NEWS | 18-month suspended prison sentence for illegal waste activity A man has been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, for operating an illegal waste site at Owens Road in Middlesbrough.

NEWS | Defra’s £15 million food redistribution fund open for applications Grants starting from £20,000 are available to food redistribution charities from the UK Government’s new Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme.

NEWS | Unite members vote to continue strike action over Veolia dispute Unite members working at a refuse centre in Sheffield have voted to continue industrial action as part of a long-running dispute with Veolia over union recognition.

NEWS | Digital Waste Tracking delayed until April 2026 Digital Waste Tracking will not become mandatory in April and instead be delayed for 12 months, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced.

NEWS | Man fined for burning asbestos waste next to ancient woodland Mark Greenhalgh has been ordered to pay £20,864 after pleading guilty to burning waste including asbestos next to an ancient woodland.

FEATURE | Textiles EPR: Is the UK ready for a circular textiles revolution? Could EPR spark a circular textiles revolution? How realistic is the idea of implementing a scheme for textiles in the UK? Circular Online investigates.

NEWS | Wales achieves highest 12-month recycling rate on record Wales achieved a 66.7% recycling rate between July 2023 to June 2024, which is its highest 12-month figure on record.

NEWS | “Self-healing” roads use recycled cooking oil to fix potholes New “self-healing” asphalt made from recycled cooking oil can mend potholes without the need for maintenance or human intervention, scientists say.

CASE STUDY | AI at the bin: How Oscar Sort is transforming waste management Intuitive AI explores how Oscar Sort is revolutionising waste diversion by improving efficiency, recovering valuable materials, and paving the way for a more sustainable future.

If you missed our expert-led webinar, you can now watch it for free in the CIWM Knowledge Centre—and it’s open to everyone, not just CIWM members!

NEWS | Grants of up to £27,500 available from Chewing Gum Task Force Grants of up to £27,500 to be made available for councils across the UK to tackle chewing gum litter in the fourth year of the Chewing Gum Task Force.

NEWS | Environment Agency launches National Waste Crime Survey The Environment Agency has launched the third National Waste Crime Survey, which is open to industry and the public across England for three weeks.

NEWS | Unite doubles strike days in Birmingham over job role dispute Unite says Birmingham waste strikes are set to escalate from 4 to 12 days in February and from 4 to 13 days in March as part of a protracted dispute over job role.

NEWS | Welsh company fined for health and safety failures at HWRCs A company that operates several household waste and recycling centres in Wales has been fined £100,000 for “failing to protect workers and members of the public”.

NEWS | Ireland’s DRS collects 900 million bottles and cans in its first year Since the launch of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) on 1 February 2024, 900 million bottles and cans have been returned nationwide.

NEWS | Virgin Media promises to donate 12,000 reused devices in 2025 Virgin Media O2 has committed to donating up to 12,000 pre-owned smartphones to UK charities in 2025.

NEWS | MP calls for prison sentences after fly-tipping blocks road access Lichfield MP Dave Robertson says custodial sentences should be considered for fly-tippers who blocked road access in his consistency by dumping a 15-foot high mound of waste.

NEWS | WRAP and International Food Waste Coalition form WRAP EU WRAP announces new WRAP EU organisation, in partnership with International Food Waste Coalition, as part of efforts to tackle global food waste.

MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE FEATURE | pEPR: Navigating Compliance Challenges Andrea Lockerbie speaks to industry experts about compliance challenges with the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging scheme.

NEWS | New returnable cup scheme launches in Glasgow New returnable cup scheme launched at 49 locations in Glasgow, including in Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, Burger King and local cafes.