News that a man has lost his appeal against a fine for mixing up his recycling has stirred up confusion and anger amongst householders in the UK. In October 2006, journalist Michael Reeves was ordered to pay a £100 fee and £100 costs for putting paper in a bag containing cans and bottles for recycling. He must now pay an extra £350 in prosecution costs after his appeal at Swansea Crown Court w...

Recyclers across Britain have been shocked by recent media reports showing that many of their carefully recycled goods end up causing environmental havoc in China. Figures show that in 2006, 1.9 billion tonnes of rubbish (mainly paper, card and metal) was sent 5,000 miles from Britain to China, where it ended up in unregulated recycling plants. Rubbish is transported in empty container...

Waste awareness groups across the UK are warning us not to forget the environment as we tuck into our Easter treats this year. We generate a staggering 4,500 tonnes of extra waste from the foil and card in Easter egg packaging, much of which ends up in landfill sites rather than being recycled. A study by Friends of the Earth Scotland revealed that shoppers waste huge amounts of money ...

A survey carried out by waste management company HIPPOWASTETMshows that older people are better recyclers than the so-called ‘green generation’. Over half of 16-24 year olds in the UK are not doing any recycling at all. In contrast, over 82% of over 65s claim to be regular recyclers. Overall, around 70% of UK householders now rate themselves as good or excellent recyclers.

The UK’s largest purpose built wood recycling facility has been officially opened by Lord Truscott, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy. The launch is part of a broader effort to make better use of waste wood in the UK. The new plant at Wilton, near Middlesbrough, will produce around 80,000 tonnes of recycled wood chip a year for its neighbouring biomass power station, ru...