Greenwich council reduces waste collections in move to net zero
30/06/2022 Greenwich council is reducing the number of waste collections it offers as part of the effort to cut carbon emissions and increase the rate of recycling. |
Portsmouth council set to bring waste services in house
22/06/2022 Portsmouth City Council’s domestic household waste and recycling collection service is set to be delivered in house following a cabinet decision yesterday. |
Council considers subterranean super-bins in UK first
17/06/2022 Liverpool City Council is to consider beginning consultations on the installation of underground bins in an effort to clear streets of black bags and litter. |
Coventry bin lorry drivers renew strike
08/06/2022 HGV drivers in Coventry have voted to renew their strike mandate and continue industrial action into the summer over a pay dispute with the city council. |
Rugby waste and street cleaning strikes end with new pay deal
30/05/2022 Industrial action affecting Rugby Borough Council’s waste and street cleaning services is set to end today as the council and Unite reach an agreement. |
Regulator finds ‘competition concerns’ with Veolia and Suez merger
20/05/2022 A merger of the waste management companies Veolia and Suez could lead to a loss of competition and an increase in costs for local authorities, regulator warns. |
Changes to food waste collection and recycling: What actions do councils need to take?
17/05/2022 Ben Thomson, solicitor at Ashfords, looks at what actions councils need to take in light of the changes to food waste collection and recycling. |
Call to limit new waste incinerators in Scotland
11/05/2022 An independent review has called for a cap on future waste incineration capacity in Scotland. |
Councils to be banned from charging for disposal of DIY waste
11/04/2022 The Government has proposed banning local authorities from charging for the disposal of DIY waste from households. |
Red diesel ban ‘tangible threat’ to waste strategy
18/03/2022 The Chancellor has been warned that the red diesel ban is ‘counter intuitive’ and presents ‘a tangible threat’ to the Government’s waste strategy. |
The case for keeping co-mingled collections while boosting food waste recycling rates
09/03/2022 Simon Christian explores how new technology can help local authorities increase the amount of household food waste they collect – without completely overhauling their current waste collection regime. |
Bin strike hitting 220,000 homes begins in Wiltshire
08/03/2022 A two-week bin strike in Wiltshire affecting 220,000 homes began yesterday after GMB members turned down a new pay offer. |
Delay to EPR will create 'vacuum of uncertainty' for councils
04/03/2022 Councils will be forced to award waste management contracts in a 'vacuum of uncertainty' following the delay to the introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR), the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) has warned. |
Sussex councils agree pay rise for refuse, recycling and cleansing staff
28/02/2022 Adur & Worthing Councils have agreed to a wage increase for refuse, recycling and cleansing staff following a review of pay and conditions. |
Storm Eunice forces councils to close services
18/02/2022 Councils across the UK have been forced to suspend public services, close schools and provide emergency help for rough sleepers due to Storm Eunice. |
Councils demand to know more about deposit return scheme
09/02/2022 Councils are unsure about the full implications of deposit return schemes ahead of their rollout, according to new research. |
Coventry bin lorry driver strike to cost council £1.8m
09/02/2022 The dispute in Coventry over the pay of bin lorry drivers is likely to cost the city council around £1.8m if it continues to the end of March, the local authority has warned. |
Scrapping green waste charges: the whole picture
08/02/2022 Karen Steel calls on councils to start planning for the upcoming National Bin Service. |
Blaenau Gwent receives damning report in public interest
28/01/2022 Auditors said oversight of the council's waste company was ‘inadequate’ for more than a decade. |
Coventry council hires private contractor amid bin strikes
27/01/2022 Coventry City Council today announced that it is set to bring in a private contractor to help collect waste as strike action by bin lorry drivers continues. |
New proposals to tackle waste crime
21/01/2022 New proposals to tackle fly-tipping and illegal waste exports have been unveiled by the Government today. |
Regulator to progress Veolia and Suez investigation
22/12/2021 The competition regulator has announced that it will progress its investigation of the proposed merger between Veolia and Suez to the next stage. |
Council to bring waste and recycling centres in-house
16/12/2021 Kirklees Council will bring Household Waste and Recycling Centres in-house as part of an effort to give the council more control over public-facing services. |
Coventry bin lorry drivers strike proposal ‘impractical’
15/12/2021 Coventry City Council has rejected a union proposal that bin lorry drivers work for one hour and then go on strike for another hour. |
Councils dealing with record amount of fly-tipping
09/12/2021 A charity has called for a review of the licensing scheme for waste carriers after new figures showed fly-tipping has reached an all-time high. |
Veolia and Suez merger criticised by competition authority
08/12/2021 The merger of Veolia and Suez could lead to a loss of competition in the supply of several waste and water management services in the UK, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). |
Coventry RCV drivers vote to strike
07/12/2021 Bin lorry drivers in Coventry have voted to take strike action in a dispute over pay and Christmas working arrangements. |
