The UK had the tenth highest recycling rate in Europe in 2015, while Germany maintained its top position, according to figures published by the European Union.

The Chinese government is set to invest £29 billion in establishing better waste practices over the next three years to address the levels of soil and water pollution caused by growing landfills.

The European Commission’s roadmap for an EU strategy on plastics in the circular economy does not get to the root of the plastics problem, according to a coalition of environmental groups.

The UK’s most heavily-concentrated area of offices is to be targeted for Hubbub’s Square Mile Challenge, providing specialist bins to boost the recycling of takeaway coffee cups.

Consumer goods company Procter & Gamble is producing a limited run of recyclable shampoo bottles made from recycled beach plastic in what it says is ‘the first major step’ in establishing a supply chain taking in plastic waste collected from beaches by charities.

The Prince of Wales has voiced his support for bottle deposit schemes, after backing Sky’s Ocean Rescue campaign against marine plastic.

MEPs have voted in favour of a 70 per cent recycling and reuse target for 2030, upping the goal proposed by the European Commission in its Circular Economy Package.

Stakeholders have been told that the government expects the EU’s Circular Economy Package to apply to the UK, as the European Parliament convenes this week for a vote on the package’s legislation.

Trials of a technology to recycle medium-density fibreboard have proven successful, bringing commercially-viable recovery of the material one step closer, according to developers MDF Recovery.

Four of the UK’s largest supermarkets have had their say on actions needed to cut food waste, including transparency, targets, redistribution and labelling.