A significant majority of UK voters believe local councils are failing to adequately address litter and pollution, according to new polling data released by the Nature 2030 campaign just days before the local elections.

The research reveals that 74% of respondents think their local authority is not doing enough to tackle litter. Additionally, 72% say councils should face legal action if they fail to clear dumped rubbish, and 73% believe ministers should intervene directly during refuse worker strikes, such as those currently affecting Birmingham.

As Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares for his first major electoral test since last summer’s general election victory, the findings suggest environmental issues could play a pivotal role in shaping voter behaviour. Forty-three percent of respondents said they are more likely to support parties that prioritise tackling waste and pollution.

The polling also uncovered dissatisfaction with plastic waste, with 78% of voters agreeing there is still too much single-use plastic in food and drinks packaging. Despite plans to introduce a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) by October 2027, more than half of those surveyed (51%) were unaware of the initiative.

“Voters want both councils and producers to be held accountable for tackling our litter crisis.”

Campaigners argue that both councils and the government are falling short in informing the public about efforts to reduce waste. Data from the Marine Conservation Society adds to the concern, showing a 9.5% increase in plastic pollution on UK and Channel Islands beaches between 2023 and 2024, with all five of the most commonly found items made of plastic.

There is also strong support for shifting the financial burden of clean-up efforts away from taxpayers. Seventy-six percent of respondents believe packaging producers—not the public—should pay for litter collection and recycling schemes. However, industry groups have raised concerns over the cost of compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and the forthcoming DRS.

Commenting on the findings, Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, said: “This research shows the public urgently want to see concrete action to boost recycling while stamping out our reliance on unnecessary single-use plastics.”

Dominic Dyer, Chair of the Nature 2030 campaign, added: “Voters want both councils and producers to be held accountable for tackling our litter crisis. Candidates in Thursday’s elections should take note – the public want meaningful change, not empty promises.”

Catherine Gemmell, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, urged local councillors to take legislative action at the community level, including banning balloon releases and promoting litter education in schools.

The findings underscore a growing public demand for coordinated and decisive action to combat waste and pollution across all levels of government.

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New research by Eunomia shows that implementing universal kerbside collections for waste batteries and electricals across the UK could save £6bn over the next decade.

The research, conducted by Eunomia for the Environmental Services Association (ESA), investigated the costs and benefits of various options for collecting small waste electrical devices and batteries at the kerbside.

If a kerbside scheme was rolled out today, Eunomia estimates that the number of waste fires would drop from over 700 a year to just over 100 and that the capital expenditure needed to implement the new service would equate to around 70 pence per household.

A coalition representing the waste management sector and local authorities has written to Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh calling for “urgent policy reform” to implement universal kerbside collection of batteries and waste electricals,

The letter also calls on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to ensure producers of these products pay their “fair share” for these new services.

Eunomia recommends that the best way to address battery fires is to implement universal kerbside collections of batteries and small waste electrical devices as part of normal council recycling collections.

With the number of electrical products on the market set to rise, this problem will get worse without intervention.

In its report, Eunomia suggests that the best cost/benefit balance would be achieved by retrofitting existing refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) with external cages, where possible, to safely store batteries and small waste electricals while collecting them on existing recycling rounds.

This should be supported by both national and local communications campaigns, which would be enabled and made more cost-effective by a consistent approach across the country, the report suggests.

Leyla Lugal, Principal Consultant at Eunomia, commented: “Lithium battery fires are hurting people, the economy, and the environment. With the number of electrical products on the market set to rise, this problem will get worse without intervention.

“The only way to implement change effectively and cost-efficiently is through collective action, ensuring strong communications campaigns and widespread national engagement.”

In 2023, more than 1,200 battery-related fires in waste facilities or vehicles were reported and the problem is growing year on year – with a 70% increase in fires between 2022 and 2023.

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Councils warn expanding the Emissions Trading Scheme to include waste incineration could place ‘billions of pounds of unavoidable costs’ onto them over the next decade.

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a system which puts a market price on carbon emissions. It currently applies to the aviation industry, and the last government proposed to expand it to the incineration of waste from 2028.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said councils support the expansion but have ‘no meaningful levers’ to reduce the levels of fossil-based waste sent for incineration.

The LGA says the ETS tax could push costs onto councils as high as £747 million in 2028, rising to £1.1 billion in 2036, with a total cost over this period as high as £6.5 billion.

The LGA warns this could force councils to cut back services, instead of targeting manufacturers that produce plastic, in a new report.

Current proposals are hitting the wrong target.

Councils are calling on the UK Government to review plans for the ETS extension to waste to protect local services and prioritise policy and finance incentives on producers to design out fossil-based materials.

