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Hungary - Private company to replace the state as main actor in MSW management system  - 13 December 2022

• A 15-Jul-22 notice of the Ministry of Technology and Innovation announced that Hungarian multinational oil and gas company Mol Nyrt won a tender to operate as the concessionaire for circular products for a 35-year period. The ‘concession company’ will replace state-controlled OKTF as single coordinator of MSW management and – unlike OKTF - will also collect EPR fees from producers. The concession reportedly also commits Mol to
  • invest at least HUF 50 billion (EUR 122 million) in the first 10 years of the concession and to build a new waste energy plant with an annual capacity of at least 1000,000 tonnes;
  • acquire, at market prices, a) NHKV, the National Waste Management Coordinating and Asset Management Private Limited Company, which was established in Jan-16 to centralise the financing of public waste management service providers, and b) NHSZ, the National Waste Management Service Limited Liability Company, a waste management company originating from the Government's acquisition of Remondis Hungary in 2012 (for a reported HUF 4 billion (EUR 9.6 m)).
• A Jul-22 amendment to the Waste Act on Waste brings the contract with the ‘concessionaire’ into force from 1-Jul-23 (Art. 92/H) and assigns the concessionaire to
  • collect EPR fees from producers (Art. 30/A, 30/C);
  • operate the planned DRS*, whereby the packaging taken back by the DRS will be the property of the state (new Art. 17/B). *a Nov-22 Draft DRS Decree proposed to bring the DRS into force from Jan-24
• A 24-Oct-22 Draft Law on the Amendment of Certain Laws Related to Waste Management most notably proposes to amend the Product Fee Act by
  • revising the formula for calculating the Product Fee payable: The EPR Fee amount per unit payable to the concessionaire is deducted from Product Fee amount per unit, before the result is multiplied by the amount of product or packaging (Annex 2); Note: Stakeholders have questioned why the Product Fee has not been abolished, given it is no longer being needed to finance waste management. Proponents of the fee argue that it should now serve to influence consumer demand. (We estimated that only about half of past Product Fee revenues were used to finance waste management, the rest remained in the general budget).
  • aligning the Product Fee with the latest versions of EU Directives and the Hungarian EPR Decrees that had already transposed these Directives;
  • removing the financially and administratively unattractive exemption from the product fee obligation for individual compliers from the Product Fee Act, as individual compliance will be regulated by contracts with the concession company.
• A 14-Nov-22 DRAFT Decree on detailed rules for the operation of the EPR system
  • defines the scope of ‘Circular Products’ (KT - körforgásos termékek) that are subject to EPR fees as 1) Packaging 2) Office and advertising paper 3) SUP products 4) WEEE and batteries 5) Textiles 6) Wooden furniture 7) Vehicles and tyres 8) Frying oils and fats;
  • introduces an innovative 8 digit code (KF code) to identify each new or waste item by: product stream (digits 1 and 2), material flow (digits 3 and 4), group (digits 5 and 6). Digit 7 indicates the compliance option for new items and the waste treatment destination for waste items. Digit 8 indicates import or export;
  • requires producers of circular products to
    • register with the national waste management authority by 30-Apr-23 (Sec. 29);
    • report to the concessionaire (Sec. 19) and pay EPR fees* to the concessionaire. EPR Fees will be proposed by the Hungarian Energy and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (MEKH) in Feb-23 taking into account the justified costs. The final fee rate is to be announced by the Minister by 30-Apr-23. The fees will be set according to the tables in Annex 2 which show all possible Circular Product combinations.
    • show EPR fees visibly to consumers by indicating the product’s ‘KF’ code, associated EPR fee and text stating that the EPR fee was paid either on the invoice of the product or any documents related to the product’s placement on the market. (Section 16(4));
  • allows individual compliance for B2B EEE, industrial/automotive batteries, ELVs and products subject to a DRS whereby individual compliers would have to enter into a contract with the concessionaire (Sec.9).  

