Whether you're sitting at your desk, kicking back at home or just about anywhere else, stop and take a moment to look around. How many things in your immediate vicinity are made out of plastic? From reusable coffee cups to computer keyboards to nouveau compostable plastic food containers, stuff made out of polymers is everywhere. The good news, from an environmental perspective, is that more and more products — running shoes and car interiors made from old water bottles, for instance — are the result of a new wave in unconventional plastic re-purposing. Amid the circular economy craze, under which business models provide for materials to be constantly cycled back into supply chains, plastics represent both a huge opportunity and a huge challenge. The world consumed an average of three per cent more plastic every year from 2005 to 2013, reaching 202 million tonnes annually by the end of that period, according to market intelligence firm ICIS Industries. Demand is expected to …

Residents of Windsor and Maidenhead are set to receive vouchers and discounts in local shops in return for recycling their food waste, in the latest initiative unveiled by Greenredeem. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) announced last week it has expanded its partnership with Greenredeem to include food waste, which currently makes up 30 per cent of rubbish going to landfill in the borough. RBWM is the first borough to offer the food recycling reward scheme to all its residents. It operates on a points system that rewards local residents for their recycling, but has until now mainly focused on dry recyclables. Points can be converted into vouchers for use in local shops and businesses, acting as an incentive for residents. Councillor Carwyn Cox said he hoped the new initiative would encourage more residents to recycle their food and maintained the scheme was "simple and easy" to use. The new food waste scheme means residents will now be able to earn extra poi…

Up to 300 new sorting and recycling plants for plastic waste will be commissioned in Europe by 2025, according to a new study that predicts the continent's recycling industry is poised for a period of significant growth. The research by Cologne-based consultancy ecoprog GmbH predicts plants with the capacity to process 5.2 million tonnes of plastic waste will be commissioned over the next 10 years. The surge in investment will result in an increase of 25 per cent on the almost 1,200 plastic sorting and recycling plants active in Europe today. FURTHER READING The main market driver is expected to be the EU Waste Framework Directive, which introduced the "polluter pays principle" and requires member states to re-use or recycle at least 50 per cent of certain household wastes, including paper, metal, plastic and glass, by 2020. However, almost no EU member state has yet reached this goal and a number, including the UK, are thought to be at risk of missing the target. "With…

Good morning everyone, I'm delighted to be here today, and thanks to Maxine for the introduction. I want you to think about something for a second if you will? Think about whether you still have the same mobile phone you had seven or eight years ago... Or perhaps more realistically, how many phones you have had since that time. I dare say most of us have changed our phones in that period; some of us have changed them several times. And it's not surprising when you consider what you now get for your money. Just a few years ago we were wowed with the idea that mobile technology meant we could connect to other people as they went about their daily lives. Whereas now we demand that our phones allow us to not only connect with others, but with every part of our own daily lives. If I just think about my own experience... I recently went to a friend's wedding in Latvia. We used the phone Sat Nav capabilities to get to the airport and check for any traffic delays... We had our board…

Recycling specialist Knowaste has submitted a planning application to build the UK's largest facility for recycling nappies and other hygiene products at a site in Hayes, west London. Knowaste was the first company in the UK to recycle absorbent hygiene products (AHP), which include nappies, incontinence pads and feminine hygiene products, setting up a pilot treatment facility in the West Midlands between 2011 and 2013. FURTHER READING The original site processed an average 12,000 tonnes of the waste a year, including a total of 117 million nappies. However, Knowaste estimates the new £14m Hayes 180 site, which is planned for launch in early 2017, would handle at least 36,000 tonnes of AHP waste per annum. Paul Richardson, UK business development director at Knowaste, said the recycling process is the most sustainable solution for managing AHP waste that is often otherwise sent to landfill or for incineration. "Hayes 180 is the start of an exciting phase for Knowaste, a…

Do you remember when Patagonia told us, "Don't buy this jacket" and started focusing on repairing, reusing and recycling used gear? Patagonia's Common Threads Initiative is a great example of "circular economy" or closed loop principles at work; when people no longer need their Patagonia gear, the company takes it back and makes it into new gear. The resources invested into making the initial products, and the products themselves, are cycled back into production of new products of similar value and utility. Levi's is another excellent example of a clothing company that is successfully employing circular economy principles. Levi's vision is to eliminate a culture of waste, facilitating practical and creative ways to extend the life of jeans, repurpose them, and/or recover and reprocess the fibers into raw material for a next generation of Levi's. Beyond clothing, a number of durable products companies have embraced a circular economic model. Dell is a standout example. The co…