The LGA’s report found the new costs would lead to nearly 80% of councils reducing their overall waste and recycling services and a drop in the range of services provided by household recycling centres in 77% of councils.

The report found there would also be a fall in fly-tipping services in 65%, street cleaning and littering in 63%, and street bins provision in 60% of councils.

Cllr Adam Hug, environment spokesperson for the LGA, commented: “Councils want to see a reduction in carbon emissions and support the aims of the scheme, while encouraging recycling efforts, but to succeed we need to see the right incentive in the right places.

“Current proposals are hitting the wrong target. It will load billions of pounds of extra costs onto councils, who will have little choice but to cut back valued local waste and recycling services and net zero projects, while producers of fossil-based material avoid incentives to reduce what they produce.”

Hug continued that the UK Government’s Spending Review is an opportunity to review the proposals and ensure manufacturers reduce the amount of fossil-based waste they produce.

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News updates written by CIWM’s commercial partners.

Augean | Augean Celebrates Achievement in Health, Safety & Wellbeing

We are excited to share some remarkable news from our recent participation in the SUEZ Sustainable Supplier Awards and Market Place Day!

This year, Augean Treatment Ltd was nominated and awarded a highly commended status in the Improving Health, Safety & Wellbeing Category. This recognition is not just a trophy to place on our shelf; it reflects the collective effort, dedication, and commitment of our entire team to prioritising health and safety in all our operations.

A Proud Moment for Our Team

Attending the event was Karen Bryant, Commercial Head of Energy, who graciously accepted the award on behalf of Augean. Her presence at the ceremony symbolised the hard work and the collaborative spirit embedded in our culture. It was a proud moment that encapsulated our focus on pushing the boundaries of health, safety, and wellbeing, not just for our employees, but for everyone we work with.

Behind the Award: Team Effort

This award would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of our Energy team at Augean. Their commitment to weaving health, safety, and wellbeing into our daily operations has played a pivotal role in earning this recognition. It takes a team that is passionate about making a difference, and our Energy team has truly gone above and beyond in this regard.

Furthermore, we owe a significant portion of our success to our trusted suppliers, Lomas Distribution and Hardwick Haulage. Their partnership has enabled us to innovate and implement safer practices, fostering an environment where health and safety are never compromised.

Why Health, Safety & Wellbeing Matter

At Augean, we believe that prioritising health and safety is a foundational pillar of our business. Profit is important, but the well-being of our team, partners, and the environment is paramount. It’s not just about adhering to regulations; it’s about creating a culture that values the health and safety of everyone involved.

By fostering an environment focused on wellbeing, we not only enhance our operational efficiency but also contribute positively to the communities we serve. Working with suppliers like Lomas Distribution and Hardwick Haulage, who share our values, strengthens our resolve to maintain these high standards.

Looking Ahead

Receiving this highly commended status at the SUEZ Sustainable Supplier Awards is just the beginning. We are more motivated than ever to continue our journey to improve health, safety, and wellbeing in our operations. We will keep pushing for innovative solutions and partnerships that promote a safer work environment.

Augean is committed to being at the forefront of sustainability and health and safety practices. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey with us, and here’s to many more achievements in the future!

Optimo | Operations consultancy Optimo releases White Paper on driving sustainability in UK Higher Education

Optimo, an operations consultancy specialising in helping climate and social change organisations achieve sustainable growth, has published a new white paper addressing the practical challenges and solutions for implementing sustainability strategies within UK Higher Education institutions.

Recognising the ambitious sustainability targets set by many universities, the white paper delves into the operational complexities of turning those goals into reality.

It highlights common hurdles faced by institutions, including effective management of interdependent initiatives, stakeholder engagement and data management, and offers actionable strategies for overcoming them.

“The Higher Education sector has a pivotal role to play in driving a sustainable future,” says Danielle, Founder of Optimo. “This white paper aims to provide practical guidance to universities and their mechanisms for effective waste management play a part in helping them achieve their environmental objectives.”

Optimo’s expertise lies in optimising operations to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve sustainability outcomes. The consultancy works across various sectors, helping organisations to streamline processes, manage resources effectively, and implement change successfully.

The white paper is particularly relevant for waste management companies working with or seeking to partner with universities as it provides valuable insights into the specific needs and challenges of these institutions, enabling waste management providers to develop more effective and tailored solutions.

This could include enhanced recycling programs, innovative waste reduction strategies, and data-driven reporting to track progress against sustainability targets.

“We welcome colleagues in the waste and resources sector to download the white paper and consider the opportunities for collaboration and innovation within the Higher Education sector,” adds Danielle. “By working together, we can help universities to not only meet their sustainability goals but to become leaders in environmental stewardship.”

