A Northern Irish recycling charity project has raised £21,000 and recycled 21,000 tonnes of plastic, glass and paper over the past year.

Significant changes are underway in the resources and waste sector that will have a deep impact on material recycling facilities (MRFs). Rob Cole reports.

The Federation of Small Businesses has called for businesses under 200 square feet in size to be exempt from the Scottish deposit return scheme for beverage containers due to space and staffing restrictions.

Provisional packaging data for the third quarter of 2019 shows that all packaging materials remain on track to meet their 2019 recycling targets, with plastics and aluminium staging recoveries.

Statistics from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reveal that Scotland’s household recycling rate for 2018 has fallen by 0.9 per cent, though the carbon impact of Scottish household waste has also fallen once again.

Angus Macpherson, Managing Director of The Environment Exchange, gives an update on the market for PRNs

The Scottish Government has submitted legislation for the introduction of its deposit return scheme (DRS) for beverage containers, with the scheme currently slated for a 1 April 2021 commencement date.

Sainsbury’s and TOMRA are teaming up to trial the first supermarket return scheme for drinks containers that includes glass – as Scottish support for an ‘all-in’ DRS builds.

The trade body British Glass has written an open letter to the Scottish Government raising issues with the inclusion of glass in Scotland’s proposed deposit return scheme.

Cans, cartons, glass – a report from think tank Green Alliance reveals why single-use alternatives to plastic water bottles are not as eco-friendly as people think.