Declaring a climate change emergency
Local authorities can play a key role in tackling climate change – and there is plenty for them to do. Never before has thinking globally and acting locally been more important, says Mark Whitehead.
Plans outlined for UK’s first plastic free homes
14/08/2019 A housing association has pledged to build 12 new homes that are virtually free of plastic. |
Councils need ‘greater flexibility’ to develop waste strategies, MPs say
17/07/2019 Local authorities must be given the freedom to develop recycling strategies tailored to the needs of their communities, MPs have said. |
Combined authority signs £1bn waste contracts
03/06/2019 The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has signed new operating contracts with SUEZ for the management of the city’s waste and resources. |
Over half of councils ‘experiencing issues’ with plastic markets
21/05/2019 More than 50% of councils have reported that they were ‘experiencing issues’ with plastic markets, new research has revealed. |
Councils call for tougher punishments for fly-tippers
13/05/2019 People convicted of fly-tipping should be handed tougher sentences councils have argued, after figures show no-one has been given the maximum punishment allowed since new guidelines in 2014. |
Everything local government needs to know about coffee cup recycling
09/05/2019 With applications for The Cup Fund, the UK’s largest grant for projects that boost UK paper cup recycling, closing soon, Phil Wild shares what he thinks everyone should know. |
Birmingham council apologises to union over waste dispute comments
30/04/2019 Birmingham City Council has apologised to Unite the Union over comments made during the recent protracted dispute with refuse collectors. |
Birmingham council and union ‘welcome’ end to refuse dispute
18/03/2019 Refuse collectors who took part in strikes in Birmingham are to be given £3,500 each in a settlement which both sides say has ended the long-running dispute. |
Birmingham refuse strike called off
04/03/2019 Unions called off a planned strike by refuse collectors in Birmingham today after the city council lost a bid to have the action declared illegal. |
Scotland’s landfill ban will be £100m tax gift to England, waste experts say
27/02/2019 Waste management experts have ‘expressed deep concern’ that Scotland is not prepared for a landfill ban which will lead to higher haulage costs for councils. |
Council chiefs insist waste reforms must be ‘fully funded’
18/02/2019 Local authority leaders have welcomed plans to ‘overhaul’ the waste system, but cautioned Whitehall that any reforms need to be fully funded. |
Birmingham's winter of discontent
15/02/2019 With a series of one-day strikes to go ahead in Birmingham, Mark Whitehead explores what led to this long-running dispute over waste collection. |
Whitehall must fund separate food waste collections, experts say
14/02/2019 Extra Government funding must be provided to speed up separate collections of food waste, the industry body has demanded. |
Hundreds of Birmingham refuse workers to strike ‘weekly’
05/02/2019 Over 300 refuse workers have announced they will begin two days of strike action a week in an escalation of the ongoing industrial dispute with the council. |
Birmingham City Council renews controversial waste disposal contract
17/01/2019 Birmingham City Council has approved a controversial waste disposal contract with Veolia, describing it as the ‘best option available’. |
Recycling services receive a £1bn boost
18/12/2018 Council chiefs have welcomed the Government’s new waste strategy, which aims to encourage businesses and manufacturers to use easily recyclable packaging. |
Council chief says on YouTube: 'I'm sorry about bin chaos'
28/11/2018 A council leader has gone online to apologise to residents over chaos caused by a reorganisation of bin collections. |
Council abandons controversial plan to drop kerbside plastic collection
28/11/2018 Swindon has abandoned controversial proposals to withdraw the kerbside collection of plastics and says it will carry out further ‘research’ into the issue. |
Contractor fined £1m after complaints of ‘dirty streets’
01/11/2018 Trafford council has fined a bins contractor £1m after residents raised concerns about dirty streets and overflowing bins. |
Councils affected by China's waste ban
22/10/2018 A fifth of councils have been directly affected by China’s ban on imported waste over the past year, according to a new survey. |
Neighbourhood services a 'serious concern', report warns
12/10/2018 A new report has highlighted 'serious concerns' over the future quality of neighbourhood services and adult social care unless councils receive adequate funding in the next spending review. |
Welsh waste disposal scheme ‘well-managed’, auditor says
11/10/2018 A scheme launched by the Welsh government to help councils set up contracts to dispose of waste has been well-managed, according to an official report. |
Welsh council moves to monthly refuse collection service
25/09/2018 Welsh council has announced it will only collect refuse destined for landfill or incineration once a month in an effort to save money and encourage recycling. |
Charity calls for end of UK’s ‘barmy’ recycling system
25/09/2018 Every household in the country should be able to recycle the same items under a new national system, according to calls from Keep Britain Tidy. |