Vision Techniques | Vision Techniques hop into Easter by donating to a children’s hospice

Commercial vehicle safety and security specialists, Vision Techniques, hopped into Easter by caring for their local community.

Derian House Children’s Hospice is located just 20 minutes from the Vision Techniques head office and for Easter the team wanted to support children by donating Easter eggs and lots of fun crafts.

Derian House provides palliative care and respite for 400 babies, children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions across the whole of Lancashire, South Cumbria and North Manchester.

And to say thanks for the work they do, Vision Techniques wanted to give back and provide something to the children to make them smile.

Dave Smith, Managing Director at Vision Techniques said: “Looking after our local community is really important to us and we are always looking for ways to give back and support charities.

“We chose to donate Easter Eggs and crafts to Derian House because they provide amazing support and care to children across Lancashire. Happy Easter to everyone at Derian House.”

Ellie Smith, Community Fundraiser at Derian House said: “Thank you so much for your very kind support and donation, Vision Techniques. Without it we simply would not be able to provide our services to children and families across the North West of England.”

Vision Techniques are the innovative driving force in vehicle safety and security systems, protecting not only vehicles but also the lives of employees, the public and the environments they operate in.

Loved by some of the largest fleets in the UK, Vision Techniques’ products are influencing and changing safety and security standards across industries daily.

EPIC Media | EPIC Media celebrates triple award recognition for standout vehicle graphics

Kent-based vehicle graphics specialists, EPIC Media are celebrating a remarkable run of success on the awards circuit – taking home accolades from three industry-recognised bodies in the space of just four months.

The company, which provides bold, bespoke wraps and quick-change graphics for fleets across the UK, has gained national recognition for its creative impact and technical excellence – especially within the waste management and fleet sectors.

At the Southern Enterprise Awards 2024, EPIC Media was crowned Best Commercial Vehicle Graphics & Signage Company 2024 – South East, reflecting its commitment to innovation, customer service and sector leadership. The award acknowledged the team’s outstanding contribution to regional enterprise and sustainable fleet branding solutions.

In February, EPIC Media’s dynamic wrap for POWERTRACK – titled “Pack a Punch” – received Highly Commended in the prestigious Sign Industry Awards 2025, under the Best Vehicle Graphics (Partial or Full) category. Held at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham, the judges praised the boldness and technical delivery of the wrap, which was installed on a Hillend Engineering vehicle, and was designed to demand attention while on the move.

Most recently, the team scooped Bronze in the ‘Fleet Wrap – 5+ Vehicles’ category at the Sign & Wrap Awards 2025, hosted at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole in March. This award recognised EPIC Media’s expertise in scaling their creativity across large commercial fleets without compromising on impact or quality, working on the project alongside FCC Environmental and London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Kevin Murton, Founder and now Senior Business Advisor at EPIC Media, said: “This recognition means a huge amount to our whole team. We’ve always believed in pushing creative boundaries while delivering practical solutions for our fleet and waste sector clients. These awards validate that approach – and it’s especially rewarding to be recognised across such a variety of categories.

EPIC Media’s distinctive quick-change graphics system continues to be a popular solution for local authorities and waste management companies looking for flexible, high-visibility campaigns. With rising pressure to boost public engagement and demonstrate environmental action, vehicle branding is playing a bigger role than ever in fleet communications.

The company now looks ahead to further innovations in fleet wrapping and messaging – helping customers make every mile count.

Keenan Recycling | Keenan Recycling powers ahead with 100% biomethane food waste trucks

Keenan Recycling is hitting the road with a game-changing new fleet of 100% biomethane-powered food waste collection trucks, designed to revolutionise how food waste is collected and transported in the UK.

As the nation’s largest food waste collector, Keenan is now taking a major step forward in cutting carbon emissions across its operations while offering sustainable, future-ready solutions to commercial businesses nationwide.

Clean trucks, clear conscience

These new trucks run entirely on biomethane, a renewable fuel produced through the anaerobic digestion of food waste itself. That means the very waste Keenan collects is now helping fuel the next day’s collections – a truly circular solution.

Running on biomethane results in up to a 98% reduction in carbon emissions compared to standard diesel trucks. This dramatically lowers the environmental impact of every journey, making Keenan’s food waste collections not just compliant, but climate-positive.

Why biomethane matters

Unlike fossil fuels, biomethane is produced from organic waste materials, specifically the food waste that Keenan collects. This fuel source is cleaner, renewable, and emits significantly fewer pollutants. By transitioning to biomethane-powered vehicles, Keenan is actively contributing to:

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• Improving air quality in local communities
• Supporting a closed-loop sustainability model

It’s a perfect example of waste being transformed into a valuable resource.

