Resource Minister Therese Coffey announced yesterday that Defra will open a £500,000 Food Waste Reduction Fund to organisations working to increase the redistribution of surplus food in England.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Environment Agency has announced a £750,000 investment for the creation of a dedicated team to address plastic pollution in the South West of England.

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.