Litter levels are ‘acceptable’ in 90 per cent of surveyed sites in England, though fast-food and carrier-bag litter has increased significantly in the last year, Keep Britain Tidy found in its annual Local Environment Quality Survey of England.

The privatisation of the Green Investment Bank GIB has been ‘rushed’ and should not go ahead unless the government can guarantee that it will stick to its original mandate, says the Environmental Audit Committee.

A third of London’s buses will be running on cleaner-burning diesel made in part from waste fats and oils by March, after two operators signed deals with biodiesel producer Argent Energy.

A round-up of news from the waste and resources sector, including Every Can Counts, BMRA’s new Chief Executive and Christmas leftovers.

Biffa Municipal has secured a six-year extension to its municipal services contract with Forest of Dean District Council worth £18 million.

Further research is needed into biodegradability standards before biodegradable bags can be made exempt from the English carrier bag charge, according to a Defra review.

Local authority (LA) collection of aluminium foil and aerosols has grown steadily in recent years, according to new data released by Alupro.

Bridgend County Borough Council is considering taking up monthly residual waste collections in a bid to boost its recycling rate.

Around 420,000 tonnes of beverage cartons were recycled in 2014, representing a recycling rate of 43 per cent in Europe.

The UK’s total household waste recycling rate rose to 44.9 per cent in 2014, up from 44.1 per cent in 2013, according to official statistics released today (15 December) by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.