Scotland plans deposit return scheme for bottles and cans
Under the programme, based on schemes in Scandinavia, customers would pay a surcharge that would be reimbursed when they return to the shopThe Scottish government is planning to introduce a deposit...
View ArticleThe Guardian view on plastic: learning to love it wisely | Editorial
It chokes our oceans, is strewn across our landscapes, and is found in our drinking water. We do not need to stop using plastic, but to learn to value it more highlyOur love for plastic is...
View ArticleQ&A: our plastic addiction is out of control. How can we consume less?
Our air, water and salt are contaminated by plastic and the impact on our health is unknown. While we wait for the findings, here are ways to reduce plastic useSea salt around the world is contaminated...
View ArticleCan we turn the Whitechapel fatberg into biodiesel?
The human-waste bomb recently found clogging up a London sewer has an unlikely admirer – a Scottish renewable energy companyFor a 130-tonne mass of grease, bound as hard as concrete by thousands of...
View ArticleStella McCartney lays waste to disposable fashion in Paris
The designer continues to break down barriers by showing how ethical clothing can hold its own on high-end catwalks“Glamour for its own sake is not something I have ever been particularly interested...
View ArticleCampaign urges people to recycle dead batteries
Major high street retailers back drive to encourage recycling after poll shows more than half throw batteries away in the binMajor high street retailers have joined forces to encourage people to...
View ArticleThe eco guide to disposing of litter | Lucy Siegle
It’s time the responsibility for recycling was laid firmly at the door of the packaging manufacturersLitter brings out an urge in me to ban everything. Under my regime, straws would be outlawed....
View ArticleThree quarters of councils collect general waste once a fortnight
With pressure to boost recycling and cut costs, landfill waste in England is collected less frequently – with six councils collecting it once in three weeksMore than three quarters of English councils...
View ArticleCoffee shops not doing enough to combat huge increase in wasted cups
Just 1% of the 2.5bn disposable cups thrown away each year in the UK are recycled, committee of MPs is toldCoffee shops are not doing enough to deal with the billions of disposable cups that are thrown...
View ArticlePlastic bottle deposit return scheme could save England's councils £35m a year
Cash-strapped councils would save money thanks to reduced littering and landfill charges as well as having less recycling bins to collect, says reportCouncils across England could save up to £35m every...
View ArticleSupermarkets must stop using plastic packaging, says former Asda boss
Exclusive: Consumers do not want plastic-polluted oceans so supermarkets and packaging industry have to work together, says Andy ClarkeThe former boss of Asda is calling for supermarkets to stop using...
View ArticleWe can do without plastic packaging and supermarkets | Letters
Instead shop in markets and smaller shops, which are less packaging obsessed and often use paper bags, says Rachel MeredithThe idea of increasing the use of aluminium and steel packaging, as proposed...
View ArticleThe plastics problem: are natural alternatives doing more harm than good?
Advances in bioplastics mean they have ever more uses in packaging – but do they encourage a disposable culture?They sound more at home on a beach than in a laboratory – but shrimp shells and algae are...
View ArticleShare your photos and stories of how you are avoiding plastic
With a growing number of UK food and drink outlets ditching drinking straws and plastic bottles, we’d like to hear your tips for reducing plastic consumptionPret A Manger announced in October the...
View ArticleReduce, reuse, reboot: why electronic recycling must up its game
With global e-waste projected to hit 50m tonnes next year, consumers need to put pressure on technology firms to make their products more repairableTech powers many things, including cognitive...
View ArticleGuardian Public Service Awards 2017 finance winner: Warwickshire county council
The innovative scheme has saved 700 tonnes from landfill, provided jobs for 39 people, and generated cash for the council and Age UKWarwickshire county council’s winning project in the 2017 Guardian...
View ArticleO exército da reciclagem de São Paulo: uma morte provocada pela polícia...
O assassinato de um catador sem-teto provocou revolta e protestos. Para vinte mil trabalhadores marginalizados e sem direitos, pode ser a hora da viradaSão Paulo’s recycling army: will a police...
View ArticleSão Paulo's recycling army: will a police shooting spell change for the...
The killing of a homeless catador – an unofficial waste collector – has sparked fierce protests. For 20,000 marginalised workers with no rights, it may be pivotalO exército da reciclagem de São...
View ArticleAt last a way to recycle the billions of bottles we throw away every year -...
Key to the success of the New South Wales ‘return and earn’ program is access. This is where my impatience kicks in It is a day which should have dawned brightly. A day when we no longer would see...
View ArticleWar on Waste: new episode peels away at food extravagance
Several months since the banana-dumping clip went viral, Craig Reucassel aims to find out how much, if anything, has changedAustralians watched in horror and fascination as thousands of freshly picked...
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