A new study attempts to shine a light on the enormous scale of uncollected rubbish and open burning of plastic waste in what’s described as the first ever global plastics pollution inventory.

University of Leeds researchers used AI to model waste management in more than 50,000 municipalities around the world. This model allowed them to predict how much waste was generated globally and what happens to it, say the researchers.

Their study, published in the journal Nature, calculated a staggering 52 million tonnes of plastic products entered the environment in 2020 – which, laid out in a line would stretch around the World over 1,500 times.

It also revealed that more than two thirds of the planet’s plastic pollution comes from uncollected rubbish with almost 1.2 billion people — 15% of the global population — living without access to waste collection services.

The findings further show that in 2020 roughly 30 million tonnes of plastics — amounting to 57% of all plastic pollution — was burned without any environmental controls in place, in homes, on streets and in dumpsites. Burning plastic comes with ‘substantial’ threats to human health, including neurodevelopmental, reproductive and birth defects.

The researchers also identified new plastic pollution hotspots, revealing India as the biggest contributor — rather than China as has been suggested in previous models — followed by Nigeria and Indonesia.

(Above) Infographic: Top 10 Plastic Polluters Ranked (image credit: Dr Angeliki Savvantoglou of Bear Bones). Click to enlarge.

Lack of rubbish harms health, environment and economy
The researchers believe the study shows access to waste collection should be seen as a basic necessity and a vital aspect of sanitation, alongside water and sewerage services.

While uncontrolled burning of plastic has received very little attention in the past, the new calculations show it to be at least as big a problem as rubbish thrown into the environment, even once uncertainty in the model is taken into consideration.

Dr Costas Velis, academic on Resource Efficiency Systems from the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds, led the research. He said: “We need to start focusing much, much more on tackling open burning and uncollected waste before more lives are needlessly impacted by plastic pollution. It cannot be ‘out of sight, out of mind’.”

First author Dr Josh Cottom, Research Fellow in Plastics Pollution at Leeds, said: “Uncollected waste is the biggest source of plastic pollution, with at least 1.2 billion people living without waste collection services forced to ‘self-manage’ waste, often by dumping it on land, in rivers, or burning it in open fires.”

Dr Cottom added: “The health risks resulting from plastic pollution affect some of the world’s poorest communities, who are powerless to do anything about it. By improving basic solid waste management, we can both massively reduce plastic pollution and improve the lives of billions.”

Each year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced. Many plastic products are single-use, hard to recycle, and can stay in the environment for decades or centuries, often being fragmented into smaller items. Some plastics contain potentially harmful chemical additives which could pose a threat to human health, particularly if they are burned in the open.

New plastic pollution hotspots revealed
According to the paper’s estimated global data for 2020, the worst polluting countries were: India: 9.3 million tonnes — around a fifth of the total amount; Nigeria: 3.5 million tonnes; and Indonesia: 3.4 million tonnes.

China, previously reported to be the worst, is now ranked fourth, with 2.8 million tonnes, as a result of improvements collecting and processing waste over recent years. The UK was ranked 135, with around 4,000 tonnes per year, with littering the biggest source.

Low and middle-income countries have much lower plastic waste generation, but a large proportion of it is either uncollected or disposed of in dumpsites. India emerges as the largest contributor because it has a large population, roughly 1.4 billion, and much of its waste isn’t collected.

The contrast between plastic waste emissions from the Global North and the Global South is stark. Despite high plastic consumption, macroplastic pollution — pollution from plastic objects larger than 5 millimeters — is a comparatively small issue in the Global North as waste management systems function comprehensively. There, littering is the main cause of macroplastic pollution.

Growing fears for sub-Saharan Africa
While many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have generally low levels of plastic pollution, they become hotspots when looked at on a per-capita basis with an average 12 kg plastic pollution per person per year, equivalent to over 400 plastic bottles. For comparison, the United Kingdom currently has the per-capita equivalent of less than three plastic bottles per person per year.

Researchers are worried this indicates Sub-Saharan Africa could become the world’s largest source of plastic pollution in the next few decades, because many of its countries have poor waste management and the population is anticipated to grow rapidly.