• The Product Fee Act has applied a tax to a scope of products defined by a customs code:
  • From 1996, the tax (until 2000 treated as a fee) has been payable on packaging except packaging that is non-hazardous waste;
  • From 2000 the tax has applied:
    • to all EEE categories (categories 9 and 10 added from 2008), except categories 5 (lamps) and 8 (medical equipment);
    • to rechargeable batteries irrespective of whether they qualify as portable, industrial or vehicle batteries, except for NiMH and Li-ion batteries;
• Since 2003, Government Decrees have transposed the EU waste stream Directives (WEEE, Batteries, Packaging, etc.). The Decrees provide for an exemption from the product fee, usually linked to the achievement of collection rates, and introduce additional obligations stipulated by the EU legislation, such as retailer take-back and consumer information obligations: -
  • From 2003, a Packaging Decree provided for an exemption from the Product Fee (Hungary joined the EU on 1 May 2004);
  • From 2008, Batteries Decree 181 (replaced by Decree 445/2012 from 2013) and Decree 21/2008 transposed Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC and applied to all batteries.

• From 2012, a new Product Fee Act introduced the first stage of the reform by making the exemptions options from the Product Fee highly unattractive and the product fee the de facto only compliance option. At the same time, a single state-controlled coordination authority (OHÜ, replaced from 2015 by OKTF) was given the exclusive right to co-ordinate the management of waste from the above waste streams. Thus, the PROs’ main purpose - achieving collection rates to get exemptions from the Product Fee – ceased to exist. Most of the 23 affected PROs closed shop but some continued as ‘intermediary organisations’ with a reduced scope of activities, for example assisting EEE producers with retailer take-back, consumer information and voucher obligations introduced by WEEE Decree 443/2012.  Only PROs covering products not subject to the product fee – lamps, medical equipment, portable batteries and hazardous packaging – continued as before;
• A new Waste Act, in force from Jan-13, introduced the second stage of the waste sector reform by requiring companies handling municipal waste to be majority owned by central or a local government. This forced Hungarian subsidiaries of German and Austrian waste management companies to either divest shares under pressure or shut down. 

Germany - Study estimates public clean-up costs for SUPs and recommends EPR fee level - 9 December 2022

France - FAQ on information obligations related to 'environmental qualities and characteristics' - 1 December 2022

• The information should be made available as a 'dematerialised product sheet' on a dedicated website or webpage whose title must be 'Product sheet relating to the qualities or environmental characteristics' and the name and reference of the product model concerned. For this sheet, 'no 'standard' format is imposed' but it must be 'in an easily reusable format for automated processing systems in an aggregated form';
• The product sheet 'must include all mandatory information requested in Article R.541-221' (see table below). However, where applicable, 'negative mentions are not required. In this case, the producer or importer must not include anything in the product sheet.'*  
• The information on the environmental qualities and characteristics of the product and primary (sales)** packaging must be shown separately on the same product sheet, which then comprises two distinct parts: 'environmental qualities and characteristics of the packaging' and 'environmental qualities and characteristics of the product'. 
• The obligation does not apply to each component of a product, but to the product as a whole. 'Only the information relating to recyclability – since it depends on the information given by each eco-organisation – can be given at the level of each component belonging to an EPR sector.'
• Penalties for non-compliance apply from 1-Jan-23 and are provided for in Article L. 541-9-4-1: Administrative fines for any breach may not exceed EUR 3,000 for a natural person and EUR 15,000 for a legal entity.
• The incorporation of recycled material from chemical recycling 'is not excluded at this stage ... but it will be necessary to refer to the calculation methods validated at EU level as soon as these are defined.

• 'visible or accessible to the consumer at the time of the act of purchase'; and
• made 'available to the public electronically, in a format that [enables re-use] by an automated processing system in an aggregated form' to allow allow a Government authority to provide centralised access to this data.

