People in Britain are expected to eat 123 million eggs this Easter as 65% say that Easter eggs are excessively packaged, according to new research from DS Smith. The research, which surveyed 2,000 adults across the UK, found that the average adult receives three chocolate eggs each Easter, which generates an estimated 8,000 tonnes of packaging every year. Sustainable packaging company DS Smith commissioned the research to understand the scale of packaging waste generated each Easter. The research found that while 89% of people in Britain recycle the cardboard boxes Easter eggs are packaged in, 36% say they throw the egg’s foil in a refuse bin and 17% don’t…

  CIWM (Chartered Institution of Wastes Management) has announced the election of Liz Parkes MBE as Junior Vice President. Parkes will formally take over the role from Vicki Hughes, who will become Senior Vice President, at the CIWM presidential inauguration event, to be held at the House of Commons in June 2025. Parkes is the Deputy Director of Climate Change, Chemicals and Markets at the Environment Agency. With an extensive background in environmental management, CIWM says she has played a “pivotal role” in working with government to shape future regulatory interventions. Liz Parkes called the appointment a “great honour”. Parkes has been a trustee of CIWM since 2021 and was…

  Sam Reeve, CEO at Resource Futures, explains the importance of how the resource and wastes sector communicates its role in the net zero transition. The resources and waste sector is facing a pivotal moment. Whilst decarbonisation is driving major changes within the sector, it is also driving other sectors to engage more with resources and waste as they seek to bridge the gap to net zero. As solutions for energy, transport, and estates become widely adopted, the next phase of decarbonisation will focus attention on food and material resources. Our sector’s expertise will be essential to delivering this transition, but only if we can communicate the value we can…

  The Environment Agency has appointed a new Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee to its board alongside three reappointments. Jon Watts has been appointed as a Non-Executive Board Member, as well as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. His appointment began on 1 April 2025 and will run for three years until 31 March 2028. The Committee provides oversight of the Environment Agency’s risk controls and governance. Watts is a trustee of the Eden Trust and chair of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee. His experience includes being regional Chief Financial Officer of Unilever Latin America, Director of Finance and Control at SABMiller, and global…

  Refuse workers have ‘overwhelmingly’ voted to reject an offer from Birmingham City Council to end the industrial action in the city. Unite called the council’s offer ‘totally inadequate’ and said it does not protect employees from pay cuts. Bin workers have been on strike since January over the council’s decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles. Unite said staff performing the “safety-critical” WRCO role will lose around £8,000 a year if the plans are implemented. The figure is disputed by the authority with an official in the council telling Circular Online that claims that 150 people could lose £8,000 a year in pay are “incorrect”. A…

  Office-based military planners have been called into Birmingham to help clear the mounting piles of waste across the city, multiple outlets are reporting. Last week, around 17,000 tonnes of rubbish was uncollected across Birmingham after months of industrial action by refuse workers. A small number of army office-based planners will provide logistical support to help clear the waste backlog after a government appeal. Soldiers are not being deployed to collect rubbish. A government spokesperson said: “The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks. “In light…

  PepsiCo has expanded its partnership with food redistribution charity FairShare with a £210,000 grant. The funding will help support two programmes aimed at tackling food waste and boosting employability in Leicestershire. Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, commented: “While so much edible food goes to waste on our farms every year, FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose scheme ensures farmers can get more of this good-to-eat nutritious fresh produce to people, rather than letting it go to waste. “This partnership will also make an important contribution to our employability programme, helping hundreds of people seek long-term employment in the food industry. “These programmes support FareShare’s mission to get more good-to-eat…

  Waitrose has joined Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme to track and recycle its single-use plastic packaging. The Ecotrace Programme was launched in 2024 to optimise the identification and recycling of plastic packaging waste. It does this by installing Polytag Plastic Detection Units (PDUs) at leading MRFs. These units are retrofitted to conveyors and detect packaging that has been ‘marked’ with Polytag’s invisible UV Tags, which were applied at speed using fluorescent ink. Polytag says the programme allows brands to accurately identify how much of their packaging has been recycled post-consumption for the first time. With its partners, Polytag is deploying the invisible UV Tag detection technology in 12 Materials Recovery Facilities…

  The UK and Welsh Governments have launched a joint consultation on reforms to environmental permitting regulations. The eight-week consultation covers reforms to environmental permitting in England and Wales, which aim to speed up the work of regulators and the industries they support. Commenting on the consultation’s launch, Environment Minister Emma Hardy said the UK Government is committed to delivering streamlined regulation that protects the environment while also driving economic growth.  “As part of the Plan for Change, we are rewiring Defra and its arms-length bodies to boost economic growth and unleash an era of building, while also supporting stringent environmental safeguards,” Hardy said. The consultation was recommended as part…

  Mountains of waste piled up on streets and reports of rats the size of kittens as an all-out strike in Birmingham continues. What is the reason for the industrial action and when will it end? Currently over 17,000 tonnes of waste is uncollected across Birmingham because of workers participating in strike action throughout 2025. Birmingham City Council declared a major incident over the backlog of waste last week and West Midlands Fire Service have urged residents to take extra care when storing and disposing waste. Are you confused about the Birmingham bin strikes? A lot of people are. Having to sort through the array of claims and counter claims…