FCC Environment scored highest following a procurement process weighted 60 per cent on price and 40 per cent on quality. Tunbridge Wells said the new contract would introduce HVO fuel to reduce carbon emissions from collection vehicles, building on a 21 per cent reduction in contract carbon emissions since 2018/19. As FCC is the incumbent contractor, the councils said residents would see no disruption to services when the new contract begins.

The new contract will begin on 29 June 2026 and could run for a maximum of 16 years, with a minimum term of eight years and a break clause after four. The councils said no major changes to household collections are planned, though the contract will need to accommodate the national Simpler Recycling requirements due to come into effect in 2027, which will allow residents to recycle soft plastics. The councils also cited upcoming local government reorganisation as a factor in building flexibility into the contract terms.

An 81 per cent satisfaction rate was recorded in the councils' most recent waste survey. Cllr Sue Cooper, South Oxfordshire's cabinet member for environment, said the partnership had "played a big role in setting us amongst the top recycling areas in the country."

The Packaging Competence Center includes an in-house recyclability testing laboratory and is connected to Henkel's existing Inspiration Center, allowing adhesive and coating formulations to be tested from the design phase through to recycling assessment. According to Henkel, the facility has a particular focus on gravure and flexographic coating applications for plastic and paper substrates - processes central to producing the functional mono-material structures that packaging regulations increasingly demand. The company says the centre covers its full product range, including solvent-free, water-based and solvent-based adhesive systems alongside coatings.

The project will address the growing volume of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and the processing of black mass - the material produced when batteries are broken down - into reusable components. Recyclus recently became the first UK company to recycle lithium-ion batteries. The Battery Innovation Programme is supported by the Department for Business and Trade.

The funding, from Empire State Development's NYSTAR programme, is linked to an existing $1.1m National Science Foundation project and will support the deployment of REEgen's BioREEcover system in industrial settings. The Cornell University spinout, which participated in Batch 9 of Germany's Circular Valley accelerator programme, plans to use the grant to secure commercial partnerships and launch its first on-site recovery unit.

The EA confirmed in guidance that there are no restrictions on using AI technology for materials facility sampling, provided operators can demonstrate their methodology meets regulations and produces representative results. The MF Regulations were updated in 2024 to introduce more detailed and frequent reporting standards, and the expansion of Simpler Recycling in England brought household waste in scope from March 2026, with flexible plastics and fibre-based composite cartons due to follow in 2027.

Greyparrot said its Analyzer units, installed on the operators' sorting lines, generate shift-by-shift compositional data covering material streams including mixed plastics, food-grade PET bottles, metal cans and PET trays.