Economy

Programme Lead Policy and Insights at WRAP, Chris Mills, explains how the global environmental action non-governmental organisation brings collaborative action to Simpler Recycling reforms.

For over 20 years, global environmental action NGO WRAP has played a significant role in bringing together policy makers, NGOs, local governments and businesses to increase recycling rates in the UK.

WRAP has done this through evidence-based research, developing key resources and delivering citizen communication campaigns through their Recycle Now and Love Food Hate Waste brands.

While major developments in the UK’s resource management have taken place in recent years, the new Simpler Recycling reforms are needed to support the Government’s Circular Economy target to achieve 65% municipal waste recycling by 2035 and halve residual waste per capita by 2042.

Workplace recycling changes

To achieve the UK Government’s ambitious recycling and Net Zero targets, WRAP has been working with Defra on the huge opportunities in the business waste sector.

WRAP’s Business of Recycling website was launched as a key resource to support and help businesses and non-domestic premises in England prepare for the introduction of the new Workplace Recycling Law this month.

Historically, businesses have not been obliged to recycle and only around 40% of the 2.2 million businesses regularly did, so there are huge environmental benefits with this new legislation that requires businesses to separate their dry recyclables and food waste from residual waste.

Micro-businesses with less than 10 full time equivalent staff have another two years to be compliant by 31 March 2027.

Increasing public confidence in recycling

WRAP’s latest Recycling Tracker report – the UK’s largest survey that’s been tracking the attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of citizens for 20 years – showed that while recycling continues to be a widespread practice across the UK, there is still more we can do to encourage citizens to recycle more of the right things, more often.

We can turn our Recycling Tracker insights into actions, by highlighting how local authorities using resources available from WRAP, can increase citizen recycling confidence.

They include:

Increase Recycling Knowledge

Tackling contamination and missed capture requires focused, ongoing education. Our national recycling campaigns, like Recycle Now and Be Mighty, have shown that when people are informed, they recycle better.

Communicate with Purpose

Build recycling campaigns all year round to boost both citizen recycling confidence and knowledge. Make it easy for citizens to understand what to recycle and why it matters.

Updating WRAP’s LA Portal with any changes to local authority collection services is so important, so its accurate when citizens are searching WRAP’s Recycle Now Recycling Locator for guidance on how and where to recycle.

The Recycle Now Rescue Me Recycle Now assets are available for local authorities to use on their communications all year around.

Share your recycling journey

Be transparent about where recycling goes and what impact it has. By sharing your success stories, you can rebuild citizen trust that’s essential for driving better recycling behaviour.

Introducing weekly food waste collections in every household

Another momentous milestone, as part of the Environment Act 2021 and the Simpler Recycling reforms, requires local authorities in England to provide all households with a separate weekly collection of food waste by 31 March 2026.

WRAP’s technical and policy teams have been supporting Defra with the following guidance and support.

Household Food Waste Communications Guidance

A free resource for local authorities, to ensure households are informed effectively of the introduction of their food waste collections.

It features a step-by-step guide to help prepare and plan their food waste campaign, including a template communications plan and activity schedule, plus a suite of editable food waste assets for digital and stickering.

The assets feature WRAP’s Recycle Now branding, which has high levels of recognition throughout the UK and used by around 90% of local authorities.

Food Waste Prevention

Educating citizens on food waste prevention is also the key driver of citizen behaviour change and last month, WRAP held its fifth nationwide Food Waste Action Week.

This annual campaign is taking the fight against food waste, one of the biggest contributors to climate change, right into people’s homes and promoting the benefits of buying fresh produce loose.

The campaign is supported through the hospitality and food service sector by WRAP’s Guardians of Grub campaign, which helps businesses serving food on premise or to take away to reduce food waste front and back of house.

Missed capture of key items reduced following Recycle Week

During Recycle Week 2024 – the UK’s largest national annual recycling campaign – we headed to Downing Street, to raise awareness of the one billion items that are ending up in our bins each year that could have been recycled.

The campaign reached 7.3 million citizens and inspired 2.9 million people to change their recycling habits as a result. The rate of missed capture for the five key recyclable items dropped by a significant amount from 70% to 64%.

This year, 2025 Recycle Week is taking place from 22 to 28 September, so save the date and get involved.

Supporting local authorities with Simpler Recycling Collections

Following the government’s new position on separate collections and the Environment Act 2021 requiring all collectors including local authorities to undertake a “Written Assessment” to evidence where they decide to deviate, WRAP have developed an eTEEP tool to support them with the process.

The tool has been designed in conjunction with around 50 pilot local authorities to ensure it delivers high standards of analysis, reduces their time and cost savings.