Market ‘best placed’ to deliver value for money for waste collection
12/09/2018 Local authorities should use competition to drive value for money for waste collections, representatives from the resource and waste management industry say. |
Council to trial free skip service to stop fly-tipping
03/09/2018 Walsall council is considering trialling a ‘free skip service’ for the deposit of household bulky items. |
Northamptonshire CC plan to save £70m ‘very tall order’
10/08/2018 Northamptonshire CC may face serious hurdles making savings by renegotiating contracts with third-party suppliers, public sector procurement expert warns. |
Recycling rates could be boosted by fraud, says auditors
23/07/2018 The UK’s success at recycling may be being boosted by fraudulent exports of unrecyclable materials, auditors have claimed. |
Birmingham councillor calls for action on dumped fridges
19/07/2018 A Birmingham councillor has called on the Government to do more to tackle the issue of dumped fridges. |
Council use of incinerators ‘doubles’ since 2010
16/07/2018 The amount of waste managed by local authorities and sent to incinerators has doubled in less than a decade, a new report reveals. |
Resourceful partners
10/07/2018 This summer, with the support of three councils, the HERU (Home Energy Resources Unit) will be going out for field trials. Ruth Corrall and Vic Allison looks at the HERU and what the councils hope to achieve with their involvement. |
Councils making £74m a year from garden waste charges
25/06/2018 More than half of UK councils have introduced charges for garden waste collection totalling almost £74m a year, according to new research. |
Councils must change collection services to meet EU recycling target
25/05/2018 Most councils will be able to meet the EU's recycling target at no extra cost, according to waste management experts. |
Councils need a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on fly-tipping, union says
20/04/2018 Local authorities must adopt ‘zero tolerance’ policy on fly-tipping, union says as new study reveals nearly £60m was spent in England clearing up in one year. |
Some councils 'hiding' cost of waste collection on their websites
20/03/2018 Although three-quarters of councils now charge for garden waste collections, less than half of council websites provide a good or very good service for this task, a new survey has revealed. |
Seven council staff arrested in fraud probe
16/02/2018 Seven members of staff at Cardiff Council have been arrested on suspicion of fraud, the council has confirmed. |
Delivering clean streets with technology
31/01/2018 Mark Jenkins explains how the social value of the bin has considerably increased and the way in which it interacts with the public has irrevocably changed. |
Council to introduce four-weekly bin collection
24/01/2018 Conwy Council is phasing in four-weekly black bin collections following a successful trial which saved the equivalent of 87 double decker buses from landfill. |
Refuse vehicles could be powered by household waste
22/01/2018 A city council is planning on running its refuse collection vehicles on electricity generated by the city’s household waste. |
Councils welcome Government proposals to fine fly-tippers
15/01/2018 Local authorities have welcomed the Government’s pledge to provide them with the powers to do more to tackle illegal waste and fly-tipping. |
Derby and Nottingham to launch combined commercial waste service
10/01/2018 Derby City Council’s share of the city’s £47m commercial waste market is set to gain a ‘significant’ boost with the launching of a new combined commercial waste service. |
Tri-weekly bin collections boosts Anglesey's recycling rates
08/11/2017 The introduction of tri-weekly waste collections has helped increase recycling rates by 10% in the past year in the Isle of Anglesey, new figures reveal. |
Councils call for ‘hard-hitting fines’ as fly-tipping incidents pass one million
20/10/2017 Councils call for more powers to hand out ‘hard-hitting fines’ to fly-tippers as figures reveal local authorities dealt with one million incidents last year. |
Councils taking a week to deal with waste complaints, survey reveals
10/10/2017 More than third of people have complained to their local council about a problem with waste and recycling services, a new survey has revealed. |
Improvement panel to remain in Birmingham
21/09/2017 The team brought in to turn Birmingham City Council around has backtracked on its plans to withdraw. |
Union suspends industrial action in Birmingham bin dispute
21/09/2017 Unite has suspended industrial action after the High Court ordered Birmingham City Council to withdraw redundancy notices it had served on 113 refuse workers. |
Five more functions handed back to Rotherham
13/09/2017 More powers have been handed back to Rotherham Council following a report showing it has made further progress in the aftermath of the city's child abuse scandal. |
Birmingham bin strike to resume after council issues redundancy notices
01/09/2017 Bin workers in Birmingham are back on strike today after an agreement reached with the city council appeared to fall |
Landowners call for tougher fly-tipping penalties
25/08/2017 Seizing vehicles must become the default penalty for fly-tipping as part of tougher punishments for waste crime, landowners insist. |
Birmingham officers in warning over bin deal
