By Freccia Benn – (3 min read)
Local authorities face many challenges. The public sector employs 5.36 million people, and aside from the day-to-day issues that arise from employing such large numbers of staff, councils are also tasked with operating all kinds of services and facilities, from schools and leisure centres to recycling services and home care.

By Freccia Benn – (4 min read)
Since it was first introduced, the Landfill Tax Escalator has played a major role in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. Twenty-three years later, the mood has shifted and governments are now considering a move that would have been unthinkable even 10 years ago – a ban on biodegradable waste sent to landfill.

By Accounting for Energy – (3 min read)
This month, Alupro announced that in 2018, the recycling of aluminium cans hit 75 per cent – a three per cent rise on 2017 figures. In an environment where household recycling has reached a plateau, aluminium is a success story, and one which represents value across the supply chain. As well as helping to avoid unnecessary mining of Bauxite, last year, aluminium cans averaged £1,016 per tonne.

By Travis benn – (9 min read)
Earlier this month, Britain reached a landmark in the transition away from fossil fuel reliance. For the first time since 1882, we passed a whole week without using coal to generate electricity. Aside from the important differences in pollution and carbon emissions, renewable energies differ from fossil fuels in another interesting way. Whereas fossils are widely considered as ‘resources’ in the traditional sense, the resources used to generate renewable energy often inhabit a more grey area.

By Accounting for Energy – (5 min read)
Single-use plastics such as straws, cotton buds and cutlery are causing a stir, raising awareness of consumption habits and the impact of our reliance on plastics.

The UK government has announced a commitment to a wholesale ban on single-use items and, assuming its current consultation does not throw up any surprises, the ban is pegged to be in place by 2020. For once, government, business and the public all seem to pulling in the same direction, so the focus represents a real opportunity to ride the wave and make genuine, long term change.

By Freccia Benn – (4 min read)
Sustainability is a big word. We all know the dictionary definition, yet in daily usage, it has taken on a wider meaning. In fact, it can refer to almost any activity or goal likely to benefit the environment. In terms of doing business, sustainability can mean recycling your waste, or reducing vehicle journeys. One aspect that is often overlooked, however, is how business goals can be used to promote social outcomes.

By Freccia Benn – (3 min read)
UK recycling infrastructure is stepping up as waste exports come under scrutiny. The last two years have brought intense examination of routes to export and the impact these may be having on nations that take in waste from the UK. Awareness of the negative impact of certain wastes is nothing new – the Basel Convention, which has been raising awareness around the toxic processing of electrical waste for decades – is just one example. However, recent events have created a perfect storm that has finally led to outrage in all the right places.

By Travis Benn – (4 min read)
In October, the government confirmed the rates for the next two years of Landfill Tax and also introduced a new lever in the form of a levy on single-use plastic packaging. With a number of consultations and the publication of the Waste Strategy on the horizon, it is a good time to consider the pros and cons of weight-based incentives, legislative drivers, and the rationality in calls for a more radical tack.

By Travis Benn – (3 min read)
Philip Hammond’s budget announcement last week could be described as underwhelming and non-eventful, but with the impending uncertainty of Brexit, he is clearly trying to leave himself some space to tackle whatever changes our EU departure will bring next year. There were some positives which will leave landowners with a few extra pennies in their bank and a new tax that has been well received by waste management companies.

By Travis Benn – (5 min read)
Carrot? Or stick? The argument over which method is the most effective probably started when the first donkey was yoked to a plough, but it may have gone on longer still in the recycling industry.

Ten years ago, the discussion was focused on Pay as You Throw; today, we are wrangling over extended producer responsibility and landfill bans. Whatever the topic area, the argument for legislative intervention is based on the fact that businesses and individuals are self-serving and will not act for the greater good if it conflicts with personal profit. But is this true, or do we live in a world where many companies are driving sustainable business at a faster rate than government intervention?

By Accounting for Energy – (3 min read)

If you think the British public is sick of the sight of wind turbines, think again. A recent YouGov poll has challenged the accepted wisdom to show that two-thirds of the population would support a change in policy to allow the building of more onshore wind farms.

By Travis Benn – (3 min read)

Think of the emergency services and, for most, waste management isn’t the first thing that springs to mind, even in New York, where the city’s sanitation workers are known as ‘New York’s strongest’. However, stop to think about life without a waste collection, and it’s not hard to imagine how quickly society as we know it might fall apart.

By Travis Benn – (3 min read)
If you’ve been reading the news lately, you’ll be aware that over the last year, plastics have fallen from golden child status to enfant terrible. First came the effects of China’s National Sword, which effectively banned foreign post-commercial plastics from export to China. Following this, the BBC’s Blue Planet has fuelled outrage from members of the public and ignited a campaign to eliminate single-use plastics and reduce plastic packaging.

By Freccia Benn – (3 min read)
At a time when many councils face unprecedented cuts to budgets, serious decisions have to be taken on how remaining funds should be allocated. According to the Local Government Association, even impending increases in council tax will not cover the expected shortfall, and waste management teams are being tasked with maintaining service levels on reduced budgets. All eyes are turned, then to a local authority in Wales which has bucked the trend with a scheme that promises significantly higher recycling rates alongside major budget savings.

By Freccia Benn – (2 min read)

This week, the CIWM, Welsh public sector and industry met at the CIWM Resource Conference to share best practice, debate current issues and consider future strategies.