The government’s war on plastic has been given top billing in its long-delayed 25 Year Environment Plan, with Theresa May calling for supermarket aisles to become 'plastic free' by 2042.

Ahead of a speech on Thursday detailing the government’s long-term environmental plans, Theresa May has hinted at a potential five pence charge for plastic bottles.

Libby Peake, Senior Policy Adviser at the Green Alliance think tank, says Brexit talk must turn to action if we are to avoid an environmental policy gap.

Environmental charity Hubbub will work with coffee giant Starbucks to trial a five pence charge, while industry commenters say wider reform is needed to effect change.

In its new report, the Environmental Audit Committee has advised the government to apply a 25 pence levy to disposable coffee cups in order to recycle them all by 2023.

RWM, one of the waste management industry’s leading trade shows, has been bought by events organiser The PRYSM Group, which is to co-locate the show with its range of environmental conferences.

The UK needs a nationwide deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and overhaul producer responsibility rules if it is to turn back the tide on plastic waste entering the environment, according to Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee.

The packaging industry is celebrating after EU negotiations ruled that packaging would retain its Internal Market legal base, making it harder for national governments to introduce unilateral bans for environmental reasons.

The Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Mark Walport, has warned about the sheer bulk of waste being produced in the UK before emphasising the opportunities for generating value from this waste and creating a more prosperous society.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has reportedly laid out plans to make recycling easier for families by requiring greater consistency in recycling collections across the UK, as well as reducing the total amount of plastic used in the UK, as part of a four-point plan.