A round-up of news from the waste and resources sector, including needle contamination, illegal waste vehicle seizure and recycling bags for life.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is calling on members of the public to join its collection crews on a temporary basis as it seeks to resolve a recycling backlog caused by strike action among its staff.

Falkirk Council, one of the local authorities carrying out three-weekly residual waste collections, is to take the processing of recyclable material from kerbside collections in-house in an attempt to cut down on ‘unsustainable’ gate fees.

Ricardo Energy & Environment will undertake a review on the environmental impact of nanomaterials to support a new European Commission policy assessment.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has exceeded its targets for reducing waste and improved its levels of recycling according to its annual sustainability report for 2014-15 [http://www.sepa.org.uk/media/163498/sustainability_report_2014_2015.pdf].

Waste vehicles in Essex, South London and Hertfordshire have been checked in the latest day of Environment Agency action designed to cut down on illegal waste traders yesterday.

The European remanufacturing industry could triple in worth by 2030, given the right governmental support and investment, says the European Remanufacturing Network.

Recycling in flats will be targeted in a new waste strategy in Barnet after a draft strategy was agreed at a meeting of Barnet Council’s Environment Committee on Monday.

The government has failed to meet its own targets to cut the environmental impact of its operations, including waste generation, according to a report quietly released by Defra.

A new waste incinerator on former dockyard land in Plymouth is now fully operational after a €250-million building project.