The UK is currently on course to meet recycling obligations for all key packaging materials, according to new figures, though the potential Chinese ban on some imports could see more price volatility on the horizon.

A consortium of plastics processors and manufacturers has been awarded a £1.47-million European investment to investigate alternatives to the ‘urgent’ problem of unrecyclable black plastics.

New research from a team at US university UC Santa Barbara have discovered that humans have produced 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s and the advent of industrial scale production of synthetic materials.

The government is to introduce legislation to ban the sale and manufacture of plastic microbeads in cosmetic products from 2018, as new Environment Secretary Michael Gove pledges greater action on ocean plastics.

Michael Gove has pledged to recast the UK’s ambition for its environment, promising to deliver a ‘Green Brexit’ as business leaders call on the government to take leadership on the creation of a more sustainable economy.

Kerbside sort systems hold the key to unlocking over £50 million of economic potential of high quality recyclables in Northern Ireland, according to a Collaborative Circular Economy Network study.

China is seeking a ban on the import of all scrap plastics and unsorted waste paper, a move that some recyclers have said could cause ‘chaos’ in meeting recycling targets and a rise in PRN prices.

Coca-Cola is to double the amount of recycled plastic in all of its bottles produced in the UK, from 25 percent to 50 percent, it announced at its sustainable packaging strategy announcement in London this week.

Existing economic measures can be deployed to help European countries make the next step in the transition to the circular economy, according to a study by Zero Waste Europe and Reloop Platform.

You could bag yourself a recycled plastic rucksack by keeping your eyes peeled during your trips to the beach this summer, thanks to an awareness raising competition from Eunomia.