World needs a ‘Plastics Treaty’ informed by science
Researchers say this first ever global inventory of plastic pollution provides a baseline — comparable to those for climate change emissions — that can be used by policymakers to tackle this looming environmental disaster. They want their work to help policymakers come up with waste management, resource recovery and wider circular economy plans, and want to see a new, ambitious and legally binding, global ‘Plastics Treaty’ aimed at tackling the sources of plastic pollution.

Dr Velis said: “This is an urgent global human health issue — an ongoing crisis: people whose waste is not collected have no option but to dump or burn it: setting the plastics on fire may seem to make them ‘disappear’, but in fact the open burning of plastic waste can lead to substantial human health damage including neurodevelopmental, reproductive and birth defects; and much wider environmental pollution dispersion.”

Second author Ed Cook, Research Fellow in Circular Economy Systems for Waste Plastics at Leeds, said: “In the past policymakers have struggled to tackle this problem, partly because of the scarcity of good quality data. We hope that our detailed local scale dataset will help decision-makers to allocate scarce resources to address plastic pollution efficiently.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) says it is seeking views on proposed changes to how environmental activities are regulated in Scotland.

Earlier this year, SEPA consulted on how a new framework would be implemented to streamline and simplify the regulation of activities across the four main regulatory regimes: water, waste management, radioactive substances and industrial activities, currently known as pollution, prevention and control (PPC). Overall, around 84% of respondents agreed to the proposed approach on the type, tier and wording of the activities and authorisations.

Now, regulated businesses, trade associations and other interested stakeholders are being encouraged to have their say on proposed changes to application and subsistence charges and the authorisation conditions applied to activities regulated using a registration-level authorisation.

SEPA’s two new consultations will inform the next steps for implementing the Integrated Authorisation Framework for regulation of waste management, water and industrial activities. The framework, established by the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR 2018), aims to provide a simpler, integrated system for environmental regulation that is easier for businesses and individuals to understand.

Sandra Tough, Head of Permitting at SEPA, said: “Our latest consultations on regulatory charging and standard conditions present an opportunity for businesses to have their say and help us ensure environmental regulation remains fair and proportionate.

“We want to hear from the businesses and organisations that we regulate, industry bodies, and other individuals interested in the environment. Your views will help us develop an effective and consistent regulatory framework to better protect the environment while supporting businesses to make informed decisions about carrying out regulated activities and improving the transparency of how we regulate.”

Updating charges and introducing standard conditions
While most charges will remain the same under the new framework, there may be an increase or decrease in application and/or subsistence charges for some regulated activities where there are proposed changes to authorisation level or regulatory effort.

SEPA’s charging consultation outlines the proposed changes and explains the reasoning behind the introduction of any new charges, such as where a new activity is being regulated. It also highlights other changes to regulatory charging that will be introduced under EASR 2018, including changes to charging descriptions to make it easier to understand the charges that apply to a specific activity.

The consultation on standard conditions sets out the proposed rules that operators must comply with under the new framework for activities regulated using a registration level authorisation. The use of standard conditions helps remove inconsistencies in how businesses are regulated, benefiting operators by creating a level playing field and helping SEPA support businesses make informed decisions while ensuring the environment is protected.

Interested stakeholders are invited to join SEPA at a series of online consultation information events, beginning 12 September 2024.

You can respond to the consultations online via SEPA’s Consultation Hub. The consultation on charging closes on 13 October and standard conditions closes on 24 November.

• Read SEPA’s consultation on changes to the regulatory charging scheme.
• Read SEPA’s consultation on proposed standard conditions for registration level activities.
• Read a full overview of the responses to SEPA’s previous EASR 2018 consultation on types of authorisation for ​waste management, water and ​industrial activities.
• Find out more about Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018.

The US Plastics Pact has released its Design for Circularity Playbooks, described as essential reports designed to guide the lifecycle of plastics in the US.

“The newly unveiled Design for Recyclability Playbook, Design for Reuse Playbook, and Design for Compostability Playbook provide detailed guidelines to ensure that plastic packaging is continuously reused, recycled, or composted, thereby reducing plastic waste and its environmental impact”, says the group.

