MEPs in the European Parliament have approved plans to ban some single-use plastic products and increase the collection and recycling of plastic bottles, with legislation to be implemented in member states by 2021.

The Nappy (Environmental Standards) Bill has been launched in Parliament designed to promote the use of reusable nappies.

The government has warned waste exporters to expect delays at container ports such as the Port of Dover in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, and says businesses should seek ‘alternative’ export, recovery or disposal routes for their waste.

An inquiry has been launched by Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee into the effects of the new Resources and Waste Strategy on English local authorities.

“16 full-time civil servants” will fill the environmental governance gap in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement, a situation Environment Secretary Michael Gove has described as “sub-optimal”.

The UK will not be able to meet its 2035 recycling targets without sweeping change, according to a new report from packaging producer DS Smith.

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on Environmental Principles and Governance aimed at considering how to maintain coherent and effective environmental governance once the UK leaves the EU.

Greener UK states that the ‘increasingly ominous prospect’ of leaving the EU without a deal ‘poses potentially dire consequences for the environment, in the short and longer term’ across all areas of environmental policy.

New reforms, including a deposit return scheme (DRS), could see aluminium recycling almost double if implemented, preventing around £50 million of wasted resources each year, according to a new report by environmental think tank Green Alliance.

The Indian Government has banned all imports of solid plastics waste as part of a drive to tackle pollution and littering.