Everyday impact on the road

With this new fleet now rolling out across key regions, Keenan’s commercial customers including restaurants, hotels, schools, offices, and manufacturers are directly benefiting from more sustainable service.

Each bin collected by these trucks avoids landfill, prevents methane emissions from decomposing food, and supports renewable energy generation. Even the collection itself is powered by the very solution it helps create – a rare harmony of efficiency and impact.

From plate to power – a circular success

Here’s how the loop works:

1. Food waste is collected from businesses by Keenan’s biomethane trucks.
2. The waste is processed at anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.
3. The AD process breaks down organic matter to create biogas (biomethane) and biofertiliser.
4. Biomethane fuels the truck fleet, and the biofertiliser goes back to farms.
5. The cycle repeats. Greener, cleaner, and smarter each time.

Leading by example

Keenan Recycling is not only innovating with green transport, it’s reshaping expectations for the waste management industry. With its fleet of 100% biomethane trucks now serving UK businesses, Keenan is proving that environmental responsibility and operational excellence can go hand in hand.

As new environmental regulations in force across the UK, Keenan is already ahead of the curve, helping businesses meet compliance standards while reducing their own carbon footprint through every collection.

Your waste, our responsibility

Keenan’s biomethane-powered trucks are more than just a technological upgrade. They’re a bold step toward Net Zero by 2030, and a commitment to delivering commercial waste services that work for the planet as well as your business.

From cafes and caterers to universities and NHS trusts, if you’re producing food waste, Keenan now collects it with a significantly smaller carbon footprint.

WasteRecruit | Working with AI in Waste Management

Advancement? Innovation? Both are needed in waste management, but can AI deliver on that, or will it require something more?

Waste management has a messy mandate and growth problem. Despite increased processing capacity, more advanced sorting and recycling, and waste management reforms, it still can’t keep up to the growing volumes of waste being produced.

Defra statistics indicate that the UK generated 191, 2 million tonnes of waste in 2020. More recent figures aren’t yet available, but indications are that volumes have continued to increase because consumer behaviour is not changing.

The waste management sector is under pressure to become more effective and more efficient. In other industries the default has been to turn to AI to achieve this. Can it work in waste management?

AI promises advanced capabilities, accelerated processing speed for far greater volumes, and greater accuracy with specific tasks. Waste management is rapidly evolving. Can AI help the sector make inroads in dealing with the growing waste problem, and how open is the waste workforce to working with AI?

Harnessing the AI advantage requires human skill

Growing volumes of waste and increased complexity in processing remain major challenges for waste management. Volume and complexity – AI thrives on it, and this is where it can deliver an advantage.

But AI is not a silver bullet and it comes at a major cost. This is why human skill, insight, and waste management knowledge remain a key enabler when looking to implement AI technologies.

Economic realities require a return on tech investments and the waste volumes certainly aren’t going to pause while use cases and AI applications are fine tuned. The best way to fast-track progress is to combine AI capabilities with human skill.

Currently AI is being used in analysing loads, sorting materials and identifying contamination. AI’s scanning and ability to identify specific materials is making the sorting process far more efficient.

Despite this, a major challenge remains: the spectrum of different materials combined in a single type of packaging is vast. This reduces recyclability and efficiency of the recycling process, but it also provides something valuable – data.

Having the data on the volume of items rejected or excluded from the recycling process helps build the case for demanding more uniform materials to be used by producers. It can be used to inform policies such as EPR and DRS because it places a value on the materials being processed.

AI excels at doing the complex tasks of sorting and optimising, but in waste management applications, humans are often better at connecting this to solutions. While AI has massive capabilities to solve problems, it doesn’t always understand what’s at the heart of them. AI can answer what a material is and how to sort it, but it doesn’t understand why it would be better for it to be a single polymer.

Will adopting AI advance waste management?

Most industry experts will agree that improving waste management requires a multi-pronged approach: Become more effective at collecting waste. Become more efficient at processing it. Get better at tracking materials through their life cycle. But also find ways to influence broader change in commerce and industry.

In each of these processes there are opportunities for automation, powered by AI. Already collection vehicles are optimising their routes using AI. In transfer stations, AI is being used to scan loads, optimise processing to increase the quality and volume of outputs.

What’s next? That’s really up to those working in the industry. By increasing understanding of AI applications and capabilities, even pitfalls, it’s possible to advance how the waste management industry operates – if people are open to it.

Human insight, awareness and ingenuity are what’s driving innovation in waste management, and in many cases, AI is supporting the work being done. Either by helping optimise processes or by providing the data needed for advancement.