The US Plastics Pact describes itself as a solutions-focused consortium of businesses, government agencies, NGOs, and research institutions at the forefront of efforts to foster a circular economy for plastics. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, the group aims to drive systemic change across the plastics value chain. These playbooks are presented as tools for industry insiders and essential guides for anyone committed to sustainability.

“These reports are crucial tools that hold all of us accountable for designing sustainable and environmentally friendly plastic packaging,” said Jonathan Quinn, CEO of US Plastics Pact.

“By providing clear, actionable guidelines, we empower companies and organizations to make informed decisions to drive substantial improvements in plastic design and management.”

Integrating sustainability into plastic design
Together, the three reports are said to offer a comprehensive strategy for integrating sustainability into the design and lifecycle of plastic packaging. The Design for Recyclability Playbook ensures that plastic packaging is compatible with existing recycling systems. It sets expectations for designing new packages and optimizing existing ones, aiming to maximize recycling value and minimize the use of problematic materials that interfere with recycling processes or contaminate recycled content. This approach enhances the efficiency and efficacy of recycling systems and increases national recycling rates, contributing to a more sustainable plastic lifecycle.

The Design for Reuse Playbook addresses the demand for sustainable packaging solutions by providing a toolkit for developing and implementing reusable packaging systems. Aligning with the global principles of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, this playbook promotes systems that support repeated use, reducing reliance on single-use plastics. This initiative is critical for businesses looking to minimize waste and foster a culture of reuse.

The Design for Compostability Playbook explores how businesses can create compostable packaging that supports the development of organics diversion systems in the U.S. The guidelines ensure that compostable packaging breaks down efficiently in composting facilities, converting waste into valuable compost that can enhance soil health and support sustainable agriculture.

Driving responsibility and accountability
As the group explains: “Integral to the paradigm shift toward sustainable plastics packaging design, these playbooks establish best practice guidelines that promote designing for multiple uses, enhancing recyclability, and producing high-quality recycled content. This ensures a unified and practical approach to achieving sustainability goals in plastics management, fostering responsibility and accountability across all stakeholders.”

In June, the US Plastics Pact launched its strategic plan, Roadmap 2.0, which summarizes its achievements to date and sets out targets for the future. “Stakeholders are encouraged to adopt these guidelines to help create a circular economy where plastics are continuously reused, recycled, or composted. This proactive approach will significantly reduce environmental impacts for a healthier planet.”

For more information and to access the playbooks and the report, visit usplasticspact.org.

Product manufacturers’ use of packaging materials has decreased since 2019, says a new report from environmental compliance scheme Valpak. And in 2021, more plastic waste was recycled domestically than exported, for the first time. But the picture that emerges from profiling progress with specific materials appears somewhat mixed.

A detailed snapshot of these and related trends are provided by the PackFlow 2023 reports, commissioned by WRAP. James Skidmore, Director of Consulting at Valpak, commented: “As we approach the full implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), accurate data and baselines are more important than ever.”

He continued: “The reports, which are used by UK governments to inform packaging policy, also offer valuable insights into packaging market trends. For example, we can see that since 2011, UK domestic recycling of plastic packaging has increased steadily. In 2021, it exceeded the amount of plastic waste exported for the first time. The reports also show us that, since 2019, the amount of paper packaging placed on the market has increased relative to plastic packaging.”

Holding more than 50 million SKUs, Valpak’s packaging and product database is the largest packaging data resource in the UK. The suite of six material-specific reports make use of this data to assess the state of the market in 2022. In addition to calculating the amount of packaging placed on the market and recycled, it details compliance projections to 2028 which, in preparation for pEPR, are also used by UK governments to inform decisions on business targets.

Adam Herriott, Senior Specialist at WRAP, said: “WRAP is proud to have worked with Valpak on the PackFlow 2023 reports. These reports are crucial for government policy-making, providing the accurate data needed to shape future packaging regulations. Moreover, they inform much of WRAP’s work, including initiatives like the UK Plastics Pact, helping us to drive significant progress in reducing plastic waste and increasing recycling rates. The insights from these reports are essential for understanding market trends and making data-driven decisions that support a sustainable future.”