• specified the conditions and phrases that must be used to inform consumers about 11 such environmental qualities and characteristics;
• phased in the obligation: From Jan-23, it will apply to producers and importers with a turnover* above EUR 50m and a POM* of above 25k units; from Jan-24 to those with a turnover above EUR 20m and a POM of above 10k units and from Jan-25 to producers and importers with a turnover above EUR 10m and a POM of above 10k units.

EU Institutions - Commission releases its Proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste - 1 December 2022

• from 2030, it is awarded a performance grade E, meaning that less than 70% of its material by weight is recyclable. Criteria for awarding the performance grades A to E – as laid out in Annex II Table II - will be developed within the framework of a Commission Delegated Act. The performance grades will also determine fee modulation.
• from 2035, it cannot be 'recycled at scale', meaning that it cannot be 'collected, sorted and recycled through installed state-of-the-art infrastructure and processes, covering at least 75 % of the Union population', as determined by the Commission.

• Contact-sensitive packaging* made from PET as a major component: 30% in 2030;
• Contact-sensitive packaging made from materials other than PET, except SUP beverage bottles:10% in 2030 and 50% in 2040;
• SUP beverage bottles: 30% in 2030 and 65% in 2040;
• Other plastic packaging: 35% in 2030 and 65% in 2040;

• 'Large household appliances listed in Annex II point 2'* of the WEEE Directive: 90(90)% by 2030;  *however, the WEEE Directive’s Annex II Point 2 lists 'Small household appliances' (the contradiction has made it into the final Proposal).
• Take-away cold and hot beverages filled at the point of sale: 20(30)% by 2030 and 80(95)% by 2040;
• Take-away ready-prepared food: 10(20)% by 2030 and 40(75)% by 2040;
• Alcoholic beverages, excluding wine and spirits: 10(20)% by 2030 and 25(75)% by 2040;
• Non-alcoholic beverages: 10(20)% by 2030 and 25(75)% by 2040;
• Transport packaging and grouped packaging: Targets vary from 10% to 90% (see Art. 26.7-10).

• identify 'requirements which prevent further reduction of the packaging weight or volume' and
• contain 'any test results, studies ... used to assess the minimum necessary volume or weight...'.

• Single-use plastic grouped packaging (such as collation films, shrink wrap) that enables end-users to purchase more than one product;
• Single-use plastic/composite/other packaging (such as nets, bags, trays) for under 1.5 kg [added in final Proposal] of fresh fruit and vegetables except if required to prevent water loss, microbiological hazards or physical shocks, etc.;
• EPS in retail food packaging, excluding fish boxes;
• Single-use plastic/composite/other packaging filled and consumed within the premises in the HORECA sector;
• Single-use plastic/composite/other packaging used for condiments, preserves, sauces, milk, sugar, and seasoning [removed in final Proposal: for eating-in or takeaway] in the HORECA sector;
• Single-use hotel miniature packaging (shampoo, cosmetics, etc.);

• the new labelling system should be in place 42 months after entry into force of the Regulations and should
  • 'improve waste sorting,
  • establish the conditions for identifying the material composition of packaging by means of digital marking technologies [Commission Decision 97/129/EC is to be repealed), and
  • lay down detailed harmonised specifications for the labelling requirements for packaging and waste receptacles'.
• Union legislation requires information on products* and packaging to be available digitally, and accessible via the same data carrier, to avoid multiplication of labels on packaging. This requirement includes digital product passports required for some products in upcoming Regulations on Eco-design for Sustainable Products, Batteries, etc.   'National sustainability requirements or information requirements ... shall not conflict with those laid down in this Regulation' (Art. 4.4). The Oct-22 draft (Art 4.5) said 'member States shall not mandate their own labelling systems...'.

• is based only on Art. 114 of the TFEU which is aimed at ensuring the functioning of the single market (the dual legal base of the current Packaging Directive allows member states to adopt stricter national measures for environmental reasons).
• comes in the form of a Regulation rather than a Directive and as such is directly legally binding on concerned parties without the need for transposition into national law.