Council sets up ‘arms-length’ business to deliver key services
03/12/2021 East Suffolk Council is to create a Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) to help it deliver key council services. |
HGV drivers threaten Christmas strikes
24/11/2021 Drivers of heavy goods vehicles who work for Coventry City Council’s waste services are threatening to go on strike over the Christmas period as part of a pay dispute. |
Birmingham bins not returned due to 'council squabble'
11/11/2021 The ombudsman has blamed 'bickering' bin workers for residents having to return their own heavy communal bins to the right place in Birmingham. |
Councils warn against 'unnecessary' free garden waste collections
25/10/2021 Councils have criticised government proposals for universal free garden waste collection, warning they are not the answer to reducing landfill. |
Refuse workers strike against ‘ongoing attacks’ on pay and conditions
21/10/2021 Union members at Veolia Sheffield have voted to strike over pay and what they characterise as ‘ongoing attacks’ to their terms and conditions. |
Brighton council and union reaches deal to end bin strike
19/10/2021 Brighton residents will soon once again see their streets cleared of bin bags as the council reaches a deal with striking refuse collection workers to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute. |
Council chiefs warn driver shortages could hit gritting services
11/10/2021 Local authority leaders have warned that driver shortages could affect gritting services this winter. |
New pay deal ends long-running bin strikes in South London
03/09/2021 Disruption to refuse services in the London Borough of Bexley has finally come to an end after a new pay deal was agreed. |
IoT technology: Benefitting local authorities and councils
02/07/2021 Nick Sacke outlines some of the primary challenges being faced by local authorities and how technology can help. |
We must seize the opportunity to accelerate a circular economy
25/06/2021 Victoria Lawson argues that moving to a circular economy could tackle the climate crisis, shorten supply chains, support new green jobs and encourage more connected and resilient communities. |
Council invests over £1m in mobile household recycling centres
16/06/2021 Birmingham City Council has invested £1.4m in a pilot project that will see a fleet of mobile household recycling centres (MHRCs) rolled out across the city. |
Litter overwhelming councils in tourist hotspots, warns union
15/06/2021 Councils are being overwhelmed by huge piles of litter at UK beauty spots, a trade union has warned today. |
Waste collection plans to cost £680m a year, councils warn
11/06/2021 Government plans to standardise kerbside waste collections will cost £680m a year, district councils have warned today. |
Bristol City Council apologises for ‘distress’ caused by mishandling of complaints
26/05/2021 Bristol City Council has apologised after being criticised for failing to provide evidence it had completed Ombudsman recommendations in two separate complaints. |
New measures to boost recycling rates
07/05/2021 New proposals to increase the amount of household waste being recycled have been unveiled by the Government today. |
How local councils can help stop unnecessary plastic ending up in landfill
28/04/2021 Paul Empson outlines three simple ways councils can help raise awareness of the impact plastic food delivery trays have on the environment. |
Digital map reveals 'lacklustre recycling growth'
26/04/2021 Recycling rates have plateaued in England and Scotland for the fifth consecutive year according to a new interactive digital map of local authority recycling data. |
Non-recyclable packaging costs councils £48m per year
29/03/2021 Packaging manufacturers are not doing enough to stop producing non-recyclable packaging or to contribute to the costs of disposal, council chiefs say. |
The importance of sustainable waste management strategies for the UK's local authorities
26/03/2021 Peter Vernon sustainable waste management strategies in the context of wheelie-bin procurement and improved recycling rates. |
Waste services experience continued ‘disruption’ due to COVID-19
10/03/2021 Local authority waste services across the country are continuing to feel the impacts of COVID-19, a new survey has revealed. |
Councils dealing with one million fly-tipping incidents a year
25/02/2021 Councils dealt with nearly one million incidents of fly-tipping in 2019/20 at a cost of £50m, the latest figures have shown. |
Councillors warn standardised collections will result in waste and recycling charges
09/02/2021 Residents may be forced to carry the cost of introducing standardised waste and recycling collections in England, a survey of local councillors has warned. |
Developing a best value biowaste strategy
02/02/2021 With all English local authorities to be required to collect food waste by 2023, Ben Brown explains how they can implement the best value biowaste solution. |
Copeland residents asked to consider new radioactive waste facility
05/11/2020 A Working Group has been formed to start local engagement on whether Copeland could be a suitable location for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for higher activity radioactive waste. |
Household recycling 'soared' during pandemic
19/10/2020 Some councils saw household recycling soar by 100% during the COVID-19 pandemic, council leaders have revealed. |
Councils warn about rise in PPE litter
28/09/2020 Nearly half of district councils have warned the littering of face masks and plastic gloves is becoming a growing problem in their area. |
Waste incinerators more likely to be built in deprived areas, research uncovers
