A round up of news from the waste and resources sector including a possible global award for WRAP, an extension of Biffa Polymers and more fly-tip action in Croydon.

Members of the waste industry are calling for greater producer responsibility and signs of a clear direction for recycling policy in England, after the UK’s recycling rate fell for the first time.

The UK household recycling rate fell to 44.3 per cent in 2015, the first time the rate has officially dropped since Defra began publishing the statistic in 2010.

Mistra Future Fashion, a Swedish fashion research programme, has launched an investigation into polyester fabrics shedding microplastics that pose a threat to the marine environment.

Implementing a circular economy in India would create massive health and economic benefits, according to a new report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

A Wigan-based skip hire company that has made national news in a video showing the contents of one of its skip being emptied into a front garden has been fined for six unrelated abuses of environmental protection laws.

The Welsh Government’s proposed new landfill disposals tax will be used to support waste minimisation, biodiversity and other environmental projects.

Local authorities across the country have stepped up action against fly-tippers in the build-up to Christmas, as they make use of new powers to issue on-the-spot fines and crush vehicles used in fly-tipping operations.

Apple has agreed to pay $450,000 to California regulators amid accusations of mishandling of electronic waste in its Silicon Valley facilities.

The UK public is more satisfied with their local waste and recycling collections than any other council service, according to a survey published by APSE.