Eunomia Chairman Dominic Hogg welcomes the release of four government consultations on packaging waste and recycling – but will a lack of joined-up thinking impede the creation of a coherent final system?

Councils in Kent have this week been involved in a social media campaign to raise awareness of the dangers faced by refuse collection crews on their rounds.

Waste management company Viridor has made a £15.4-million investment in an Ipswich recycling facility as part of its renewed contract with Suffolk County Council.

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.

New research suggests local authorities could boost recycling and save more than £450,000 over five years by introducing collections of bulky waste for reuse.

Manchester-based compliance start-up Dsposal has been awarded a contract worth £80,000 to develop a smart waste tracking system to combat waste crime across the UK.

Consultations have been opened on four key measures in the Resources and Waste Strategy, seeking views on producer responsibility, consistent collections, deposit return schemes and the plastics tax.

The UK’s Waste from Households recycling rate has risen 0.5 per cent to 45.7 per cent in 2017, according to the latest official statistics from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Strike action by refuse workers over the ongoing dispute between the Unite union and Birmingham City Council is set to go ahead as peace talks between the two parties collapsed yesterday (12 February).

A convicted waste criminal has been ordered to pay £1.3 million for defrauding e-waste recycling schemes out of millions of pounds in a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Leeds Crown Court.