Material-specific insights include:

Paper and card
Compared to previous Valpak PackFlow reports in 2019 and 2017, paper and card POM has reduced. UK domestic recycling declined between 2004 and 2010, with modest increases in the targets being met by export. The overall upward trend in export appears to have stabilised since 2017 (despite increases in the targets), with export tonnages fluctuating since this time in a range between 500–700k tonnes per quarter, and total paper and card recycling in a range of 850–1,000k tonnes per quarter. Paper and card packaging recycling targets have flat-lined.

Glass
The main driver for total glass packaging recycling is UK domestic recycling. Glass POM is down from 2019 and, since then, the level of glass packaging recycling has risen steadily to meet modest year-to-year increases in targets. During the past five years, total glass packaging recycling has fluctuated in a range around 350–500k tonnes per quarter. At around 17 per cent of total recycling, on average, the amounts of glass packaging waste exported are small in comparison to UK domestic recycling.

Plastic
Plastic POM has fallen since Valpak’s reports in 2019 and 2017. A strong upward trend in the total amount of plastic packaging waste recycled over the period 2004–2022 was driven by increases in the recycling targets. With UK domestic plastic packaging recycling static at around 50k tonnes per quarter until 2011, export of plastic packaging wastes has played a key role in meeting the targets over much of this period. However, since then, UK recycling of plastic packaging waste has increased steadily and, in 2012, it exceeded the amount of plastic waste exported for the first time.

Aluminium
Compared to 2019 and 2017, aluminium packaging placed on the market has increased. While there has been a slight upward trend in UK domestic recycling over the whole sample period, UK domestic recycling does not appear to be trended since around 2012. During the period 2004–2015 recycling target increases were largely met by increases in UK domestic recycling of aluminium packaging. Since 2015, the situation has reversed. UK domestic recycling has been broadly static, while the export of waste aluminium packaging has grown rapidly. In 2018, it exceeded UK recycling in 2018, while in 2022, 64 per cent of aluminium packaging waste was exported, mostly to Europe (Germany and Netherlands).

Steel
Steel POM has reduced compared to 2019 and 2017. While there was substantial volatility in the amounts of steel packaging waste recycled either in the UK or exported over the period 2004–2022, there has been no strong indication of any trends.

Wood
The volume of wood packaging placed on the UK market was stable between 2019 and 2022, but higher compared to 2017. Between 2004 and 2008, an upward trend was seen in total recycling; this peaked at an annual tonnage of 940k tonnes and was followed by a decline that continued to a low point in 2015. Since 2015, accredited wood packaging recycling has continued to increase despite a drop in 2020. Business targets saw a slow increase between 2004 and 2009, before stagnating until 2017. In 2018, targets saw a dramatic increase to 48 per cent in 2020, before dropping to 35 per cent in 2021 and stagnating.

To download the reports in full, visit: https://www.valpak.co.uk/?s=packflow%202023 

The Environment Agency says it has identified a dramatic rise in the scale and complexity of fraud in the waste export industry in the last three years – with criminals falsely claiming to have exported packaging waste that either never existed, was not UK sourced or had already been the subject of a claim, with total waste crime costing the UK economy an estimated £1 billion each year.

Packaging Export Recycling Notes gives waste exporters evidence that they have met their legal recycling obligations, however, rogue operators exploit the system by falsifying documents, undermining legitimate businesses. The result of this is that illegal waste ends up being exported out of the UK and is often dumped in locations overseas where it harms the environment.

As the waste regulator in England, the Environment Agency is determined to make life harder for criminals and their professional enablers through enforcement action and prosecution.

Evidence has been found of sophisticated and established money laundering networks set up to receive not only the proceeds of Packaging Export Recycling Note fraud but monies from benefit fraud, VAT fraud and acquisitive crime. Such criminality is not only based in the UK as criminal networks extend across international boundaries.

Robust action is being taken by the Environment Agency. During 2024, working together with the North West and Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Units and police forces across England, 17 individuals have been arrested for fraud and money laundering. In May 2024 after a proactive operation, a suspect was arrested as he entered the United Kingdom from Spain at Birmingham International airport.

