Five recyclable and compostable packaging innovations will share $1 million of funding after being announced as the winners of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Materials Challenge in Davos, Switzerland, designed to finding alternatives to plastic packaging.

New public water fountains and bottle refill points are set to be set up across London, part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s campaign against single-use plastic waste.

Granville Ecopark, an enhanced anaerobic digestion facility in Northern Ireland, has become the first facility to be certified under the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association’s new AD Certification Scheme (ADCS), launched in December [https://resource.co/article/adba-launches-new-ad-certification-scheme-annual-conference-12295].

The EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee has called for clarity on the future of UK waste policy and the protection of barrier-free trade with Europe.

The European plastics industry has responded positively to the release of the EU’s first Europe-wide plastics strategy, expressing support for improved EPR and the headline goal of ensuring that all plastic packaging is recyclable by 2030.

A new online platform will allow those in the recycling industry to track the flow of precious metals and critical raw materials across the EU.

In the wake of the government’s commitment to eliminate ‘avoidable’ plastic waste by 2042, supermarket Iceland has promised to make its own-brand products plastic free within five years, and other retailers are offering pledges of their own.

A round-up of news from the waste and resources sector including an extended contract for Biffa, new offerings from suppliers Mick George, an update on the Midlothian EfW plant and a new acquisition by Enva Group.

WRAP has announced that it is set to undergo fundamental changes to its organisation due to funding issues, a move that is likely to lead to the loss of around 25 jobs.

The EU has adopted the first ever Europe-wide plastics strategy, placing an emphasis on creating secondary markets for recycled plastics in its bid to create a truly circular economy in Europe.