The Labour Party is ‘putting ideology ahead of evidence’ with its proposal to push councils into bringing services such as waste and recycling back in-house, according to the Environmental Services Association.

If targets in the Resources and Waste strategy are to be met, the government must provide adequate funding and allow local authorities to develop recycling strategies and collection systems that are appropriate for their communities, says the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

Resources Minister Therese Coffey said that there was “no threat to the sustainability of kerbside collections” from a deposit return scheme as she backed an ‘all-in’ model at an evidence session of Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

A majority of the British public wants all food packaging to be made 100 per cent recyclable anywhere in the country, according to a survey commissioned by WRAP and INCPEN.

Exeter City Council has announced plans to introduce kerbside collections for glass and food recycling.

The Committee on Climate Change says the UK should bring forward a ban on biodegradable waste to landfill to 2025 after a new report published by the Committee revealed the UK to be ‘lagging far behind’ on efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The ringleaders of a Polish human-trafficking ring that forced more than 300 victims to work in a variety of jobs including at recycling sites across the West Midlands have been jailed in what is the biggest ever modern slavery prosecution in the UK.

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has launched a campaign to encourage parents to dispose of nappies in the general waste bin, after a survey revealed one in 10 parents admitted to throwing used nappies in the household recycling.

Northern Ireland has announced a new package of funding for local authorities to improve the quality of material collected and boost household waste recycling rates.

Viridor has won the contract to process East Sussex County Council’s dry mixed recyclables for an initial three years, with the option to extend for a further four.