Account Freezing Orders have already led to the forfeiture of £665,000. Further restraints of assets are currently under consideration and upon any conviction, confiscation procedures under the Proceeds of Crime Act will be initiated.

A dedicated team of experienced and skilled investigators has been increased four-fold in numbers to tackle this challenge and has been complemented by the Environment Agency’s own Economic Crime Unit staffed by Accredited Financial Investigators, Intelligence Officers and money laundering experts.

Jon Ashcroft, Producer Responsibility Regulatory Services Operations Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

“Waste crime has an extremely harmful impact on our environment and the Environment Agency is determined to crack down on it, working with law enforcement agencies to disrupt organised crime, arrest suspects and secure convictions.

“Our investigations target the criminals committing fraud as well as those involved in the facilitation of offending. If you are involved, the likelihood is that our law enforcement partners will be knocking on your door soon.”

Strong relationships with domestic and foreign authorities are key to this effort, with evidence collected from waste reprocessing sites across the world being vital intelligence for our teams. For example, EA investigators were recently deployed to Vilnius, Lithuania to gather evidence as part of an ongoing investigation in collaboration with the Lithuanian Department of Environmental Protection.

Prevention and disruption are integral in the fight against organised crime and fraud. Refusing high risk applications is a valuable tool, preventing fraud and the unlawful acquisition of Packaging Export Recycling Note revenue.

In 2023 the Agency received 435 applications for accreditation and approved 386. Over 3 times more applications were refused and withdrawn in 2023 compared to 2022. This trend continues into 2024 with 10 ‘in year’ applications refused so far.

If you suspect someone is operating in a fraudulent manner, the EA asks you to contact ProRes_InvestigationTeam@environment-agency.gov.uk or anonymously at Crimestoppers.

Devon man Christopher Garrett was jailed for 32 months on 14 July after he dumped thousands of tonnes of waste, including asbestos, on land by his home, in a floodplain near Kingsteignton in Devon. He was also ordered to pay a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation sum of over £200,000, as the Environment Agency reported.

Garrett is thought to be the worst offender the EA has seen in Devon and Cornwall for the quantity of asbestos he illegally disposed of.

Exeter Crown Court heard that Garrett, aged 64, of Little Lindridge Cottage, Kingsteignton, repeatedly imported waste onto his land, despite being prosecuted previously and receiving multiple warnings from the Environment Agency.

Following the 14 July hearing he was sentenced to a total of 32 months in prison, of which he will serve half, after pleading guilty to charges of running a waste facility without a permit, and for disposing of waste material, namely asbestos, in a manner likely to harm the environment or human health.

The Court heard that between July 2018 and May 2022 around 12,000 tonnes of controlled waste – mixed construction and demolition waste – was deposited on land designated as a floodplain at Garrett’s home, alongside the A380 dual carriageway. He burnt some of it and buried large quantities of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM), posing a risk to the environment and to human health.

The investigation established that Garrett had received hundreds of thousands of pounds for the illegal tipping and that it would cost at least £2.5M to remediate the site. His combined financial benefit from the offending was put at £2.88M, including the remediation costs. He was ordered to pay back the value of his available assets of £200,885.

In 2016 Garrett had received a two-year suspended prison sentence for allowing asbestos waste to be disposed at the site without a permit, but in 2019, the Environment Agency heard that he was again importing waste to his land.

Despite multiple warnings and an enforcement notice, Garrett ignored all instructions to stop his illegal activities. Officers visited the site several times, including on one occasion with a police escort due the hostile nature of the defendant towards Environment Agency staff.

Garrett was prosecuted in early 2022 for an offence under the Public Order Act for his behaviour towards Environment Agency officers.

The Environment Agency then carried out a surveillance operation to establish the true scale of his illegal activities.

In May 2022 a warrant was obtained allowing a search of Garrett’s property and extensive site investigations using heavy machinery. Bags containing asbestos were found buried in the ground and the site was riddled with smaller fragments of this hazardous waste. Records and documents obtained by Enforcement Officers established that Garrett had imported waste to his land during the period of his suspended sentence, and that he had made thousands of pounds from his illegal activities. He was arrested and interviewed by Environment Agency officers but answered “no comment” to all questions.

