Industry News

A new startup known as LabCycle has established the first materials recycling facility in the UK that can handle plastic waste from research laboratories. BBC News reports that the innovative company was founded by Bath University graduate Dr Helen Liang. Research institutions around the world produce an estimated 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each […]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has called for a ‘reuse revolution’ that shifts the focus from recycling plastic packaging to greater levels of reusable and returnable packaging. The Foundation, which works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, has issued a new report calling for the reuse of packaging materials to be urgently upscaled. The

There are currently trials underway for a potentially groundbreaking new scheme that could turn sewage into energy. Hexham Courant reports that Northumbrian Water is experimenting with technology that is designed to use thermal energy to strip and recover ammonia from wastewater. The recovered anomia product could be used to make fertilisers and green fuels for

The EU has agreed to ban the export of plastic waste to poorer countries. Materials Recycling World reports that the waste shipment regulations will be updated to prevent ships laden with plastic waste from the EU docking in ports of countries that are outside of the OECD group of richer countries. The new law needs

British steel has announced plans to invest £1.25bn in electric arc furnaces that process scrap steel, if the UK Government will back up the move with further policies to support decarbonisation.  Materials Recycling World reports that British Steel intends to decommission its blast furnaces and install electric arc furnaces at its Scunthorpe headquarters in Teesside. 

The health of Britain’s waterways has been a subject of much concern from environmental groups in recent years. According to the Rivers Trust, only 14% of England’s rivers are in good ecological condition, and 100% fail to meet chemical standards.  Two thirds of the pollution is caused by agricultural runoff, and discharges of raw sewage

The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched its own investigation into the government’s biomass strategy that was announced in August, in an effort to test its credibility. Yahoo News reports that the use of biomass as a green fuel source is coming under increased scrutiny, with questions about just how sustainable and eco-friendly it is. 

Cheltenham Ice Rink, a seasonal outdoor installation that runs from 17 November until New Year’s Day, will be powered by biofuel generators this year, the BBC reports. The generators are run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) which is considered to be a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.  The rink was due

Biofuel is a tremendous growth area when it comes to conveyor belt equipment, as harvesting and processing the materials required to make high-quality fuel products has a lot of complexities to it, requiring a robust, heavy-duty conveyor solution. With a major push towards sustainability and net zero, fossil fuels are set to be replaced by

The health of the UK’s rivers, waterways and streams is under record levels of threat from chemical pollution and contamination from raw sewage dumps. Environmental regulators are currently carrying out what they describe as the largest ever investigation into the illegal spillage of sewage in English waterways. The problem is compounded by chemical pollutants that