In waste management AI isn’t likely to make human skills obsolete, rather it’s an opportunity to expand on how to apply these skills in different situations. Harnessing AI applications has the potential to accelerate the change and progress that the waste management sector needs. It’s going to take human skill to drive progress in the right direction.

Greyparrot | New data reveals a major food-grade polypropylene opportunity for recycling facilities

AI waste analytics leader Greyparrot has released new data that reveals the potential scale and value of food-grade polypropylene (PP) recycling.

The research, published in a new report from Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, was conducted at four major plastics recovery facilities (PRFs) across the USA. It uncovers a massive supply of high-value, food-grade PP, with implications for both recyclers and brands facing recycled content mandates.

How an abundant supply of food-grade plastic was uncovered

The “What’s in a Bale” report (available here) marks the largest-ever effort to measure the amount of food-grade PP in the recycling stream, doubling as a test of AI’s plastic recognition capabilities at scale.

“This study proves how much value we can uncover when we apply AI to complex waste streams,” said Greyparrot COO Gaspard Duthilleul. “In just three

months, Greyparrot Analyzer units detected 45 million objects — a task that would have taken human teams around four years. In the process we’ve revealed a huge amount of material that brands could be using to meet their recycled content targets.”

Key findings from a landmark polypropylene study

Out of 45 million data points and a detailed comparison between manual and automated recognition, the report’s authors distil three major takeaways for recyclers:

1.   There is an abundant supply of food-grade PP in waste streams

Between 75-85% of detected PP was white or clear, and the vast majority of that higher-value material was foodservice packaging. Those numbers represent an immense amount of food-grade material that could be recycled.

2.   AI remains as accurate as manual sampling at scale

Greyparrot’s system reliably identified and categorised PP items by colour, object type and food-grade status. Facility staff compared the AI’s records to 30,000 manually-sampled objects, and found that the data was a close match.

3.   Real-time data enhances sorting performance

One of the PRFs in the study used the Analyzer system to record a 13% increase in sorted PP quality after a new sorter was installed — suggesting that waste intelligence systems can also be used to fine tune facility performance and make the business case for infrastructure upgrades.

“The ability to distinguish food-grade materials in real time opens the door to a steadier stream of recycled food-grade PP,” said Duthilleul.

“Previously-overlooked materials are now visible, bringing a circular PP value chain into focus.”

Bolstering PP supply to meet growing demand

Recycled content mandates and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies are accelerating the need for high-quality recycled materials across North America, but also in the UK. That is especially true for food-grade applications, where regulators demand higher purity than other recycled materials.

Greyparrot’s team say the report outlines a major opportunity for the recyclers supplying that material — but also for the brands that will be demanding more of it.

“We’re proud to collaborate with Closed Loop Partners to deliver data that moves the entire value chain forward,” said Duthilleul. “The insight we gained into the foodservice packaging at PRFs makes it clear that brands are a critical stakeholder in the plastics value chain — and can play a direct role in bolstering future recycled PP supply.”

To help packaging producers interpret the millions of data points collected for this study, the AI developer has released a companion article detailing three actionable takeaways for brands on their website. Read it here.

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Jessica Bradley outlines several innovative ways cities are closing the loop on food waste to save money, redistribute food to those who need it, and reduce carbon emissions.

Around a third of all food produced globally is wasted. Food waste is a critical global challenge, especially in cities, where 80% of the planet’s food is expected to be consumed by 2050.

Food waste on such a huge scale undermines the sustainability of our food systems and also wastes all the resources used to produce food, including water, land, energy, labour and capital.

The amount of food we waste has a huge economic impact; the global cost is currently estimated at approximately £770 billion a year.

Food waste also has huge consequences for planetary health. In 2022, more than one billion tonnes of food – equivalent to more than one billion meals a day – were wasted globally, which contributed to around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

This is because food waste generates vast quantities of methane, which, over a century, is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

In 2015, the EU’s member states signed up to UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030. However, only $0.1bn was invested annually in 2019/20 globally to reduce food waste, despite the UN estimating achieving the goal would require $50bn in investment.

Global differences in food waste

In the global west, most food waste happens in shops and our homes, which requires solutions including smart refrigerators and food-sharing platforms, such as Too Good To Go, which allow businesses to sell leftovers that would otherwise be discarded.

With supermarket standards deeming so much fresh produce cosmetically unacceptable, there has been a rise in recent years in the availability of ‘wonky’ vegetables and subscription services, such as Odd Box.

In the global south, one-third of food is wasted before it reaches consumers, says Zachary Tofias, director of food and waste at C40, a network of cities and networks sharing sustainable practise.