News from Industry

• Mars Wrigley to Switch to Paper-Based Packaging in Australia; Popular candy bars Snickers, Milky Way, and Mars Bar will be packaged in a paper film with ultra-thin plastic layer, making the flow-wrapped packs curbside recyclable in what the company says is a world first.
• Scotland urges councils not to drop glass collections before DRS rollout; Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) has urged councils not to stop glass collections ahead of the rollout of a deposit return scheme (DRS), as fears over the impact of the system on kerbside collections grow. The government-funded body reasoned that the system will deliver cost savings through a reduction in contaminants in residual waste, which will counteract any loss in recyclate income. The call comes after Falkirk council decided to stop kerbside collection of glass following the rollout of the scheme in Scotland, as it predicted the system would reduce revenues by more than £230,000.
• Departing WRAP chief to lead global plastic initiative; An Australian philanthropic organisation, Minderoo, has appointed the outgoing WRAP chief executive, Marcus Gover, as director of its “No Plastic Waste Initiative”.
• New EU plastic waste ban could mark the end of miniature hotel toiletries; The EU may ban miniature hotel toiletries and single-use food containers in its battle against wasteful packaging. The proposal is part of the European Green Deal, an EU-wide plan to reach net zero by 2050, separate economic growth from resource use, and promote a circular economy. In Europe, each person generates almost 180 kg of packaging waste on average every year. Packaging is one of the main culprits, accounting for 40 per cent of plastics and 50 per cent of paper used in the EU.
• Government pressed to fund “urgent” plastic research in Lords debate; Cross-party peers Baroness Meacher, Lord Allan and Baroness Bennett have urged Ministers to fund “urgent” research into the health impact of plastic waste.
• EU packaging laws and the digital barcode revolution; Why digital barcodes will revolutionise retail for brands and customers by helping them navigate EU packaging laws
• Notpla wins Earthshot Prize with board supplied by Coveris; Recognised for their inspiring efforts to create a fully sustainable and biodegradable alternative to plastic made from seaweed and plants, Notpla were awarded as the winner in the category ‘Build a Waste-Free World’.
• Can the packaging industry cope with this year’s seasonal pressures?; Christmas and the preceding Black Friday and Cyber Monday events are an annual crunch point for the packaging industry. This year, however, there are additional issues at play. While the pandemic-induced pressures may have thawed, supply chains are feeling the pinch in other ways. 
• Recycling Lives launches Scottish prisoner work-placement programme; UK recycling and waste management business Recycling Lives has launched a prisoner work-placement programme in Scotland which has successfully cut reoffending rates by up to 95% in England.
• WasteAid thanks public and UK government for Cameroon project funding; The organisation says it is widening the Net UK Aid Match appeal, which was launched in May 2019 and was supported through donations made by the British public and match funding from the UK government. WasteAid says that, despite Covid-19 posing great difficulties to the project’s delivery, it worked with local partner RED-PLAST to train 165 unemployed women and men in waste recovery solutions and problems posed by plastic waste.
• Cullen Packaging owner wins EY Entrepreneur of the Year award; MacDonald was recognised for his work on sustainable packaging and the creation of 120 new jobs this year, driving a £15m expansion plan. The company launched the Fibre Bottle, a patented biodegradable paper bottle to replace plastic bottles, pouches or glass.
• Royal Mail to review all packaging & single-use items; It has a ‘Steps to Zero’ plan which includes a focus on adoption of the circular economy which involves products that can be reused, have high recycled content, limit raw material usage and can be recycled at end of life.
• BMRA calls for “urgently required” kerbside collections of WEEE over Christmas; New rules are “urgently required” to prevent households from throwing unwanted electrical equipment out with general waste over Christmas, the British Metal Recycling Association (BMRA) says. In a call to local authorities, James Kelly, the CEO of the BMRA, said: “Councils need to introduce kerbside collections for discarded WEEE items.
• Study reveals most common waste items found in the Thames; A study by Barratt London found that single-use plastics make up 83% of all items found in the Thames foreshore. The research explored the waste items found in the Thames, as well as the most common lightweight items that have been fished from the river. It also delved into which areas of the river which are wet wipe, plastic bag and general waste hotspots.
