Residents in Rhondda Cynon Taf who mix recyclables in with their residual waste could face a £100 on-the-spot fine, following a vote in favour of a series of measures to increase recycling rates by the council’s cabinet last week (25 Jan).

A landowner who pleaded guilty to turning his 19-acre Cheshire farm into an illegal landfill has received a 12-month jail term suspended for two years.

Defra’s Chief Scientific Advisor recommended moving away from further investment in incineration capacity, warning increased capacity could actually sustain the flow of residual waste and lead to lower recycling rates.

Resource Minister Therese Coffey announced yesterday that Defra will open a £500,000 Food Waste Reduction Fund to organisations working to increase the redistribution of surplus food in England.

Derry City and Strabane District Council in Northern Ireland has adopted a new economic strategy aimed at transitioning the region to a zero waste circular economy, with the potential to save up to £3 million a year as a result.

Newcastle could make the leap to a 65 per cent recycling rate by 2030 and reduce waste by up to 10 per cent by 2025, according to a new report from the Newcastle Waste Commission.

Conwy County Borough Council has announced that it is set to implement a four-weekly black bin collection across the county, following a trial of the change carried out last year.

Resources Minister Therese Coffey says that she ‘challenges the view’ that the Chinese ban on waste imports presents a crisis for the UK, but suggested that dramatic rules on packaging could be on the way.

The Factor10 initiative from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, aiming to implement the circular economy across the world, has been launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, with signatories from over 30 international companies.

Industry figures have told MPs the Chinese ban on waste imports is ‘the biggest problem the UK recycling industry has ever faced’ and have called for domestic secondary market development to counteract its effects.