This is often caused by inefficient handling and storage that exposes crops to adverse conditions and pest infestation, which causes rapid spoilage.

In recent years, digital innovation has enabled producers and farmers to continuously monitor food loss and waste, which involves using field sensors to monitor temperature, light, humidity and soil moisture.

However, this technology isn’t yet proportionately used in the countries that need it the most. China, which has the highest global population and output of fruit and vegetables, is also the world’s biggest Internet of Things (IoT) market.

India, on the other hand, has the second biggest population and fruit and vegetable output, but a far lower GDP and far less application and research around sensor technologies that monitor food waste in the supply chain.

Global solutions

AI is one of the most recent innovations being widely implemented, not only on farms but also further down the supply chain. One example of how this is being done is by helping retailers forecast demand more precisely.

Aside from technological advancements, reductions in food waste also require collaboration and policy from local authorities, Tofias says.

One of their most important roles here is to work with the private sector, Tofias says. This, he continues, includes dedicating staff time to thinking about how to create platforms for the private sector to engage and educate the community.

One challenge, Tofias adds, is thinking about food in the context of the waste hierarchy, where surplus food is fed to humans, and edible food waste should be served to animals; with disposal being the final step.

“All steps before disposal are huge opportunities for innovation,” he says.

At Barcelona’s foodbank in Banc del Aliments, Tofias adds, food waste is sorted into two streams. Waste that’s in good condition is given to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to produce jams and broths, for example, and everything else is composted.

While in Milan five waste hubs collect surplus food from supermarkets around the city and redistribute them to people in need via NGOs. Over 2022, the four hubs operating at the time recovered 400 tonnes of food.

The foodbanks were set up as a joint effort, including the City of Milan, Cariplo Foundation, Polytechnic University of Milan and Assolombarda – an association representing 6,000 businesses.

The organisers put the foodbanks’ success down to building good relationships and common goals with stakeholders, monitoring progress, and to local government prioritising educating citizens on how to prevent food waste.

“Milan created an incentive for businesses to identify surplus food that’s still edible,” Tofias says. “Now five hubs across Milan are feeding tens of thousands of people food that would have otherwise been thrown out.”

Cities that achieve significant food waste reductions employ a blend of regulation, incentives and public engagement, says Malachy Mitchell, managing director of international food and agribusiness consultancy Farrelly Mitchell.

Mandatory waste separation policies have proven very effective across the world, for example, he adds.

South Korea’s landfill ban and pay-by-weight system increased the amount of food waste recycled from 2% to 95% over the last 30 years.

In Seoul, the country’s capital, 6,000 bins contain scales and Radio Frequency Identification that weigh food waste and charge residents accordingly – reducing food waste in the city by a reported 47,000 tonnes in six years.

Alternatively, residents can buy biodegradable bags – which they’re required by law to use if they want to dispose of food – that cover 60% of the cost of collecting and processing food waste in the city.

Targeted interventions like this have produced promising results, says Mitchell. But meeting the SDG 12.3 will require successful policies to be quickly adapted and implemented on a global scale, he adds.

Common challenges

The biggest challenge facing countries and cities that need to reduce food waste is the magnitude of the problem, Tofias says. Since there are so many different causes of food waste, multi-level interventions are required.

For local authorities, one common challenge is insufficient data, says Mitchell.

“Tracking systems for waste management can only be found in 12% of the world’s nations, with the remaining 88% having to resolve the issue blindly until actionable data becomes available,” he says.

Another common obstacle, Mitchell says, is changing entrenched behaviours and cultural norms.

“Public awareness campaigns alone prove insufficient to shift habits rooted in convenience or social norms,” Mitchell says.

Changes, he adds, can only be implemented when stakeholders and systems align their interests.

“Many governments struggle to align all of their food system participants; even creating a consensus between farming communities and food manufacturers is a challenge,” he says.

Global successes

Only a handful of nations worldwide are achieving substantial reductions in food waste, says Mitchell.

One of those nations is France, whose agricultural ministry launched the National Pact to Combat Food Waste in 2013.

Then, in 2016, the country introduced the Garot Law, which required targeted retailers to offer a partnership with food aid associations and set up procedures for monitoring and controlling the quality of their food donations.

When it comes to household food waste, effective measures make avoiding food waste as effortless as possible.

New York City, for example, offers citizens a Food Portal under its donateNYC app and website, which matches food donors to organisations. In the first year, the portal saved nearly 80 tonnes of food from landfill.

In Oakland, California, efforts to reduce food waste are largely thanks to the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EBMUD) food scraps processing facility.

The wastewater treatment plant, located at the base of the Bay Bridge in Oakland, takes discarded food scraps from restaurants and supermarkets that usually go to the landfill and converts them into renewable energy.

