By next year, Lidl will have discontinued the sale of single use plastics - including plastic drinking straws, disposable cups and glasses, plates, cutlery and plastic stemmed cotton buds - in its Irish stores.more
According to a special report by the BBC, the Isle of Wight Council and partner Amey are among only a handful of UK authorities that recycle most types of plastics collected from the household.more
The British government minister in charge of transport, Chris Grayling, says that he expects driverless cars to arrive on British roads sooner than you might think. He told the annual gathering of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham that he believed they would be available and visible in less than five years.more
Royal Mail has been forced to ask customers not to post loose empty crisp packets to Walkers after a flood of wrappers were sent by environmental activists.more
One of the UK's largest bus and rail operators has launched the country's first air filtering bus in an effort to tackle air pollution. The Go-Ahead Group unveiled the Bluestar bus in Southampton on Thursday claiming that the new filtration system attached to the top of the vehicle will clean the air as it moves around the city.more
Water companies, government bodies and environmental groups have warned that the extreme weather this summer could lead to a drought in spring next year.more
Almost 1,400 stores will see the lightweight bags rolled out, which can be reused as food waste caddy liners. It means millions of single use plastic bags will be replaced with the more environmentally friendly alternative.
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Britain's Burberry will no longer burn unsold luxury goods to protect its brand after an admission that it destroyed almost $40 million (30.9 million pounds) worth of stock last year sparked a furore over waste in the fashion industry.more
A ban on selling halogen lightbulbs comes into force this weekend as part of a Europe-wide move to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions.more
Half of all regular smokers still reportedly believe it is acceptable to discard cigarette butts down the drain - despite expert warnings about the risk it poses to marine wildlife.more
Currently only stores that employ more than 250 people have to charge at least 5p per bag. Theresa May is expected to announce the price increase as part of a wider plan to tackle plastic pollution, the Daily Mail reported.more
Almost half of Ireland's waterways are littered, with landmark areas of Cork Harbour and a popular tourist spot on the Wild Atlantic Way labelled litter blackspots, a new survey has found.more
A recently published JRC article finds that EU households generate about 35.3 kg of fresh fruit and vegetable waste per person per year, 14.2 kg of which is avoidable.more
Brigitte Bardot, a former French actress who has fought for animal rights for years, called the minister for the ecological and solidarity transformation of Nicolas Hulot a "coward" and called for his resignation. Brigitte Bardot's reason for dissatisfaction was the position of the minister on hunting.more
Three British companies dealing in waste disposal were included in the proceedings of the British Environmental Agency regarding the illegal export of waste to Poland without a guarantee of their processing - said the daily newspaper The Telegraph.more
The EC has opened an infringement case against Ireland in the EU Court of Justice because it has continued to exceed the limits of trihalomethane contamination in drinking water supplies across the country.more
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has promised to support farmers in the future, as they warned of an "unprecedented" impact on food production due to drought. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) met officials in London on Wednesday to discuss "tinderbox" conditions that have reduced grass growth and "depleted" some yields.more
It won't be just mums going to Iceland now as environmentally-conscious folks can head to the budget supermarket for some plastic-free chewing gum.more