Resources Minister Therese Coffey said that there was “no threat to the sustainability of kerbside collections” from a deposit return scheme as she backed an ‘all-in’ model at an evidence session of Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

The UK Plastics Pact has identified clear PET as the best option for rigid plastic packaging, in new guidance published today (16 July).

The On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme has announced a review of its labelling rules to ensure they keep up with collections service developments.

Waste management charity WasteAid is holding a sponsored walk through Manchester to raise money to prevent plastic pollution.

Research has established that Novamont’s compostable bioplastic Mater-Bi is fully biodegradable in the marine environment within four to 12 months.

Paper coffee cups can have a lower carbon footprint than reusable cups, especially if they are recycled, according to life cycle research commissioned by packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki.

UK charity organisation the British Heart Foundation is to sell pre-owned toys in compostable packaging after teaming up with Direct Packaging and compostable film manufacturer Futamura to reduce its plastic footprint.

A round-up of business news from the waste and resources sector, including DS Smith, Vanden Recycling, OPRL and AO Recycling.

Members of the UK Plastics Pact have committed to removing eight problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic items from shelves by the end of 2020 and have identified a further 19 items to take action against by 2025, though campaigners say the industry’s approach is “inadequate”.

The amount of undetectable black packaging coming to market is expected to be cut by 66 per cent by the end of 2019 due to efforts to reduce the amount of black plastic used in packaging and developments in detectable pigments and sorting equipment, says industry report.