“There are so many natural resources in the wastewater,” says Nelsy Rodriguez, public information representative at the EBMUD. “We saw a real opportunity to use those resources for fertiliser or to generate biogas, so we started a pilot.”

These food scraps include winery waste, as the plant is close to Napa, as well as domestic waste, fats such as oils and greases, and food and animal processing waste.

EBMUD generates enough energy from this waste to operate its plant, and the rest is sold to the grid.

“When we extract leftover organic matter from food scraps, we turn it into something beneficial for the environment and reduce our carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels,” she says.

“It spreads out and generates energy that would’ve otherwise been thrown into the bay or landfill and created more carbon.”

On average, EBMUD produces around 27,000 MWh from resource recovery every year. EBMUD is now looking for ways to expand the pilot.

“The fundamentals of wastewater haven’t changed over the last century, so we’re always looking for strategic innovations,” Rodriguez says.

In the global south, effective measures include innovations in preservation, like smart packaging and IoT sensors.

In Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya with a growing population, city markets have unreliable electricity connections, which contributes to food waste and loss. Research shows that one-fifth of food is wasted due to inadequate access to cold storage.

A pilot project implemented earlier this year in one city market involved installing a portable cold system with inbuilt, high-efficiency solar panels, which could be used all year round because of its ability to change to alternative power sources in cloudy conditions.

It’s estimated that expanding to all city markets could save around 21,613 tonnes of food waste from landfill.

Closing the loop on food waste

Ultimately, ending food waste requires shifting the narrative from the ‘make, take waste’ perspective to create circular economy solutions, Tofias says.

Experts agree that this shift needs to happen across all stakeholders. Mitchell advises local governments to start with comprehensive baseline studies to properly assess the scale of food waste, and identify key sources and trends.

Then, they can develop a multi-pronged strategy that combines regulatory measures, infrastructure investment and community engagement.

This could, he adds, include mandatory waste segregation and tax incentives for food redistribution charities.

“I’d advise local governments to create the right infrastructure by prioritising funding for composting facilities, anaerobic digestion plants, and surplus food networks,” he says.

In the West, since most food waste comes from households, reducing food waste will require huge shifts in attitudes and behaviours towards how we purchase, consume and discard food.

“We pay for waste to be taken away from us every week; we put out our garbage bins and people take it away from us, “ Rodriguez says. “This is where our thinking about it stops, but what we do with our waste is a huge global issue.”

The post How these cities are closing the loop on food waste appeared first on Circular Online.

A company and its director have been fined for ignoring Environment Agency warnings to stop burning waste on rural land in West Yorkshire.

Bardsey Tree Services was fined £2,500, and ordered to pay costs of £3,000 and a victim surcharge of £1,000.

Company director Andrew Richard Ward, 56, was fined £960, and ordered to pay £1,274.50 in costs and a £384 victim surcharge.

Both pleaded guilty at York Magistrates’ Court to two offences of burning waste on land near Wetherby on separate occasions between August 2023 and August 2024.

The company, which offers tree services including operating as a tree surgeon, leases land off Compton Lane, a few miles away from Wetherby.

On 10 August 2023, Environment Agency officers attended the site and saw a fire which consisted of mixed waste. They could not find anyone present on the site.

Away from the fire was a pile of tree trunks, a large pile of wood chippings and an even larger pile of mixed soil, rubble, wood and metal.

The defendants had no registered environmental permit or waste exemption, which allows for low level waste activity.

The Environment Agency said it wrote to the defendants with instructions to stop burning waste on the land and to clear the site within three months.

Two months later, the company registered a waste exemption for the site, which authorised the burning of certain categories of ‘green’ waste, such as tree and plant cuttings, provided that both the waste was produced on the land and any fire does not cause a nuisance.

However, Environment Agency officers attended the site again in July 2024 and found a fire burning, producing thick grey smoke.

The Environment Agency said the fire was predominantly green waste but also included plastics, treated wood, metal and aerosol cannisters. Again, no one was present.

In interviews, Ward admitted taking waste away from customers to the site, and that wood chippings were provided to biomass power stations.

Ward said the fires were used as a means of dealing with residual waste and added that the site had become known as a dumping ground for other operators’ waste.

Commenting on the case, Ian Foster, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “Burning waste on land can have a significant impact on the environment and local communities.

“Our officers made it clear to the defendants multiple times that the activity on site was illegal, but this was ignored.”

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Virgin Media O2 announces that it has cut Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 56% compared to its 2020 baseline.