WRAP’s eTEEP tool will be available from the start of the financial year and will be accessible through WRAP’s LA Portal.

Together a circular future

WRAP’s mission is to embed Circular Living in every boardroom and every home, and while we have been doing this for over 20 years, our independent convening power to drive change through our policy work, technical support and citizen communications is even more critical to supporting the government’s recycling and Net Zero targets.

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This information note summarises information contained in Defra guidance, WRAP guidance, the relevant UK Statutory Instrument, and Defra’s weekly Circular Economy Newsletters.

The information is up to date as of 28 March 2025, however, Defra have acknowledged that additional guidance on certain topics may be useful and they are working with their networks of local authority and waste collector stakeholders to discuss areas for potential additional non-statutory guidance.

Any changes to guidance will be communicated to CIWM members in the Weekly Member Insight newsletter.

Summary

From 31st March 2025, all workplaces in England (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises), except those classified as microbusinesses with less than 10 FTE employees, are required to separately present household-like waste in the following streams:

1. Dry recyclables: paper and card, plastics, metal, and glass
2. Food waste
3. Residual waste

The four dry recyclable material types – paper and card, plastics, metal, and glass – can be collected co-mingled where the waste collector has completed a co-collection assessment. Three containers is therefore the absolute minimum number required – one each for dry recyclables, food waste, and residual waste.

However, workplaces should consult with their waste service providers to determine a service that best suits their needs.

There is nothing to stop a workplace from segregating all of their dry recyclables, indeed the paper & card recyclers actively encourage these materials to be collected separately from the other dry recyclables. It may be financially advantageous for a workplace to consider further segregation, so talk to your collector.

Workplaces can decide on the size of containers and frequency of collections based on the volume of waste they produce.

Workplaces that provide external litter bins are required to separate out the waste collected where it is deemed to be relevant waste (waste which is similar in nature and composition to household waste) and present it according to their waste collection arrangement.

Definitions

The relevant non-domestic premises definition includes :

• offices
• retail and wholesale
• transport and storage
• hospitality, such as cafes, restaurants, and hotels
• places of education, such as schools, colleges, and universities
• healthcare places, such as GP surgeries and hospitals
• care homes
• charities and those registered as charities
• places of worship
• penal institutes
• charity shops selling donated goods that came from a domestic property
• residential hostels that provide accommodation to people with no other permanent address or who are unable to live at their permanent address only
• premises used only or mainly for public meetings
• residential hostels which provides accommodation only to persons with no other permanent address or who are unable to live at their permanent address
• premises used wholly or mainly for public meetings

What items are covered under the material categories?

The following dry-recyclable items should be considered as recyclable only where:

• the waste item is empty
• the waste item is not heavily contaminated by other substances
• the waste item is not packaging with the EWC waste code 150110 in the List of Waste ‘Packaging containing residues of or contaminated by hazardous substances’ – which should always be managed as hazardous waste

Dry recyclables – Paper & Card

What is included:

• All types of paper & card except the types listed in ‘What is excluded’.

What is excluded:

• fibre-based composite where the non-paper fibre content is more than 15% by weight
• fibre-based composite which has layers of plastic on both sides (double-sided lamination)
• fibre-based composite cups
• paper and card to which glitter has been adhered
• paper and card to which foil has been adhered, where the non-paper fibre content is more than 15% by weight
• greaseproof, siliconized, or waxed paper
• stickers
• padded polyethylene lined envelopes
• paperback and hardback books
• wallpaper
• absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including nappies, period and incontinence products
• cotton wool or makeup pads
• tissue or toilet paper
• wet wipes

Dry recyclables – Plastic

What is included:

• polyethylene terephthalate )PET) plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and tubes,
• polypropylene (PP) plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and tubes,
• high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and tubes,
• aseptic and refrigerated cartons made of a fibre-based composite (FBC) – FBC means a material made up of paperboard or paper fibres with a layer of plastic, and which may also have layers of other materials, to form a single unit that cannot be separated by hand

What is excluded:

• any plastic items listed in ‘What’s included’ that do not measure a minimum of 40mm by 40mm
• any plastic items listed in ‘What’s Included’ but which contains any pigment which prevents the item from being near infrared detectable
• film packaging and plastic bags (these will be included from 31 March 2027)
• any plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable,’ including coffee pods
• plastic bottles that have contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze
• bulky rigid non-packaging plastic items such as garden furniture, bins, and plastic toys
• polystyrene (expanded and high impact) packaging such as packing beads
• polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging

Dry recyclables – Metal

What is included:

• steel and aluminium tins & cans
• steel and aluminium aerosols used as packaging
• aluminium foil
• aluminium food trays
• steel and aluminium jars and bottle lids
• aluminium tubes, bottles and jars used as packaging

What is excluded:

• metal packaging that has contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze
• non-packaging metal items such as; laminated foil (pet food pouches and coffee pouches), electrical items and batteries, general kitchenware (cutlery, pots, and pans), pipes, etc.

