Member of the Zero Waste International Trust, examines the steps Wales has taken to reach its current position in the recycling league tables – and how it might continue to drive recycling higher.

Carbon Index 2018: Welsh councils come out on top for carbon reduction
Carbon Index 2018: Welsh councils come out on top for carbon reduction

Simon Hann presents summary findings from Eunomia’s sixth annual Local Authority Recycling Carbon Index, highlighting the contribution of councils’ recycling services towards mitigating climate change.

Paying for it: How to fund local authority waste and recycling services in the next decade
Paying for it: How to fund local authority waste and recycling services in the next decadenew
By
Rob Cole
| 13 hours ago |
With purse strings continually drawn tighter, council services are increasingly stretched. Rob Cole looks into how the UK might fund the comprehensive waste and recycling services needed to meet higher targets in the 2020s.
Hubbub urges East Anglia to get savvy about food waste
Hubbub urges East Anglia to get savvy about food waste
By
Kate Nicholson
| 19 September 2018 |
Environmental charity Hubbub is running a new campaign, #FoodSavvy, to help residents in East Anglia reduce food waste, as the average UK family wastes £810 of edible food per year.
Maintaining momentum: Interview with Hannah Blythyn
Maintaining momentum: Interview with Hannah Blythyn
By
Resource
| 18 September 2018 |
With Wales being recognised worldwide for its strong record on waste and recycling, Resource caught up with Environment Minister Hannah Blythyn to find out more about her goal to get Wales to the top. 
Visitors to Putney greeted by array of plastic fished out from the Thames
Visitors to Putney greeted by array of plastic fished out from the Thames
By
Kate Nicholson
| 10 September 2018 |
Environmental charity Hubbub charity presents its ‘Catch of the Day’ to Londoners with a twist, replacing fish with plastic found swimming in the Thames.
Greater Manchester sees 144 fly-tipping incidents every day
Greater Manchester sees 144 fly-tipping incidents every day
By
Rob Cole
| 6 September 2018 |
New research reveals that 144 incidents of fly-tipping occur every day across the Greater Manchester areas, costing councils nearly £4.9 million in clearance and enforcement, according to a new report.
Two men face charges for multiple waste crimes
Two men face charges for multiple waste crimes
By
Kate Dickinson
| 4 September 2018 |
Charges have been brought against two men in Swansea for ‘several years’ worth of illegal activities likely to cause harm to the environment and human health.
Walsall to trial free street skips to tackle fly-tipping
Walsall to trial free street skips to tackle fly-tipping
By
Kate Dickinson
| 31 August 2018 |
Free skips in every ward and free bulky waste collections are one of a number of options being considered by Walsall Council as incidents of fly-tipping in the local authority continue to rise.
Keep Britain Tidy launches cigarette litter campaign
Keep Britain Tidy launches cigarette litter campaign
By
Kate Nicholson
| 30 August 2018 |
With the news that 39 per cent of smokers still put cigarette butts down the drain, Keep Britain Tidy has launched #BinTheButt to reduce litter and prevent the poisoning of marine life.
New drinking water fountains in London support Refill revolution
New drinking water fountains in London support Refill revolution
By
Kate Nicholson
| 29 August 2018 |
In the fight against single-use plastic, the Mayor of London and the #OneLess campaign are adding fuel the Refill revolution by introducing new drinking water fountains across London.
London pledges to reduce landfill waste by 50 per cent by 2030
London pledges to reduce landfill waste by 50 per cent by 2030
By
Kate Nicholson
| 28 August 2018 |
London joins 23 cities in pledge to cut waste sent to landfill by 50 per cent and waste per capita by 15 per cent by 2030.
ZWS announces next public engagement events on deposit return
ZWS announces next public engagement events on deposit return
By
Kate Nicholson
| 28 August 2018 |
Zero Waste Scotland announced a new set of dates and venues last week for the public to voice their opinions on a national deposit scheme for bottles and cans.
St Helens to introduce three-weekly waste collections in face of public opposition
St Helens to introduce three-weekly waste collections in face of public opposition
By
Rob Cole
| 24 August 2018 |
Several thousand residents have signed a petition against a plan from St Helens Council to reduce the frequency of residual waste collections.
ESA report calls for ‘smarter’ recycling measures
ESA report calls for ‘smarter’ recycling measures
By
Rob Cole
| 22 August 2018 |
The Environmental Services Association has called for ‘smarter’ measures of recycling progress to replace the current weight-based metrics in a new report released on Monday (20 August).
£12m spent unblocking sanitary products from London’s sewers every year
£12m spent unblocking sanitary products from London’s sewers every year
By
Kate Dickinson
| 17 August 2018 |
A new report from the London Assembly Environment Committee shines a light on the damage caused by ‘unflushables’
Over £300,000 available for litter-fighting projects across Britain
By
Gethin Roberts
| 15 August 2018 |
This second round of funding builds on the government’s Litter Strategy for England and seeks innovative solutions to tackle littering.
Food and drink carton recycling pilot launched in Cornwall
By
Gethin Roberts
| 14 August 2018 |
Seven Household Waste Recycling Centres across Cornwall will now accept cartons and paper cups for recycling, due to a new partnership between Cornwall Council and The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and Environment.
Three in four people confused about how to reduce impact of plastic
By
Gethin Roberts
| 1 August 2018 |
North London Waste Authority encourages people to ‘Wise Up To Waste’ and switch to reusable bottles, as new research shows that two-thirds of people say that they now possess one.
Flawed monitoring leading to overestimation of UK packaging recycling, says NAO
Flawed monitoring could lead to overestimation of UK packaging recycling, says NAO
By
Rob Cole
| 23 July 2018 |
A report from the National Audit Office has called the UK’s packaging recycling rates into question, warning that fraud and error in the PRN system are not being properly monitored by Defra and the Environment Agency.
What will RWM do for our communities?
What will RWM do for our communities?
By
Nick Woore
| 20 July 2018 |
Ahead of RWM 2018, Nick Woore explores what the UK’s leading waste management trade show can offer local authorities.
Viridor and Cardiff Council use picture book to educate children about marine pollution
Viridor and Cardiff Council use picture book to educate children about marine pollution
By
Gethin Roberts
| 19 July 2018 |
The two books, which are being used at 98 Cardiff primary schools, explain where everyday rubbish ends up.