The European Parliament has voted to take on proposals to raise the European recycling target to 70 per cent by 2030 and to determine a single calculation method for recycling rates ahead of negotiations for the EU’s Circular Economy Package.

The Restart Project is bringing the circular economy to the grass roots, with community repair events helping people fix their technology and build skills, confidence and networks.

Universities lead the way in research, but not always when it comes to sustainability. The UniGreenScheme aiming to change all that by reusing laboratory waste as part of a circular economy.

Recolight has supported Defra’s proposed lower lamp collection target, suggesting the UK has reached ‘peak lamp WEEE’.

China has established a year-long crackdown on the illegal smuggling of foreign waste, as it also continues to reject poorly-sorted legitimate shipments, sending 160 containers of contaminated paper recycling back to Ireland.

Three companies who colluded to reduce purchase prices of used automotive batteries as part of a cartel operation have been fined a total of €68 million by the European Commission.

The WEEE compliance fee methodology proposed by compliance scheme Valpak has been selected to determine the 2016 fee, the government has revealed.

Defra has launched a consultation on which of two proposed WEEE compliance fee mechanisms should be used, if any, for 2016.

Compliance scheme Recolight has  urged local authorities to save money by taking advantage of new government classifications and including commercial waste lamps in free household collections.

Philip Morton is to retire as CEO of compliance scheme REPIC at the end of the year, with former Viridor COO Mark Burrows-Smith taking his place.