• Packaging manufacturer calls on government to start reinvesting Plastic Packaging Tax; Duo is calling on the government to explain how it will reinvest Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) revenues to boost UK recycling and sustainability following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that revealed the PPT has generated over £135m in the first six months.
• Morrisons to remove date labels on nearly 200 fruit and veg products; Nearly 200 items will no longer have the labels and the supermarket giant said that the changes have been made to “urge customers to use their own judgement as to whether produce is good to eat after being bought and stored at home”.
• Defra sets target to halve residual waste per person by 2042; The targets, which set out to protect the environment, air and rivers and boost nature were published by Defra late last week. The UK Government was criticised by opposition MPs for missing its original deadline to publish updated environment targets by the end of October 2022, citing the “significant” public response to the target consultation.
• Slater confirms Scotland’s deposit return scheme “will go live” in 2023; Amid concerns that Scotland’s deposit return scheme will not be deliverable by its intended launch date of August 2023, Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, has written to MSPs to say the scheme “will go live”.
• Encirc targets net zero glass bottle production for Diageo; Encirc, a Vidrala company, plans to build a new furnace at its Elton plant, Cheshire. The move, understood to be a world first, aims to reduce carbon emissions by 90% with an energy mix of green electricity and low carbon hydrogen. It is expected that carbon capture technology will capture the remaining carbon emissions by 2030.
• European Commission urged to act on plastic contamination in biowaste; The Food Waste Collections: Unwrapping the biowaste potential report, presented at the European Parliament in Brussels earlier this month (December 2022), suggests that extracting plastics from biowaste across the EU could, by 2030, add up to €2bn a year to the cost of transforming those wastes into valuable biogas and biofertilisers through composting or anaerobic digestion (AD).
• WRAP announces Harriet Lamb as new CEO; WRAP says Lamb is an experienced CEO who has built the global movement Fairtrade, which fights for better conditions and fair prices for smallholder farmers and workers across the developing world.
• BASF & StePac develop technology for fresh food packaging shelf-life extension; BASF SE and Israeli fresh produce packaging provider StePac have launched new contact-sensitive pack formats.The German multinational chemical company is supplying StePac with its Ultramid Ccycled chemically recycled polyamide 6.
• Circular economy brewery Toast Ale raises £2 million in funding; Investors include the National Geographic Society, Heineken International and sustainable business leader Paul Polman, Toast Ale says. All investors have committed to Toast’s unique investment model, “Equity for Good”, which requires shareholders to reinvest any capital gains on selling the shares into social impact businesses and funds, Toast Ale says. Investors also do not receive dividends, the brewery says, as all distributable profits go to charity.
• Environment Agency staff begin industrial action over pay; The strike action began on Monday 12 December, with staff starting a work to rule for an indefinite period. UNISON, the UK union, says this means employees will only work their contracted hours, taking all scheduled breaks and will not accept any unpaid work.
• £102m government backing for nuclear and hydrogen technology in the UK; The UK Government has announced new funding to support what it calls “clean energy production in the UK”, which includes £77 million for nuclear fuel production and the development of the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors. The funding commitment also includes £25m for technologies that can produce hydrogen from sustainable biomass and waste, while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Total emissions from England’s household waste increased during pandemic; “Experimental” statistics on the carbon impact of waste from households in England show that while there is a general declining trend, they increased in 2020 during the pandemic. The new figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), show emissions from England’s household waste collected by local authorities in 2020 increased by 0.5 million tonnes CO2e to -0.5 million tonnes CO2e.
• Environment Secretary needs to clarify “worrying remarks” about plastics ban, City to Sea says; Responding to the report, Steve Hynd, Policy Manager at City to Sea, a not-for-profit organisation that campaigns to stop plastic pollution at source, said: “We strongly welcome the news that these polluting single-use items are set to be banned soon. “This is what over 118,000 of our supporters called for with our petition earlier this year and what over 50,000 demanded when they responded to the Defra consultation.