During sentencing, Judge Adkin told Garrett: “You were unable to resist the lure of significant sums of money” and described the offences as “industrial scale environmental contamination committed by an individual.”

Following the hearing, an Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Garrett is a repeat offender who showed no care for the environment or human health. He took no notice of the previous warnings given by the courts and the Environment Agency and imported hazardous waste, burying it to make a quick profit.

“We are extremely pleased that he has now been brought to book and are working with our partners to establish what will happen to the site going forward. We would like to remind everyone who produces, transports or disposes of waste that they have a duty of care to ensure it doesn’t end up at a site like this.”

Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The environmental charity Hubbub has launched Neatstreets.org.uk a new website to help local authorities and other organisations combat litter using a range of tried and tested ideas.

Artwork for posters and bins, audience insights and ideas for litter interventions are among the free tools available on the site which is seemingly designed to guide organisations on how to deliver a successful litter campaign in their local area. In addition, McDonald’s has provided funding for five grants of £10,000 to be made available to councils, to help subsidise funding already in place to combat the issue.¹

Litter costs UK local authorities alone, £699 million per year – and that excludes spending by other authorities such as Highways England.² It continues to be a growing, nationwide issue, despite new research from Hubbub revealing that 62% of people feel angry when they see litter on the ground and two in five find it frustrating that there aren’t more bins or campaigns to tackle litter. ³

Hubbub hopes to address the problem through the new website which has been developed, drawing on the charity’s eight years of experience in delivering successful, strategic litter interventions in a range of environments.

Packed with ideas and tools to help others develop litter busting interventions, the website will share the successes and learnings from previous campaigns from Hubbub which include:

· Neat Streets – delivered in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to tackle litter on beaches using drone technology and AI
· #InTheLoop – addressing on-the-go litter and recycling in high footfall areas in 16 cities across the UK
· Love Your Forest – using creative ways to reduce woodland litter in the Forest of Dean
· Ballot Bin – the world’s first customisable voting ashtray, proven to cut cigarette litter by up to 73%. There are now over 5,000 Ballot Bins in 43 countries, saving an estimated 15 million cigarette butts from being littered a year.
· Pick Your Side – innovating on the Ballot Bin, Pick Your Side trialled Hubbub’s most advanced bin to date, The Big Ballot Bin a solar-powered customisable voting bin. Tested in Manchester and Southampton, independent litter surveying by Ellipsis Earth showed that the bins also reduced food and drink litter within a 20m radius by 60% and 70% respectively.

Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-founder at Hubbub said: “We have a wealth of experience in tackling specific types of litter in very targeted environments and are delighted to share our learnings with organisations wanting to develop litter-busting initiatives in their local area. Equipped with public polling, audience insights and a library of creative assets and tools, we hope to provide inspiration for the best tactics to use and are thrilled to also offer funding to support this.”

Andrew Moys, Vice President for Impact at McDonald’s said: “We are proud of the difference we’ve had working with Hubbub in the communities we serve over the years. We’ve learned so much about what works and how we can make it easier for customers and members of the public to do the right thing, and we are pleased to be sharing all this knowledge through the NeatStreets website.”

The Neat Streets website and grant funding is being supported by McDonald’s, who has funded projects with Hubbub since 2017. Notably, McDonald’s funded the award-winning Neat Streets campaign in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, in partnership with Hubbub and Ellipsis Earth. The campaign used drone technology to identify problematic areas and target them with playful interventions, resulting in a 75% – 90% reduction of litter in these locations. You can find out more about the campaign by reading the impact report.

For more information on how to address litter in your local area, visit Neatstreets.org.uk

Notes
¹ Five grants of £10k are available for councils to apply for as long as they provide £5k of funding themselves
² Source: DEFRA
³ Polling conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Hubbub between 27.03.2024 – 03.04.2024. National representative survey sample of 3,000 respondents.

The Scottish Circular Economy Bill was passed unanimously on 26 June, following a final debate and vote the previous evening.

