UK supermarket Tesco is set to trial new recycled food-grade soft plastic packaging on a range of cheeses in its stores this week, the first time that soft plastic packaging has been recycled into safe food-grade packaging.

Research carried out by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and its New Plastics Economy programme has found digital watermarks to be the most encouraging technology in the future of waste sorting.

Coca-Cola European Partners has announced that it will be transitioning to bottles made from 100 per cent recycled PET (rPET) in its Netherlands and Norway markets from the end of the year.

The European Plastics Converters trade association has announced it will be running a survey to explore the effects that Covid-19 pandemic has had on the uptake of recycled polymers.

The 2021 Student Starpack Awards are set to focus on the benefits of using aluminium in packaging after announcing aluminium recycling organisation Alupro as its latest sponsor.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that it will be extending the plastic bag charge in England to all retailers from April 2021 as part of its ‘war on plastic waste’.

Waste management company Veolia has retained its recycling and waste services contracts in East Kent, with a new green fleet of vehicles and rationalised collection routes to reduce carbon emissions.

Glass recycling company Recresco has reiterated concerns from the glass industry over the mooted ‘all-in’ UK deposit return scheme (DRS) for beverage containers, warning it could have a “negative rather than a positive impact” on the UK recycling.

A round-up of news from the waste and resources industry, including Coca-Cola, Veolia, BMRA, DS Smith and Andusia.

Waste management company Veolia has won a six-year contract by Norfolk County Council to treat 180,000 tonnes of waste per year.