• “First” commercially available 100% ocean plastic pellet produced; Ocean Legacy Foundation (OLF) claim to have produced the first commercially available plastic pellet made from 100% recycled ocean plastics in North America, called Legacy Plastic™. The Canadian non-profit organisation, OLF says Legacy Plastic is made from high-grade 100% post-consumer processed recycled plastic recovered during ocean, shoreline and marine equipment clean-ups.
• Green Jobs growing at 4 times the pace of the overall employment market; The second edition of PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer has found that the number of green jobs advertised in the UK has almost trebled in the last year, equating to 336,000 positions. PwC says its Green Jobs Barometer measures the relative performance of UK regions and industries on their progress developing green jobs over time.
• Environment organisations urge government to “get tough” on packaging this Christmas; The environment organisations issuing the call include Wildlife and Countryside Link, Greenpeace UK, Marine Conservation Society CEO, WWF-UK and Keep Britain Tidy. The call comes as Wildlife and Countryside Link have published new estimates on the amount of plastic and other packaging waste that it says will end up in landfill or will be incinerated this Christmas. Wildlife and Countryside Link estimates that around 104,946 tonnes of plastic packaging are likely to end up burnt, in landfill, or exported overseas over the festive period.
• New research shows businesses’ sustainability efforts faltering due to economic climate; New research from Tetra Pak shows 93% of food and beverage managers, directors and business owners admit the current socio-economic climate means sustainability is no longer a priority.
• EU agrees new law on more sustainable and circular batteries;The European Commission says it welcomes the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council aiming to make all batteries placed on the EU market more sustainable, circular and safe.
• 750,000 tonnes of household plastic packaging goes uncaptured; In its new UK Household Plastic Packaging Collection Survey report, RECOUP estimates that 750,000 tonnes of post-consumer plastic packaging are not currently collected for recycling. Plastic resource efficiency and recycling charity RECOUP say this allows a “huge opportunity” for upcoming legislative changes, to help bridge the gap between the UK’s current capture rate and what plastic packaging is placed on the market each year.
• Report evaluates progress on plastic footprints for “world’s biggest brands”; World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) ReSource: Plastic programme released its third annual public report, Transparent 2022, which reveals how some of the world’s largest brands are measuring up to their commitments to tackle the plastic waste crisis. 
• FPA calls for EPR information campaign for businesses; From 1 January businesses turning over more than £1 million a year and placing 25 tonnes+ of packaging on the market, will need to keep detailed packaging records by material, UK nation and whether the material has the propensity to be disposed of in litter bins, FPA says.
• Police warn Scotland’s DRS could be targeted by organised criminal gangs; The warning came from Detective Constable Jamie Sinclair, of Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division. In a statement, Sinclair said: “Our analysis so far suggests that there is a potential for the Deposit Return Scheme to be targeted by organised crime gangs intent on committing fraud.”
• Notpla adds seven new formats to seaweed coated range; The company won the Innovation category at the UK Packaging Awards for its seaweed coated foodservice boxes. It was also one of 15 finalists in Prince William’s Earthshot Prize 2022. Just Eat  teamed up with Notpla to launch the world’s first seaweed-lined box for the takeaway sector in 2020.
• Aluminium packaging recycling rate on track to surpass 2022 target; Alupro has highlighted that, according to Q3 data published by the Environment Agency in November, aluminium packaging recycling rates have increased for the third quarter in a row and remain firmly on track to exceed their annual target.
• DS Smith reports 51% profits increase in half-year results; Revenue hit almost £4.3bn (up 28%), profit before tax reached £315m (up 80%), while shareholders were also rewarded with an increased dividend per share of 25% to 6p. The corrugated packaging giant said the performance was a mix of higher box prices and tight cost controls.