It was welcomed by environmental groups, and while most observers said its ambition remained unfulfilled, it still appeared a significant advance.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s circular economy spokesperson Kim Pratt said the new law “could be a turning point for Scotland as we make the necessary shift away from our current throwaway culture.”

It was originally proposed in early 2023 by the Scottish Greens, who said it had been intended to set a framework for action.

The new Bill introduces a requirement for the Scottish govenrment to set both circular economy targets and a circular economy strategy.

Headline measures also included charges on single-use items such as beverage cups, and a ban on the disposal of unsold goods.

Some of the new measures currently exist more in outline, and implementation details are to be worked out later.

At the Stage 3 debate on 26 June, Sarah Boyack of Labour said the government “needs to move forward with requiring large businesses to report on food waste and surplus, and to get on with delivering a ban on the landfilling and incineration of unsold durable goods.”

During the Bill’s passage through parliament, the Scottish Conservatives’ Maurice Golden had proposed an amendment to strengthen some of the reporting requirement on public bodies, which didn’t make it through to the final document, a point on which Mark Ruskell of the Scottish Greens expressed disappointment.

Labour and the Conservatives both appeared to criticise the Bill for being oriented towards household waste and recycling, and not engaging with the level of ambition implied by the term “circular economy”. But in places where they indicated the government weren’t being serious enough about it, the situation seemed a little more complex than suggested.

Lorna Slater of the Scottish Greens – credited with stewarding the Bill to its existing point – said the powers it conveyed sit in the gap between those that Scotland has (but isn’t using) and those reserved to Westminster. Many of the matters pivotal to realizing a circular economy are beyond its legislative reach. This included, she said, “matters around consumer goods, labelling, international trade and design of products”. She added: “Extraction of oil and gas from the North Sea is a significant contributor to Scotland’s material consumption.”

Sarah Boyack of Labour alluded to the Bill’s putative purpose, being in part to match some of the ambition shown in Wales. They had been able to deliver “one of the highest recycling rates in the world,” she said, “but it took a decade of investment and a billion pounds to make sure they had the infrastructure and capacity to deliver on pragmatic and ambitious targets.”

The Lib Dem’s Liam McArthur, MSP for the Orkney islands, noted that many speakers had voiced concern that the Bill “was light on detail, lacked clarity and did not measure up to its lofty ambitions” – indeed, that it did not respond to “the needs of the moment”.

“The final bill is not perfect and leaves much of the heavy lifting to a future circular economy strategy and future targets,” he said. However he noted “welcome changes” which had “added much needed detail” as well as “strengthening the recognition that a circular economy is one where reducing consumption is just as important as reducing waste”.

Ruskell of the Scottish Greens thanked the NGOs and other groups who had contributed amendments to the Bill. “And who knows,” he said, “maybe if more of the members who had supported those amendments had actually voted last night, more might have been agreed to in the bill.” But he hoped the discussion on this and other unresolved points would continue.

The Bill had “set a framework for action”, but he noted that it’s efficacy was likely to hinge on how any incoming Westminster government chose to act in relation to the UK Internal Market Act 2020. This was “the elephant in the room”, he said.

As part of the RECOUP Litter Composition & Pathways Project a team from the independent advisory body recently carried out a litter pick in a local industrial area. In total 7 bags were collected over a 2-hour period which incorporated a mixture of new material as well as legacy litter, and remarkably included a crisp packet with a 1997 expiry date!

The condition of this crisp packet was surprisingly preserved, with little degradation to the packet itself or the ink, really highlighting how litter can stay in the environment for considerable periods of time if disposed of incorrectly and left uncollected.

This was the 5^th litter pick carried out as part of the project, which came about due to the continued concern over litter pollution, and the call for better data and evidence to drive effective solutions to reduce litter.

Supported by funding from RECOUP members McDonald’s and Ocado Retail, the project’s primary goal is to review, challenge, and provide robust evidence regarding the composition of litter. To achieve this, RECOUP aims to:

• Develop a standardized, evidence-based methodology for collecting and analysing litter.
• Create a comprehensive litter composition data set.
• Test the use of Artificial Intelligence technology to determine insights such as litter distribution and composition.
• Understand the difference between terrestrial and riverine litter through the use of a Seabin, which is additionally funded by Viridor and Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT).