25/08/2017 A row is brewing between Birmingham City Council’s management and senior councillors over how to end the long-running industrial dispute with bin men. |
Outsourced bin collections leading to rise in upheld complaints
23/08/2017 The outsourcing of waste collections by councils in England has led to an increase in the number of complaints being upheld by the ombudsman, new report warns. |
Welsh government aims to halve food waste within a decade
17/08/2017 The Welsh government is launching a consultation on plans to halve Wales’ food waste by 2025. |
Long-running bin strike in Birmingham is called off
17/08/2017 The seven-week bin strike in Birmingham has been suspended after trade union Unite agreed to further negotiations with the council. |
Wheelie bins replaced by underground waste system
08/08/2017 The largest underground bin system in the UK has opened in Cambridge, enabling residents to put their waste down chutes outside their homes. |
Energy-from-waste putting pressure on recycling rates, claims report
08/08/2017 A surge in the number of energy-from-waste and incinerator plants being built in the UK could limit recycling rates, according to a new report. |
Rotherham set to be handed back five powers
19/07/2017 A further five powers are due to be returned to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council following improvements by the council. |
One in five waste issues take over a week to resolve, survey reveals
12/06/2017 Over 20% of all waste and recycling issues raised by the public take more than a week to resolve, a new survey reveals. |
Fighting food waste, Scandinavian style
02/06/2017 Philip Simpson looks at some of the lessons Britain can learn from Denmark on waste management. |
Council criticised after workers exposed to asbestos
31/05/2017 The GMB union has called for an overhaul of Fife Council’s health and safety policies after workers were exposed to asbestos. |
Refuse collection workers threaten strikes in Birmingham
31/05/2017 Refuse workers in Birmingham have started voting on strike action amid accusations of financial mismanagement and an overspend by the council of nearly £10m. |
The need for 'smart' waste collection
18/05/2017 Giles K Bailey and Stefano Mainero explore how new technologies can help transform the future of waste collection services. |
Council waste company launches commercial service
12/05/2017 The council-owned Bristol Waste Company has launched a commercial waste and recycling collection service. |
Waste crime costs country over £600m a year, report reveals
03/05/2017 A new report from an environmental consultancy has revealed waste crime costs the country over £600m a year and blights local communities. |
Whitehall launches national anti-littering strategy
10/04/2017 The Government has launched its new anti-littering strategy, which includes guidance for councils on how to update the nation’s ‘binfrastructure’. |
Local authorities urged to tackle food waste crisis
05/04/2017 Philip Simpson argues that local authorities have a pivotal role to play in curbing the growing volume of food waste generated in the UK. |
Is our ‘Litter Brexit' moment approaching?
21/03/2017 John Read calls on the Government to be bold and courageous in its first-ever national litter strategy. |
Fly-tipping costing councils £50m a year
02/03/2017 Councils are facing a £50m annual bill for clearing up litter and dealing with fly-tipping, new figures have revealed today. |
Councils urged to adopt one of three standardised waste systems
01/03/2017 Brexit presents a 'huge opportunity' for the UK government to develop a new approach to waste and resources policy, according to the Policy Exchange think tank. |
Applications for ‘green’ waste sites down by 20%
20/02/2017 The number of planning applications to build new ‘greener’ waste management sites has dropped by 20% in a year, raising fears the current system could become over-stretched, new figures have revealed. |
Council considers joint venture for environmental services
09/02/2017 A joint venture between Daventry District Council and Norse Commercial Services to deliver waste and recycling services is being considered for next year. |
Sheffield Council considers terminating waste management contract 20 years early
11/01/2017 Sheffield City Council is considering ending its waste management contract with Veolia 20 years early as the deal is ‘no longer meeting its needs’. |
£13bn worth of food was discarded in 2015, experts say
10/01/2017 Local authorities are uniting with manufacturers and retailers in order to help millions of people reduce household food waste. |
‘Hard-pressed’ councils not to blame for recycling confusion
09/01/2017 Councils are burdened with a ‘disproportionate share’ of the responsibility for waste and recycling, and companies should do more to improve packaging, environmentalists say. |
Recycling rates fall for first time
16/12/2016 Recycling rates in the UK have decreased for the first time since records began, figures have revealed. |
Councils agree £150m Energy from Waste facility
27/10/2016 Three Scottish councils have agreed to work together to build a new Energy from Waste facility in Aberdeen. |
Councils report increase in fly-tipping
20/10/2016 Seven out of ten local authorities report that fly-tipping is a major problem and putting extra pressure on budgets, according to a new survey. |
First National Recycling Guidelines unveiled
