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.

New research from a team at US university UC Santa Barbara have discovered that humans have produced 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s and the advent of industrial scale production of synthetic materials.

The government is to introduce legislation to ban the sale and manufacture of plastic microbeads in cosmetic products from 2018, as new Environment Secretary Michael Gove pledges greater action on ocean plastics.

Demand for Cromwell Polythene’s new Sansafe® 30 litre hygienic anti-microbial bin liners has surged since the start of the year, with the latest order seeing 22,500 bags being sent to Vienna for use across the Austrian capital.

Draft guidance on ‘best before’ dates, freezing information and other storage tips has been published by WRAP today, and will be under consultation for the next month.

Bioplastic manufacturer Novamont has pledged to create a minimum bio-based content of 40 per cent across its MATER-BI bioplastics range in an attempt to further reduce the carbon impact of its products.

A study offering four models for the evolution of the UK’s producer responsibility system was launched by compliance scheme Valpak at the Resourcing the Future Conference.

A route map to turn London into one of the world’s most resource efficient cities has been launched by LWARB, calling on stakeholders from local government to community groups to carry out a range of actions targeting five key areas including food waste and plastics.

A new packaging law has been approved by the German parliament, stipulating raised recycling targets for plastic packaging waste and recognising bioplastics as a renewable alternative for packaging.

Greater cross-sector collaboration is needed to tackle some of the major questions affecting the future of plastics recycling, according to RECOUP.