A response to the ‘urgent problem’ of Chinese restrictions on imports of paper and plastic wastes will need to focus on quality and markets, WRAP CEO Marcus Gover has told trade associations and Defra in an open letter.

Local waste management company Casepak has been awarded a contract to handle 64,000 tonnes of Leicestershire County Council’s dry mixed recyclables.

McDonald’s, Starbucks and Greggs are among the 14 organisations that have committed to working towards a long-term and nationwide paper cup recycling solution, funding recycling programme run by ACE UK.

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.

Waste associations have written to Resources Minister Therese Coffey calling on Defra to "take urgent action" to support the recycling industry following China’s ban on the import of all scrap plastics and unsorted waste paper.

Prevention and recycling must underpin the EU’s plastics strategy to reduce marine plastics pollution, according to EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella.

Over half of the UK’s population wants to know more about what their recycling gets turned into, leading WRAP to using Recycle Week to highlight the transformation of household products.

Selfridges has announced that it will be upcycling used coffee cups from its food hall and headquarters into its iconic yellow shopping bags.

Three days of expert discussion and presentations covered a lot of waste and resources ground at the RWM Conference in Birmingham this week. Here’s a snapshot of some of the things that we picked up wandering the show floor.

Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee [http://resource.co/article/what-environmental-audit-committee-11237] (EAC) is relaunching its predecessor’s investigation into the impact of disposable drinks packaging on the environment, after the original inquiry was disrupted by the general election.