The Environment Agency will be able to lock the gates at problem waste sites and force operators to clear all their waste under new waste crime powers to be introduced by the government this spring, while a consultation is considering further measures to take.

Scottish Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham proposes a ban on the sale and manufacture of plastic-stemmed cotton buds.

The UK waste and resources industry has largely welcomed the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, although calls remain for more substance to shore up the proposals.

The government’s war on plastic has been given top billing in its long-delayed 25 Year Environment Plan, with Theresa May calling for supermarket aisles to become 'plastic free' by 2042.

Michael Gove and Therese Coffey both retained their positions in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs amid Theresa May’s reshuffle this week.

China’s ban on the import 24 grades of solid waste has been known to the UK recycling industry since July of last year, so how have the major companies been preparing for the disruptive new policy?

Effective from today, the UK’s ban on the manufacture of products containing microbeads is said by the government to be one of the ‘toughest’ bans of its kind in the world.

Ahead of a speech on Thursday detailing the government’s long-term environmental plans, Theresa May has hinted at a potential five pence charge for plastic bottles.

Libby Peake, Senior Policy Adviser at the Green Alliance think tank, says Brexit talk must turn to action if we are to avoid an environmental policy gap.

The UK government must take the lead in creating domestic secondary markets for recyclable plastic waste as China places bans the import of 24 grades of solid waste, says the Resource Association.