12/10/2016 A definitive list of what can and cannot be collected for recycling has been published to help dispel some of the confusion surrounding kerbside collections. |
Norwich council to abolish single-use plastic products
30/09/2016 Norwich City Council has committed itself to becoming a single-use-plastic-free authority by the end of 2017. |
Update: Welsh council under fire for controversial nappy policy
28/09/2016 Residents have raised ‘numerous concerns’ about the nappy collection policy of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. |
Charity bins pilot reduces littering by 30%
20/09/2016 The use of ‘charity bins’ has successfully reduced litter by an average of 30% in five locations across England. |
Councils inspecting bins to uncover recycling habits
19/09/2016 At least 24 councils in England have removed and analysed the contents of rubbish bins without telling residents, according to a freedom of information request. |
Data shows councils reject 84% more recyclable waste
23/08/2016 The amount of rubbish rejected for recycling by councils in England has increased by 84% over the past four years, a new investigation has revealed. |
Bristol opts for integrated waste service
15/08/2016 Bristol City Council has approved plans for all its waste services to be delivered by one council-owned company. |
Council consults on smaller bins or collections every three weeks
03/08/2016 Local residents have hit out at Wirral Council after being asked to choose from having smaller bins or less frequent waste collections. |
Waste management 'hugely fragmented' warns association
01/08/2016 Without reform, waste management could cost local authorities up to an extra £485m per year, according to the Environmental Services Association (ESA). |
Top ten worst excuses for fly-tipping
01/08/2016 The Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed the top ten worst excuses people give for fly-tipping and they range from the merely unbelievable to the downright ridiculous. |
Recycling rewards without rewards schemes
22/07/2016 Recycling communications are the key to local authorities achieving higher recycling rates – and it can be achieved on a budget, says Rick Hindley. |
Reaping the rewards through green technology
08/07/2016 John Lawrence explains how new bus technology could cut waste management costs and make councils greener. |
Charity calls for English councils to be set new recycling targets
03/06/2016 Councils in England should be set the ambitious target of recycling 70% of all waste collected by 2025 in order to keep pace with Welsh councils, an environmental charity has said. |
Recycling experts defend efficiency of council waste collections
27/05/2016 Council recycling experts have rejected recent reports suggesting changes to the way waste is collected. |
Scottish councils sign shared services waste contract
20/05/2016 More than 90% of waste that would have gone into landfill sites will be recycled in a deal between five Scottish councils and a private sector company which will also generate energy. |
Councils need to be more transparent when procuring waste services, report urges
04/05/2016 Local government needs to be more transparent when it comes to assessing waste service performance, a new report says. |
Energy-from-waste treatment ‘dramatically’ reduces landfill waste
14/03/2016 South Tyneside has ‘dramatically’ reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfill from 66% to only 3%. |
Council websites make it easy for you to find your local tips, survey learns
29/01/2016 More than three quarters of county councils provide a good or very good service for people seeking information about their local tip, even when they are doing so from their mobile phone, Socitm has found. |
England's recycling policy ‘outdated’, claims report
29/01/2016 Current waste management systems in England are no longer ‘fit for purpose’, according to a new report. |
Councils forced to incinerate and bury tons of recycling
18/01/2016 Councils are burning and burying tons of carefully sorted recycling, and this practice has nearly doubled in the last three years, according to the results of a freedom of information request. |
Council considers switching to a monthly bin collection
15/12/2015 A Welsh council is considering cutting refuse collections to once a month to avoid being fined for missing recycling targets. |
Salford approves three-weekly bin collections pilot
25/11/2015 Salford City Council is to pilot three-weekly bin collections in nine wards in a bid to save the council £1m a year. |
Two councils agree to share waste services
16/11/2015 Two councils in Cambridgeshire are to share a waste management service in a bid to save up to £700,000. |
Council's three weekly bin collection could cost jobs warns union
04/11/2015 Newport City Council will face ‘heavy’ job losses if it proceeds with proposals to move to three weekly bin collections and cut back on grass cutting, a trade union is warning. |
The June issue of Local Government News contains the full details of all the winning schemes in the 2019 Street Design Awards. From Children's Play to Pedestrian Environment, find out who has been recognised for their innovation and use of best practice.
This issue also explores how local government pension funds can hedge currency risk, how councils can best address the shortfall in school places, and an update on the number of authorities banning the use of Roundup over safety fears.
