packaging news   

Grocery to cut packaging waste (Courtauld Commitment 2)
Grocery manufacturers and retailers have agreed to make significant cuts to food and packaging waste that could save customers and the industry £1bn and cut CO2 emissions by three million tonnes, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has announced. Phase Two of the Courtauld Commitment will see the industry go further than ever, with renewed efforts to help householders waste less of the food they buy, reduce the environmental impact of packaging, and for the first time, address the waste from manufacture and supply... read more here »

First pre-pack food waste study launched
The first study into the rubbish generated by the pre-packed food industry is being launched by the Government's waste watchdog. New research led by Waste and Resources Action Programme is set examine the amount of waste in the UK's retail supply chain... read more here »

Tesco tries switch to plastic spirits bottles
Tesco is trialling the use of plastic bottles for its own-brand spirits range as well as introducing lightweight glass wine bottle as part its efforts to reduce carbon emissions from packaging... read more here »

commercial waste news   

Zero Waste Scotland launches £5m plastics recycling fund
Businesses are being invited to bid to share in a £5 million capital grant programme for developing plastics recycling facilities in Scotland... read more here »

Britain is lagging behind other countries in renewable sources
A promising solution to the UK's waste problems is under threat after the Govt set the price it will pay for electricity generated from organic waste too low, green campaigners have claimed. Farmers are aborting plans to build anaerobic digestion plants to convert waste into energy after the Govt's climate change dept made the proposed plants commercially unviable...read more here »

Mapping the Waste from Pizza and Sandwiches
Food and research groups in the United Kingdom are investigating how much waste is created in the lifecycles of four types of food. The research, commissioned by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, hopes to map out the amount of food and packaging waste created in different parts of the supply chains for pizza, sandwiches, quiche and frozen and refrigerated meals...read more here »

WRAP: 'Little room for complacency for UK material quality'
China is set to remain the UK's biggest export market for paper and plastics. However, although China's reprocessors think that UK material is 'relatively good', it is 'by no means the best'...read more here »

Valpak comment: The China Market Sentiment Survey Report was produced by WRAP from research and data analysis undertaken by Valpak Consulting »

local authority news   

M&S to buy council waste
Marks and Spencer is to work with local authorities to reduce their waste in what the chain has called a 'pioneering' agreement. Its first partnership will see M&S spend £1.25m, over five years, in a deal with Somerset County Council. The cash will be used to add plastics and cardboard to the materials it already collects from homes across its five district councils. M&S will then either reuse the material itself or sell it to other packaging producers for them to recycle ... read more here »

Tories: Microchips in our bins herald pay as you throw tax
The number of households that have microchips in their bins has jumped to 2.6m in the past 12 months, according to a new report. Councils say the microchips identify which houses the bins belong to. But opposition politicians claim the microchips can be used to weigh waste and fear the rise in the use of the technology will lead to "pay as you throw" schemes... read more here »

Wales targets four materials for landfill bans
The Welsh Assembly Government has revealed plans to introduce landfill bans for wood, glass, plastic and food waste in the country under legislative moves to help reach its Toward Zero Waste targets... read more here »

Cuts in council spending won't necessarily mean cuts in recycling
A survey reveals that waste management might not be as adversely affected as other sectors when the widely expected public spending cuts materialise... read more here »

electrical news   

UN calls for action on growing electronic waste
The world must do more to cope with the drastic rise in electronic waste, according to a UN study. The report suggests that in some countries, the amount of e-waste being produced could rise by as much as 500% over the next decade. Such rapid growth, it argues, will create intractable problems for people's health and the environment as the (often toxic) waste decays..." read more here »

"How big is the problem of electronic waste, and can it be tackled?"
The Independent gives its readers a background briefing on e-waste... read more here »

EEE producers no longer required to fund WEEE collections from kerbside
Producers of electrical and electronic equipment will no longer have to fund waste electrical and electronic equipment collections from kerbside under new amendments to the recast WEEE Directive..." read more here »

MEPs to scrutinise planned WEEE Directive changes
EU Commission proposals to make producers responsible for funding the collection of waste electrical equipment from households as part of a recast of the EU WEEE Directive have been rejected in a report drawn up by the man responsible for steering the legislation through the European Parliament... read more here »

Valpak comment: In recent weeks Valpak has been discussing the principles behind the WEEE Directive recast with a number of officials, MEPs and their advisers including the assistant to Mr. Heinz-Florenz who is responsible for the new proposals. We support many of the suggestions and amendments made by Mr Florenz in his draft report as we believe that they will reduce administrative burdens and improve the system, for example the adoption of the proposal made by Valpak some time ago to reduce the reporting categories to 5 from the current 13. We also agree with the principle proposed of relating future collection targets to a percentage of sales, although we have said that the proposed level of 65% by 2016 is too high to be realistic. A copy of our full position paper is available on request, please contact stephanie.haines@valpak.co.uk. We will be following this debate closely in the coming weeks and report back on significant events to members.

Ignorance, inconvenience blamed for low furniture & elec. recycling rates
A lack of awareness and inconvenience are being blamed as the main reason why people fail to recycle furniture and large electrical goods, according to a new survey. The research commissioned by the British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Stores found that 17% of people surveyed did not recycle such items because it was too much hassle and a further 16% of people said it was because they didn't have any facilities nearby..." read more here »

general news   

Landfill tax set to increase to £48 per tonne
Landfill tax is set to increase from £40 to £48 a tonne from April 1 2010, as the Govt attempts to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the ground... read more here »

Valpak comment: Valpak's recycling services offer a total waste management service aiming to find you the most cost effective solution for recycling or disposal. Contact us now to minimise the impact of landfill taxes by maximising the value of your recyclable material info@valpak.co.uk