Dry recyclables – Glass

What is included:

• bottles used for packaging
• jars used for packaging

What is excluded:

• any glass items listed in ‘What’s included’ above that do not measure a minimum of 40mm by 40mm
• non-packaging glass items such as; candles, drinking glasses, flat glass, glass cookware (such as Pyrex), light bulbs and tubes, microwave plates, mirrors, vases, window glass, ceramics (such as crockery or earthenware)

Food waste

What is included:

• all food intended for human or household pet consumption, regardless of whether it has a nutritional value
• biodegradable material resulting from the processing or preparation of food, including inedible food parts such as bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags and coffee grounds

What is excluded:

• Non-food organic wastes

Note. Workplaces generating garden waste have a legal duty to manage it in accordance with the waste hierarchy and arrange for it to be recycled or composted if it delivers the best environmental outcome.

Further guidance and information

• DEFRA Guidance – ‘Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England’, 29 November 2024
• WRAP guidance – ‘The Business of Recycling England’ website
• UK Statutory Instrument – SI2024 No. 666 Environmental Protection England, “The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024”

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New Simpler Recycling rules on how workplaces in England sort their recycling and waste have now come into force.

From today (Monday 31 March), workplaces with 10 or more employees will need to arrange for the collection of:

• Dry recyclable materials – including plastic, metal, glass, and paper and card – unless their waste collector collects them together.
• Food waste
• Residual (non-recyclable) waste

Workplaces can decide on the size of their containers and the frequency of collections based on the volume of waste they produce.

The measures are part of the UK Government’s Simpler Recycling policy, formerly Consistency in Recycling, which it calls “integral” to its commitment to move to a circular economy.

The UK Government estimates Simpler Recycling in England will generate greenhouse gas emissions savings equivalent to £11.8 billion and increase recycling rates.

Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said simplifying the rules for workplaces will make recycling easier, deliver cost savings and stimulate growth.

“We are committed to ending the throwaway society, boosting recycling rates which have stalled for too long, and driving growth through the Government’s Plan for Change,” Creagh commented.

“We’ll continue to work hand-in-hand with businesses to deliver our reforms to drive up recycling rates and ensure there’s more recycled content in the products we buy.

Recycling changes coming in 2026

By 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect the core recyclable waste streams from all households in England.

This includes introducing weekly food waste collections for most homes, unless their councils have a transitional arrangement in place, giving them a later start date in legislation.

These measures mean people in England will be able to recycle the same materials at home, work or school.

Kerbside plastic film collections from workplaces and households will also be introduced by 31 March 2027.

Steve Molyneux, deputy director of waste and resources regulation at the Environment Agency, called the implementation of Simpler Recycling a “pivotal moment”.

“We are committed to supporting businesses with their new duties. We will take a pragmatic approach to implementation and will work with stakeholders to support them in overcoming any difficulties they might face in relation to compliance.”

Workplaces with fewer than 10 employees have until 31 March 2027 to arrange for the recycling of the core recyclable waste streams.

The implementation of Simpler Recycling for workplaces follows Environment Secretary Steve Reed setting out a new circular economy plan on 27 March.

The Environment Secretary also confirmed the first five priority sectors that the independent Circular Economy Taskforce will focus on, which are textiles, transport, construction, agri-food, and chemicals and plastics.

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Industry has reacted to the Environment Secretary’s speech on how the UK Government will support the nation’s transition to a circular economy.

Speaking at the Dock Shed in London, the Environment Secretary Steve Reed set out how the UK Government will provide direction for businesses to plan and “spearhead” the nation’s transition to a circular economy.

The government has now confirmed the first five priority sectors that the Taskforce will focus on – textiles, transport, construction, agri-food, and chemicals and plastics.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the sectors were chosen after the Taskforce found they had the best potential to generate major economic gains while protecting the environment and delivering net zero.

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)

Responding after attending the speech, Dan Cooke, CIWM’s Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs, said the Institution looks forward to more engagement with the Taskforce to support its “vital work”.

He continued that it was important to raise the fact that the resources and wastes sector will be part of the bedrock of a more circular economy.

