The government’s Environment Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons yesterday (26 February).

The recent rise in homelessness has led to an increase in the number of rough sleepers taking shelter in waste containers, according to a new study by Biffa, the Open University and the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM).

The government has reintroduced the Environment Bill to Parliament today (30 January), including new commitments to ban the export of plastic waste to developing countries and to review international developments in environmental legislation every two years.

Loopholes in the EU’s Single Use Plastic (SUP) Directive providing possible exemptions for natural polymers could undermine the legislation’s aim to reduce the environmental impact of single-use products, according to a new report from Eunomia Research and Consulting.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has reintroduced the Agriculture Bill to Parliament, with soil quality at the heart of a new land management system that rewards farmers for environmental protection.

The European Parliament has voted to support the Green Deal for Europe under the condition that amendments are made.

The Environment Agency’s packaging producer responsibility monitoring plan 2020 has dropped its planned number of site inspections of accredited operators to 110 from 160 in 2019.

The government has released a wide-ranging briefing paper on plastic waste ahead of the return of the Environment Bill, expected at the end of the month.

Two brothers have received custodial sentences for submitting fictitious claims for £1.46 million of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

The Indian Government is set to implement a one per cent contamination limit on imports of mixed paper in a crackdown on the import of contaminated and illegal waste.