The ESA has recommended a new system of producer responsibility that transfers resource ownership from local authorities to product supply chains, which it says will improve the quality, recyclability and use of recycled content.

Local authorities can now issue on-the-spot fines of up to £400 to those caught taking part in small-scale fly-tipping, Defra has confirmed.

Sadiq Khan, who was elected Mayor of London last week, has promised to make the capital ‘one of the world’s greenest cities’ through measures including ‘reinvigorating efforts to increase the amount London recycles’.

Edinburgh’s new recycling service has been dubbed a ‘success’ by the council after the amount of waste recycled in the homes receiving the new service increased by 29 per cent in 2015/16.

An ESA report aiming to aid local authorities in obtaining ‘best value’ when securing waste management service provision, says greater transparency is needed.

A round-up of news from the waste and resources sector, including new trustees for Keep Britain Tidy, a new partnership for Egbert Taylor and a recycling award for Cambridge.

Flintshire County Council is to impose fixed-penalty notices to all households presenting side waste in an effort to drive up recycling rates, as it faces government penalties of up to £400,000 for missing targets.

Renewable energy and waste management company Viridor has called for a new integrated system of Scottish Resource Networks that is ‘fit for purpose’ to support national economic growth.

Nearly 2,000 residents signed up to a new £40 opt-in service for garden waste wheelie bin collections, which began this weekend in Calderdale.

Local authorities in North West England have achieved combined savings of around £20 million per year through delivering waste efficiencies, though recycling rates are stagnating, a new study has revealed.