The government’s actions on plastic bottle and coffee cup recycling have been criticised by the Environmental Audit Committee as part of its inquiry into the impact of disposable drinks packaging.

Welsh environmental regulator Natural Resources Wales has announced that Clare Pillman will take over as its next Chief Executive in February.

One in five councils in the UK have now run MetalMatters campaigns to boost recycling of metal packaging after seven new campaigns launched over the past two months.

Northern Ireland has seen its recycling rate break the 50 per cent mark for the first time, according to the latest DAERA statistics.

The European Commission has announced that just under €1 billion will be dedicated to the circular economy as part of the final Work Programme of Horizon 2020.

The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee has this week voted through a proposal for EU renewable energy policy to be brought in line with the waste hierarchy.

Up to 27 million tonnes of waste from industry could be better utilised through biorefining in Scotland every year, with the potential to add millions of pounds of value to Scotland’s economy, says a new Zero Waste Scotland report.

Leading figures in local authority recycling have called for producers to contribute more to recycling the products they put onto market at a panel conducted by the Environmental Audit Committee.

The GMWDA has started looking for a new contractor for Greater Manchester, following the breakdown of its landmark PFI contract last month.

The LGA has called for more manufacturers to provide take-back services for furniture and mattresses after Defra announced that cash-strapped local authorities spent an estimated £57.7 million on clearing up fly-tipping in 2016/17.