National anti-litter charity Keep Britain Tidy says that England should ‘hang its head in shame’, after Wales announced this week [http://resource.co/article/wales-eclipses-national-recycling-target-11138] that its recycling rate had reached 59 per cent.

Ambition around reducing waste and improving the quality of recycling should not be sacrificed in the race to set ever higher ‘headline’ targets, says CIWM Chief Executive Steve Lee.

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has today set out its desired amendments to the Circular Economy Package, including increased recycling targets, the removal of TEEP exemptions to the separate collection of materials and mandatory separate food waste collection.

The Welsh recycling rate for local authority collected municipal waste rose to 59 per cent for the 12 months to December 2015, meeting its target of 58 per cent for the end of the 2015/16 financial year.

Veolia has been named as the preferred bidder for an eight-year contract to deliver harmonised waste collection and street cleansing across four boroughs in South London.

Resource Association Chief Executive Ray Georgeson has called for clarity in recycling measurement to repair the current ‘worthless’ European league tables.

A round-up of news from the waste and resources sector, including sustainable coffins, an award for the Winnow food waste meter, new bioplastic bags and an ocean waste-themed recycling forum.

The median cost of sending waste to MRFs has increased by 316 per cent in the past year, according to the WRAP.

Local authority body LARAC has criticised REA and ESA reports into the future of the resources industry and says that more collaboration is needed to take the sector forward.

A new ACR+ analysis of European pay-as-you-throw systems highlights their potential for reducing residual waste and increasing recycling.