A round-up of news from the waste and resources sector including a new test for anaerobic digestion biomethane potential, food waste funding for Norfolk and an inquiry into the sustainability of the Ministry of Justice.

The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee has this week voted through a proposal for EU renewable energy policy to be brought in line with the waste hierarchy.

Up to 27 million tonnes of waste from industry could be better utilised through biorefining in Scotland every year, with the potential to add millions of pounds of value to Scotland’s economy, says a new Zero Waste Scotland report.

Digital waste company Winnow has sealed $7.4 million (£5.6 million) in growth capital to fund the further development of its Waste Monitor app helping commercial and residential kitchens monitor and cut their food waste.

The government has responded to EFRA’s ‘Food Waste in England’ report and acknowledges that while more needs to be done to tackle food waste, a mandatory approach is not currently being considered for England.

Buses on the city’s new MetroBus route could be powered using bio-fuel made from food waste, bosses of FirstGroup revealed this week.

Resources Minister Therese Coffey says ‘ambitious’ recycling targets proposed by the EU could lead to ‘perverse actions’ being carried out to ensure enough waste is recycled, suggesting that Defra considered instructing residents to water their gardens to produce garden waste during this year’s relatively dry summer.

With new technology creating new ways of interacting and creating partnerships, an increasing number of companies around the world are turning to digital platforms for more efficient waste management.

A new online tool has been developed by the On-Pack Recycling Scheme to make it easier to label packaging accurately for recyclability, and indicates the most recyclable material choices.

WRAP has begun working with farmers and growers to improve forecasting and maximise crop utilisation after the organisation found that some growers lose almost half of their lettuce crops to waste.