03/08/2020 Waste incinerators are three times more likely to be built in poorer areas than in the UK’s richest areas, an investigation has revealed. |
North East councils team up for £2.1bn energy and waste project
24/07/2020 Seven councils across the North East have joined forces on a £2.1bn energy and waste project. |
Waste collections ‘return to normal’
15/07/2020 The majority of local authorities are now reporting that they have returned to normal operations of residual waste collections despite the continuing impact of Covid-19. |
County set to approve £102m waste contract
29/06/2020 Norfolk County Council is set to approve a new six-year waste management deal with Veolia, worth £102m. |
Most councils prepare to open household waste recycling centres
13/05/2020 Nearly all councils are planning on opening Household Waste Recycling Centres in the next two weeks, a survey has revealed. |
Fly-tipping soars by 300% since lockdown
01/05/2020 Fly-tipping in rural areas has increased by 300% since the lockdown, new analysis has discovered. |
Councils prepare to reopen recycling sites
29/04/2020 Councils have been asked to make reopening household waste recycling sites a priority by the Government. |
Refuse workers in Wirral walk out over coronavirus fears
08/04/2020 Refuse collectors in Wirral have refused to work after claiming Biffa Waste Services failed to introduce strict social distancing measures. |
Councils told to prioritise black bag rubbish collections
08/04/2020 Councils have been advised to prioritise black bag waste collections over recycling during the coronavirus crisis. |
Most councils still providing normal waste collections, survey reveals
06/04/2020 The majority of councils have been able to provide a normal waste and recycling collection service, a new survey has revealed. |
Councils warn of ‘wave of waste’
02/04/2020 There will be a spike in household rubbish due to the coronavirus lockdown, district councils have warned today. |
Councils urged to provide data on waste services during Covid-19
01/04/2020 Local authorities have been urged to provide regular information on the impact Covid-19 is having on waste services. |
Council reviews bin collections after disabled man ‘blocked’ in house
20/03/2020 Trafford Council has agreed to review the way it monitors missed bin collections after the Ombudsman upheld half a dozen complaints. |
Waste operators call for ‘performance penalty’ relief to keep services running
20/03/2020 Waste operators have asked to be excused from performance penalties from the councils they have contracts with as part of the effort to keep services running during the pandemic. |
Council chiefs call on mattress companies to ‘recycle own products’
02/03/2020 Local authority leaders are calling for mattress manufacturers to be forced to recycle their own products and offer take-back services to stop them being fly-tipped. |
Call for ‘urgent action’ to stop people sleeping in bins
24/02/2020 Waste companies have called for a collaborative approach to stopping homeless people from sleeping in bins as new figures reveal a 15% increase in the practice over the last half decade. |
Birmingham City Council considers ‘overhaul’ of rubbish collection service
04/02/2020 Birmingham residents could see their bins collected every two to three weeks as part of a package of measures designed to overhaul the city’s waste management service. |
Help end ‘scandalous’ dumping of child car seats, LGA tells manufacturers
03/02/2020 Local authority leaders have called on manufacturers to take back child car seats once they have reached the end of their life to prevent them being sent to landfill. |
Scottish councils sign £700m contract to ‘transform waste’
16/01/2020 Five Scottish councils have signed a contract that will see up to 190,000 tonnes of black bag waste diverted from landfill and converted to low carbon energy. |
District councils warn of ‘fly-tipping farm-aggedon'
13/01/2020 Councils have warned that fly-tippers are increasingly targeting rural areas after new figures show a surge in incidents where rubbish is being dumped on farm land. |
‘Toughen up’ fly-tipping sentences, council chiefs say
06/01/2020 Local authority leaders have called for tougher sentences for fly-tippers as the latest figures reveal that offences have increased by 50% in six years |
Scotland’s bottle deposit scheme should cover other materials, MSPs say
10/12/2019 Scotland’s bottle deposit scheme should include cartons and other plastics, a report has urged today. |
Welsh council tops Recycling Carbon Index
25/11/2019 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has been named as the best recycler in the UK in terms of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it has saved. |
Welsh council trials microchipping bins to encourage recycling
24/10/2019 A Welsh county council is trialling the use of microchipping as part of an effort to encourage recycling as it moves to a four weekly collection. |
Recycling and refuse top public’s spending priority list
17/10/2019 Councils should spend more money on rubbish collection and recycling, according to the results of a new poll. |
Biffa fined for £350,000 over contaminated China shipment
30/09/2019 Waste management firm Biffa has been fined £350,000 for trying to send contaminated household waste to China. |
Waste strategy places 'needless burden' on councils, MPs warn
05/09/2019 The waste strategy proposed by the Government has come under fire from MPs amid concerns about the burden it could impose upon local authorities. |
Council to pilot electric bin lorries powered by waste
04/09/2019 Electric bin lorries that are powered by the waste they have collected will be trialled by Sheffield City Council. |
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. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.