Resource Media

17/12/2025

The Government has published the first illustrative modulated fees for packaging EPR – and the data reveals significant disparities in recyclability across materials.

Key findings:
→ 45% of plastic packaging fails recyclability criteria (red-rated)
→ Glass leads with 91% rated green; plastic trails at just 31%
→ From April 2026, red-rated packaging pays 20% more than amber; green receives a 9% discount
→ Differential widens to 2× by Year 4

The per-tonne gaps vary considerably: £155 for fibre-based composites, £130 for plastic and wood, but just £60 for glass and paper – reflecting their established recycling infrastructure.
For lightweight flexible packaging like crisp packets and sachets, however, these translate to fractions of a penny per unit. Whether that's sufficient to drive redesign of multi-layer barrier packaging remains an open question.

Read the full analysis ⬇
https://buff.ly/GY49ttB

Illustrative Year 2 costs for materials mark first application of recyclability-based pricing from April 2026, with red-rated packaging paying 20 per cent more than the amber base rate

18/11/2025

2,600 jobs. £138 million turnover. Close to £1 billion in social value. Scotland's community reuse sector isn't small-scale anymore, writes in an op ed for Resource. It has become an established force reshaping how we think about ownership and consumption.

From Inverness's new Training and Reuse Village combining retail outlets with social support, to Langholm's Creation Mill teaching zero-waste textile craft – the contribution goes far beyond waste diversion, providing mental health support and job training.

The Revolve programme has certified over 200 shops and now supports 1,000+ businesses through its Knowledge Hub. The Share and Repair Network has grown to 125 member organisations since 2022. With Scotland's Circular Economy Act and proposed CE Strategy providing legislative backing, communities are positioned to capture the economic benefits of this transition.

These projects act as community anchors and the tangible social value is clear to see.

Read more ⬇️

Iain Gulland reflects on the emergence of reuse services

11/11/2025

Five million pieces of litter are dropped or binned every week in the UK, costing taxpayers over £1 billion annually. Hubbub is moving into the bin market with it's Big Ballot Bin - in true style creating an interactive approach ent approach – asking people to vote with their rubbish on questions from "Traitors or Faithfuls?" to Christmas number one predictions.

Trials with Manchester City Council and Southampton City Council showed drinks litter dropped 70 per cent within a 20-metre radius, with a capture zone 2.5 times larger than standard bins. The solar-powered units track votes remotely and provide ESG data whilst reaching 10 million people organically on social media.

Read more ⬇️

https://buff.ly/4HSkGGS

Environmental charity introduces Big Ballot Bin following trial that reduced drinks litter within 20-metre radius

24/10/2025

Councils in England face £61m annual loss from deposit return scheme – £242k per 100,000 households – if 'high-value' cans and bottles are removed from kerbside collections, according to analysis commissioned by .

The impact varies significantly by collection method, with kerbside sort authorities facing 25-29 per cent higher losses than those using commingled systems. However, freed vehicle capacity may help accommodate Simpler Recycling requirements (for cartons, plastic film and foil) without additional collection rounds – offering some operational benefit against the financial hit.

Read more ⬇️

https://buff.ly/EhkA4rY

14/10/2025

WRAP continues its progress into the EU and US by expanding the scope of its Durability Accelerator Initiative. This follows the project's first phase in the UK, testing found that price, fibre composition and fabric weight are unreliable indicators of garment durability.

The pilot tested over 200 products with 25 brands, finding that lightweight fabrics often performed better than heavier options, and that synthetic mixes were not consistently more durable than natural fibres.

Current testing standards check durability 15–20 wash cycles, but consumers expect their clothes togo through the wash more like 50 times.

WRAP says extending clothing life by nine months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by up to 20 per cent. A citizen survey showed 62 per cent of shoppers ranked durability among their top four purchase factors.

Read more ⬇️

https://buff.ly/ZnETafK

Circular economy NGO extends pilot to test whether higher prices guarantee longer-lasting garments

02/10/2025

UK households annually put 35 textile items into residual waste – a problem hiding in plain sight that costs local authorities £88 million yearly in disposal fees.

The Salvation Army Trading Company has introduced a postal donation service with InPost to address this issue. Households can now book free collections via www.satcol.org and use 11,000 automated lockers operating 24/7 across supermarkets and transport hubs. The service handles standard parcels up to 15kg, processing donations at SATCoL's Kettering facility that diverted 77,000 tonnes of textiles last year.

Find out more ⬇️

Donate by Post Reuse 2 Repurpose Working to extend the useful life of products and protect our planet, one donation at a time Creating wavesSATCoL is the largest charity-owned textiles collector in the U.K actively working to support organisations reduce their carbon footprint and combat climate cha...

01/10/2025

👏 Thank you to everyone who voted, shared, and supported the 2025.
It’s inspiring to see the passion, innovation & leadership driving the circular economy forward. 🌍♻️
See you next year! 🌍♻️

01/10/2025

🙏 Thank you to our sponsors for making this year possible:
⭐ Headline: Untha UK
🥤 Refill Return: Refill Return
🎙️ Communicator: GreyparrotAI
💡 Innovator: SATCoL
Your support helps us shine a spotlight on sector changemakers. 🌍♻️

01/10/2025

🎉 The wait is over - the full 2025 list is now live!

Explore all 100 changemakers making an impact across recycling and the circular economy. 🌍♻️

👉 See the full list: https://buff.ly/J1T7Xz9

👏 Congratulations to everyone featured!

01/10/2025

🥇 And finally… the winner of the 2025 is Esther Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at PackUK. 🎉

Esther is helping steer the UK’s rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — one of the most significant reforms in packaging and recycling.

👉 Read more: https://buff.ly/J1T7Xz9

👏 Huge congratulations, Esther! 🌍♻️

01/10/2025

2️⃣ Number 2 goes to James Piper, Co-owner of Ecosurety and Co-host of the Talking Rubbish podcast.

👏 Congratulations once more, James! 🎉

01/10/2025

3️⃣ At Number 3 is Mitchell Platt, Founder of Yoyo Grocery Co.

👏 Congratulations again, Mitchell! 🎉