Prime Minister David Cameron has appointed Amber Rudd as Energy Secretary, removed Eric Pickles from his role at DCLG, and retained Liz Truss and Environment Secretary at Defra.

The European Parliament passes the ‘first binding measures to reduce waste generation’, as a limit on plastic bag use is voted through.

The UK Independence Party would abolish WRAP, repeal the Climate Change Act, and ‘rejuvenate the coal industry’, if it were to gain power after the election.

The Liberal Democrats would set a 70 per cent recycling target for England, and introduce an incineration tax, if they were voted into power.

The Conservative Party makes no mention of waste, resource or sustainability policy in its new manifesto, despite claiming to have been the ‘greenest government ever’.

Reforms in government machinery are ‘urgently needed’ if the UK is to meet its environmental commitments and protect the economy, says WWF-UK.

The European Commission’s Environment Committee has approved a draft law that sets a six per cent cap on the use of traditional, crop-based biofuels.

The Peel Group is delaying the construction of its new biomass incineration plant in Manchester to assess whether combined heat and power would be more energy efficient.

A new draft law could allow businesses that breach their environmental permits to volunteer enforcement undertakings in place of receiving criminal sanctions.

The European Commission should do more to promote the bioeconomy, the European Bioeconomy Alliance has announced at its official launch.