• BT to “fast-track cutting-edge” new digital solutions that reduce carbon emissions; Following the initial scouting phase supported by Plug and Play, the second phase involves start-up companies RIICO, Sensorfact and Circularise joining the platform. In partnership with BT and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), they will begin proof of concept (PoC) activities to “prove their impact” for UK manufacturers.
• DAERA seeks views on development of new Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy; DAERA says officials are keen to explore with businesses, councils and anyone with an interest in waste management, the actions society might collectively need to take to meet new recycling and landfill reduction targets, reduce litter and tackle plastic pollution.
• Alpla unveils ‘carbon optimised’ rHDPE bottle for beauty market; It has unveiled a Canupak bottle manufactured from recycled HDPE and it is claimed that the pack uses around 71% less carbon consumption than with comparable packaging types. Alpla said that the total weight of the bottle and cap is 14 grams.
• Asda revamps refill proposition and guarantees cheaper prices; The supermarket first introduced refill two years ago and says it has been continually testing, learning and working with customers to find what most appeals to them. Asda says it has partnered with WRAP and Unilever, with funding from Innovate UK, to uncover customer barriers to participation, so it could look at ways it can increase participation.
• eBay partners with circular fashion company ACS; eBay has announced a new partnership with clothing resale, sanitisation and repair company ACS to expand the online marketplace’s second-hand offering and help reduce waste in the fashion industry. Almost nine in 10 (87%) UK adults surveyed said they have bought an item second-hand in the past twelve months, while more than six in 10 (63%) say they have sold a second-hand item. So far this trend is translating into sales, with eBay reporting one second-hand fashion sale every second so far in 2022.
• Prolific fly tippers jailed following a two-year fly tipping investigation; On 24 November 2022 at a sentencing hearing at Worcester Crown Court, Zackery and Jessie Biddle were given lengthy prison sentences after pleading guilty to multiple charges of fly tipping.
• SUEZ reintegrates major UK waste business after acquiring it back from Veolia; “With a turnover of more than £900 million and a leading position on the UK market, one of the major businesses acquired by Veolia is now back with SUEZ,” it said in a press statement. Sabrina Soussan, SUEZ Chair and CEO, said: “With the reintegration of SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, SUEZ reaffirms its commitment to one of the most important waste markets in Europe.
• Biffa sets out blueprint for how the waste sector can achieve net zero;A new report by Biffa says there is a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for the UK to make an £18 billion investment in dozens of new onshore recycling and energy facilities that will deliver the country’s ambitions for a net zero, circular economy.
• European Commission toughens packaging waste rules; The European Commission is proposing new EU-wide rules on packaging to tackle this “constantly growing” source of waste and consumer frustration. Without action, the Commission says the EU says it would see a further 19% increase in packaging waste by 2030, and for plastic packaging waste a 46% increase.
• SUEZ launches guide to support local authorities integrate reuse at HWRCs; SUEZ says its new guide provides practical advice on scaling up and maximising opportunities for reuse at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the country. SUEZ predicts that HWRCs will evolve to become Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs), places where unwanted, pre-loved items are collected for upcycling, repair and re-sale.
• Circular strategies could cut emissions from materials used in vehicles by 60% by 2040; A combination of recycling, improved material use, reuse and remanufacturing of components, and scaling of new mobility business models can create a circularity revolution in the sector, according to the Bain study “Reuse, Remanufacturing, Recycling, and Robocabs: Circularity in the Automotive Industry.”
• Over 700 fires in bin lorries and recycling centres are caused by batteries; Research conducted by Material Focus amongst local authorities across the UK has identified that over 700 fires in waste trucks and sites are caused by batteries that haven’t been removed from electricals.
• We won’t tackle the climate crisis without changing consumption systems – WRAP; The publication comes with a stark warning that while the UK is making some progress in tackling key environmental issues, a lot more collaboration and action is needed from businesses to achieve the level of change required, and to keep climate goals within reach. 
  WRAP launched its first voluntary agreement in 2005 and has since expanded its programme to address food and drink, plastic pollution, and fashion and textiles.