A round-up of the more quirky stories from the world of waste and resources.

What does the future hold as multiple forces drive technology developments at MRFs?

A team from the University of the West of England has successfully carried out a field test of a urine-powered form of electricity generation in a remote rural location in Uganda.

Ethical smartphone manufacturer Fairphone has issued a challenge to the dominant approach of tech giants by announcing the first upgradeable smart phone modules in a bid to improve product sustainability and reduce waste.

The government has launched a competition offering the opportunity to win funding for research into sustainable waste-based fuels for planes and lorries.

Waste and resource use have been identified as a key area for action in the Mayor of London’s draft London Environment Strategy, which sets a municipal recycling target of 65 per cent for 2030.

A prize of £7,000 is being offered to innovators at this year’s RWM conference to support the creation of innovative digital solutions to advance resource efficiency.

SUEZ has announced a new partnership with Bouygues Construction to share expertise to develop innovative solutions for resource management in sustainable and smart cities.

A consortium of plastics processors and manufacturers has been awarded a £1.47-million European investment to investigate alternatives to the ‘urgent’ problem of unrecyclable black plastics.

Fashion designer Stella McCartney is using her Winter 2017 ad campaign to showcase images of waste and overconsumption to send strong message about sustainability.