The Irish government is considering a levy on disposable coffee cups in order to combat the two million sent to landfill in the country every day.

The Environment Minister Therese Coffey has announced plans to almost double the maximum fines for littering to claw back some of the £800 million paid every year by the taxpayer.

The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee has this week voted through a proposal for EU renewable energy policy to be brought in line with the waste hierarchy.

FEAD has called on the EU to implement a series of ‘pull’ mechanisms to complement the ambitious recycling and landfill diversion targets in its Circular Economy Package.

Anders Wijkman, Chairman of Climate-KIC, and Novamont CEO Catia Bastioli say standards and separate collections rather than simply ‘recyclable’ materials will create a circular plastics economy.

Defra has opened up a consultation for WEEE stakeholders to give their feedback on proposals for this year’s compliance fee, with two mechanisms from the JTA and Valpak up for discussion.

The government has responded to EFRA’s ‘Food Waste in England’ report and acknowledges that while more needs to be done to tackle food waste, a mandatory approach is not currently being considered for England.

The UK government has targeted zero avoidable waste going to landfill by 2050 and confirmed plans for a Waste and Resources Strategy in its long-awaited Clean Growth Strategy yesterday, detailing its plans for a low-carbon future for the UK.

Resources Minister Therese Coffey says ‘ambitious’ recycling targets proposed by the EU could lead to ‘perverse actions’ being carried out to ensure enough waste is recycled, suggesting that Defra considered instructing residents to water their gardens to produce garden waste during this year’s relatively dry summer.

The Welsh Government has set the rates for its new devolved Landfill Disposals Tax, maintaining the UK’s standard rate but adding a new band for unauthorised disposals to provide a deterrent against waste crime.