A variety of litter picks have already been carried out across the Peterborough area with the help of the Peterborough Litter Wombles, covering a mix of location types and deprivation levels, to understand any variations in litter types based on these variables.

As the project progresses, the methodology will be shared with litter groups across the country, with the aim for them to continue building the litter database by covering a larger variety of different location types, helping to make the data as comprehensive and inclusive as possible.

The evidence-based insights gained from this project will aid in the development of targeted interventions to combat litter pollution effectively and will be shared with government, devolved administrations, and key stakeholders to inform and advise policy decisions.

Laura Hutchings, Projects & Data Manager at RECOUP, said “It has been really interesting to see the variety of both new and legacy litter we have been collecting from each litter pick. There is an obvious need for highly thought-out, targeted interventions for the prevention of litter, and this project will provide key data and insights to help achieve this”.

If you would like to find out more about the Litter Composition & Pathways Project, please contact Laura Hutchings on laura.hutchings@recoup.org.

An AI-driven robotic arm – said to be as accurate as the human eye – is being used at Veolia Southwark IWMF to pick out paper, card, mixed plastics and beverage cartons, which often contain some aluminium layers, from the aluminium line leaving just pure aluminium items for effective recycling.

The project is a collaboration between Veolia and Recycleye, an AI robotics business for innovative waste and materials management.

Veolia says it will use this data to make informed decisions to run the facility at maximum efficiency and monitor seasonal changes in waste composition, accelerating ecological transformation through AI and new innovations.

The robotic solution is made up of a camera, a 6-axis robotic arm, pneumatics system and a compute box. The robot “picks” the item by using compressed air and a silicon gripper, then twists to face the correct sorting bin location and then blows the item off the gripper and into the bin. This advanced innovative technology means that the aluminium picking process can be streamlined and removes contamination from the final recyclate. The robot will pick between 35 and 50 items per minute, supporting frontline staff to increase the quality and quantity of materials recovered at the facility. As the objects pass along the belt, they are also scanned and recorded. This data is uploaded to the cloud and can be presented in the form of user-friendly dashboards.

Aluminium plays an important role in many industries including the green technology sector and is used in large quantities for wind turbines and electric vehicles, two products vital to becoming more sustainable. Improving the capture of aluminium will allow for more effective recycling to support the growing global demand for the metal.

This project is supported by The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) which represents the top manufacturers of food and drink cartons in the UK and Europe.

Commenting on the robotic arm, Tim Duret, Director of Sustainable Technology at Veolia said:

“As the UK prepares for the implementation of stronger legislation, such as the Extended Producer Responsibility and Simpler Recycling, Veolia embraces this once in a generation opportunity to integrate new technologies in our UK infrastructure to further optimise our recycling processes.

“The data presented to us by the robot will give us a better understanding of common materials that are found in the wrong waste streams and how to prevent this, making sure our recycling is as effective as possible.

“Combining innovation and technology is a major aspect of Veolia’s current operations and future plans, as set in our new GreenUp strategic plan, and we will continue to take a proactive route to change through new improvements and design.”

Commenting about the robot, Victor Dewulf, CEO of Recycleye said:

“The ability of robotics to increase efficiency in the sorting of materials for recycling is now well established, and we are proud to collaborate with Veolia to bring our AI-powered sorting robot to Southwark. In particular, this application demonstrates the strength of AI to sort materials such as liquid cartons, which have represented a challenge to existing sorting technology. This is a clear example of robotic sorting supporting greater circularity in packaging, which needs to increase in the context of EPR and Simpler Recycling in the UK.”

ACE UK Chief Executive Richard Hands said:

“The Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms will dramatically increase the volume of liquid cartons collected for recycling from curbsides across England. In preparation for these changes, ACE UK is delighted to support the installation of innovative sorting technologies, which will ensure that liquid cartons are separated from other materials so that they can be fully and effectively reprocessed at specialist facilities.”