The Environment Agency said 16 containers of contaminated plastic, containing electrical components, wiring and circuit boards, were shipped to Malaysia between April 2022 and February 2025. Director Yulin Wang was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £15,114 in costs, while the company was fined £80,000 with £47,000 in costs and surcharges.

The Northern Europe zone covers the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland and the Netherlands, with nearly 20,000 employees and £4bn in revenue across water, waste and energy services. Kirkman, who has a doctorate in infrastructure for the circular economy, will also lead growth and innovation at Veolia group level and joins the company's executive committee.

The Greensboro-headquartered business specialises in identifying cost savings for customers and increasing their profitability through recycling solutions. Reconomy said the deal cements Lincoln's position as a top-three asset-light waste operator in the US, citing the country's low recycling rates and heavy reliance on landfill as long-term growth opportunities.

The Environment Agency served a revocation notice on Windmill Services Ltd, which must now cease all permitted activities or face prosecution. The site has not been operational since November following earlier enforcement action. During the 23 March operation, supported by the DVSA, West Lancashire Borough Council and Knowsley Council, officers also inspected five permitted sites and used drone support from the Joint Unit for Waste Crime.

The enforcement comes days after the government and Environment Agency announced a Waste Crime Action Plan with new powers and doubled funding. Waste Minister Mary Creagh said the crackdown showed "zero tolerance" for waste criminals.

The facility will receive sorted plastic from Eurokey's existing plant in Kettering, less than ten miles away, and convert it into pellets ready for manufacture into new packaging. Reconomy said the closed-loop system would reduce export dependency, lower transport emissions and cut reliance on virgin plastics. Latest government data shows only around 51 per cent of UK plastic packaging is recycled domestically.

The construction phase is almost complete and the site is expected to create more than 30 jobs. Mike Benton, Recycle Loop Managing Director at Reconomy, called the project "an exceptional milestone" for the company and the UK's plastics recycling industry.