Paper coffee cups are not to be taxed in near future The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed that the UK government will not be imposing a coffee cup tax on throwaway paper cups handed out by coffee shops such as Starbucks and Costa. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for […]

Charities could suffer as the council considers scrapping the recycling scheme North Yorkshire County Council has announced proposals to end its recycling reward scheme which could negatively impact organisations, including charities, which collect and sell on unwanted waste items. The council is considering cutting the scheme as senior councillors argue that it is “not key” […]

Japanese scientists discover new PET eating bacteria According to scientists, a new bacteria has emerged which has the ability to eat the troublesome PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastics that are plaguing the globe. PET plastics present a particular problem to the world, as they are difficult to recycle. Figures shows that 56 million tonnes of PET […]

Customers can exchange unwanted clothing for a 10% off voucher The US jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co has launched its clothing recycling scheme in the UK and hopes to implement it throughout the rest of Europe by the end of 2017. The denim brand launched its clothing recycling scheme in the US in early […]

Recycling rates could be affected by the new circular economy package Representatives from Germany, Austria, Sweden and other EU member states have converged at a conference in London to discuss the effects that the new Circular Economy package could have upon the nations’ recycling rates. The EU Commission’s Circular Economy package must first be passed […]

Quarry business owners fined for breaching their environmental permit The owners of a quarry in Worcestershire and their company, Broadly and Parton Limited, have been fined almost £50,000 following a “particularly complex prosecution” by the Environment Agency. The owners of Cinetic Quarry, situated in Wildmoor, appeared before HHJ Pearce Higgins QC in magistrates’ court, accused […]

ESA claims to have helped reduce the number of injuries within the waste and recycling sector A new report published by the Environmental Services Association (ESA) claims that it has helped reduce the number of injuries sustained by workers in the waste and recycling industry by up to 78 per cent since 2004 when a […]

Councillors decide to cancel operations at two Lancashire waste recycling plants Lancashire Country Council has decided to stop operations at the two £2bn waste recycling plants at Farington and Thornton in a controversial move. The decision was made by the executive scrutiny committee at a meeting in the County Hall in Preston on Friday, February […]

Drink manufacturers are against plans to introduce deposit-and-return system in Scotland AG Barr, the producers of the iconic Scottish drink Irn Bru, has said that the decision to hand over cash for used bottles and cans in Scotland could result in a ‘crime spree’. The introduction of a deposit-and-return system for bottles, cans and cartons […]

Supermarket Sainsbury’s is to phase out “buy one get one free” offers The British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has announced that it will begin phasing out “buy one get one free” offers in its stores in order to reduce overall prices for its customers and to help households reduce food waste. Sainsbury’s have said that the […]