Resources Minister Therese Coffey says that she ‘challenges the view’ that the Chinese ban on waste imports presents a crisis for the UK, but suggested that dramatic rules on packaging could be on the way.

Co-op will be the first UK retailer to roll out 100 per cent biodegradable, plastic-free tea bags in its own-brand Fairtrade 99 range of tea.

Industry figures have told MPs the Chinese ban on waste imports is ‘the biggest problem the UK recycling industry has ever faced’ and have called for domestic secondary market development to counteract its effects.

Waste and resources firm Veolia has launched a new service disposing of compressed gas cylinders, investing in a dedicated facility in the Midlands.

Food waste management company Biogen has added its first Scottish site to its network of anaerobic digestion plants across the UK, bringing its total up to eight.

Following accusations made by Greenpeace this week, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has failed to deny in Parliament that Defra is opposed to the recycling target of 65 per cent by 2035 set by the EU’s Circular Economy Package.

Environmental consultancy firm Eunomia Research & Consulting has hired senior consultant Duncan Oswald from Ecodyn Ltd for its resource efficiency team in Scotland, as 2018 looks set to be another busy year for the company.

With the release of the Global Circularity Report claiming only nine per cent of the world’s resources are cycled back into the economy after use, the circular economy is front and centre at this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

Lack of funding at Defra could have serious repercussions for the waste and resources sector after Brexit, with Greener UK’s Brexit Risk Tracker maintaining it as a ‘high risk’ policy area.

Resource recovery company Axion Recycling will develop new sorting techniques for Jaguar Land Rover’s REALITY project, its ongoing scheme to increase the amount of recycled aluminium used in its new cars.