The company is publishing the performance of its sustainability strategy, which shows it is on track to meet its near-term Science-Based Target of reducing operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 90% by 2030.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are categories used to classify greenhouse gas emissions by their source. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from company-owned sources, such as fuel burned in vehicles or factories.

Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heating, or cooling. While Scope 3 is the broadest category as it includes all other indirect emissions from a company’s value chain, like those from product use.

We will continue to lead as a sustainable and responsible business that strives to make a positive difference across the UK.

Virgin Media O2 has a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its products, operations, and supply chain by the end of 2040.

The statistics, released to coincide with Earth Day (22 April), show Virgin Media O2 eliminated plastic packaging from its own-brand products delivered to customers.

The company says it also worked with suppliers to cut plastic packaging at source by 27% against a 2022 baseline.

Commenting on the statistics, Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “As we enter the final year of our industry-leading sustainability strategy, we will continue to lead as a sustainable and responsible business that strives to make a positive difference across the UK.

“Whether it’s cutting carbon, tackling e-waste, or helping those in need to get online, we’ll continue to use our purpose, people and products to have a lasting impact on the planet and the communities we serve.”

The post Virgin Media O2 says it has cut its Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 56% appeared first on Circular Online.

Virgin Media O2 announces that it has cut Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 56% compared to its 2020 baseline.

The company is publishing the performance of its sustainability strategy, which shows it is on track to meet its near-term Science-Based Target of reducing operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 90% by 2030.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are categories used to classify greenhouse gas emissions by their source. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from company-owned sources, such as fuel burned in vehicles or factories.

Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heating, or cooling. While Scope 3 is the broadest category as it includes all other indirect emissions from a company’s value chain, like those from product use.

We will continue to lead as a sustainable and responsible business that strives to make a positive difference across the UK.

Virgin Media O2 has a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its products, operations, and supply chain by the end of 2040.

The statistics, released to coincide with Earth Day (22 April), show Virgin Media O2 eliminated plastic packaging from its own-brand products delivered to customers.

The company says it also worked with suppliers to cut plastic packaging at source by 27% against a 2022 baseline.

Commenting on the statistics, Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “As we enter the final year of our industry-leading sustainability strategy, we will continue to lead as a sustainable and responsible business that strives to make a positive difference across the UK.

“Whether it’s cutting carbon, tackling e-waste, or helping those in need to get online, we’ll continue to use our purpose, people and products to have a lasting impact on the planet and the communities we serve.”

The post Virgin Media O2 says it has cut its Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 56% appeared first on Circular Online.

Haringey Council issued 2,554 fines for fly-tipping and littering totalling £1,393,350 between April 2024 and March 2025.

A recent survey by the council found overwhelming support for stricter measures to tackle fly-tipping and littering.

It revealed that 96% of residents were in favour of imposing fines on fly-tippers, while 94% supported penalties for littering and dog fouling.

Local businesses and community organisations also voiced their concerns, with 83% backing fines to combat fly-tipping.

Following this, the council said it deployed an additional 15 environmental enforcement officers as part of its existing team to combat fly-tipping and littering.

Commenting on the announcement, councillor Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequality and Resident Services, said: “The message from these figures is clear. Our residents and businesses demanded stronger measures, and we have delivered.

“Waste dumping and littering remain significant concerns in our borough, as voiced by our community, and we are committed to doing everything we can to put an end to this. Those who refuse to contribute and instead damage our beautiful spaces will be held accountable.”

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Operations begin at Veolia’s new 25,000 tonnes per annum Hazardous Waste Transfer Station in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The facility will serve the chemical, agrochemical, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries in the region.

UK resource management company Veolia says the facility will provide the full range of recycling and treatment options for hazardous waste.

Veolia already operates seven existing hazardous waste transfer stations and supporting treatment infrastructure in the UK.

The new site houses a new laboratory for analysing and identifying wastes, which will segregate each item based on potential hazards and physical and chemical properties. After analysis, the waste streams will go on to the appropriate treatment.

By using the latest technologies we can now more effectively treat this waste, move it up the waste hierarchy…

The facility will also be supported by Veolia’s mobile chemist service, Chempac, for segregation, labelling, packing, collection, treatment and disposal of hazardous and laboratory chemical wastes.

Veolia says different waste streams will be tracked by its end-to-end cloud-based system.

Nicola Henshaw, Managing Director Hazardous at Veolia UK said the launch of the facility marks a significant milestone in bringing the “benefit of world-leading waste management expertise” to the North East.

Commenting on the new process, Henshaw said: “Treating these complex materials is an integral part of Veolia Group’s GreenUp strategy to help key industries help protect people and the environment.

“By using the latest technologies we can now more effectively treat this waste, move it up the waste hierarchy,  lower the carbon footprint and safeguard our environment.”

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