“The opportunity is clear to facilitate waste prevention, reuse and repair at scale, underpinned by higher recycling rates,” Cooke said.

“A more circular UK economy will bring jobs, skills and sustainable growth for our sector and the others we work with.”

Cooke also emphasised the importance of implementing reforms, such as Carriers, Brokers and Dealers regs and Digital Waste Tracking, to “make sure we can walk before we run”.

Environmental Services Association (ESA)

Executive Director of the ESA, Jacob Hayler, said: “With the right regulatory interventions, delivered correctly and consistently, our industry stands poised to invest a further £10 billion in the UK’s low-carbon circular economy over the next five to ten years, as the Secretary of State recognised today.

“These regulatory reforms include the long-awaited collection and packaging reforms, which the Secretary of State also referred to, as well as measures to stimulate markets for secondary raw materials and crack down on waste crime.

“Long-term policy clarity and the right targeted interventions will help our sector deliver the next generation of circular economy innovations at scale, and help our sector play our critical role in delivering Government’s binding recycling and resource-efficiency targets.

“It is deeply encouraging that Defra, under a Labour Government, shares our vision for a circular economy, particularly in recognising the benefits of a more resource-resilient UK economy on a volatile world stage, where supply chains for critical materials are far from guaranteed.”

WRAP

Head of Public Sector Partnerships and Policy and Insights at WRAP Keith James, a member of Circular Economy Taskforce, said: “We look forward to the publication of the Circular Economy Strategy this autumn, and regulatory roadmaps across the core industries of agriculture and food, textiles, the built environment, transport, and chemicals & plastics.

“We are already seeing the green roots of what is possible with a circular economy in these key industries in the UK.

“The UK is in prime position to build on these strong initiatives, and to learn from circular economies developing elsewhere in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

“We will continue to support our industry and government partners to develop this green and healthy vision of a circular systems at scale through WRAP’s work, bringing circular living into every boardroom, and every home.”

North London Waste Authority (NLWA)

Reflecting on the announcement, NLWA Chair, Cllr Clyde Loakes said: “The government is moving at pace to meet its commitment on a circular economy, and it is right that the priority sectors announced – textiles, transport, construction, agri-food and chemicals & plastics – will be supported to move towards circularity and decarbonise their fossil heavy products.

“Yet it is concerning that local authorities who work on the front line of waste and resource management and play an imperative part in successfully delivering related policy, are not at the centre of the conversation.

“NLWA is keen to engage with the work of the Taskforce, which does not include local government representation on its membership.

“We will continue to call on the Taskforce to give us clear and meaningful ways to contribute to their work so we can successfully deliver a circular economy.”

Reconomy

Diane Crowe, Group Sustainability Director at the leading circular economy specialist Reconomy, welcomed the government’s commitment to accelerating the transition to a Circular Economy “given the pressing need to maximise our resources”.

“Closing the circularity gap is essential if we are to tackle both the environmental and economic costs of waste,” Crowe said.

“Innovation – like material passports and digital tracking – is already driving real change, but we need to see this momentum matched with a consistent and supportive regulatory framework that gives businesses the certainty to invest.

“A stable policy landscape will empower innovation to scale solutions, retain value from resources and reduce the environmental footprint of waste.

“We look forward to working closely with the government, the Circular Economy Taskforce and other businesses to realise our vision of a waste free world.”

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Environment Secretary Steve Reed will set out how the UK Government will support the nation’s transition to a circular economy in a speech to industry leaders later today.

Speaking at the Dock Shed in London, Reed will unveil a new plan to transform the nation’s economy by reducing waste across industry.

The Environment Secretary will also set out how the UK Government will provide direction for businesses to plan and “spearhead” the nation’s transition to a circular economy.

Industry leaders, including the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), and Jaguar Land Rover, will be in attendance.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) says Reed will underline how transitioning to a circular economy is “essential” for delivering real change in communities across the country.

It’s time to end Britain’s throwaway society – the status quo is economically, environmentally, and socially unsustainable.

Commenting ahead of the speech, Reed said: “It’s time to end Britain’s throwaway society – the status quo is economically, environmentally, and socially unsustainable.

“Moving to a circular economy is a pivotal moment for British businesses to innovate, grow and lead the world, so we can slash waste and strengthen supply chains.”

Last year, the government announced the members of the new Circular Economy Taskforce.

An independent advisory group comprising experts and leaders from various sectors, the Taskforce key objectives are to identify and assess mechanisms that can underpin a Circular Economy Strategy for England.

The government has now confirmed the first five priority sectors that the Taskforce will focus on – textiles, transport, construction, agri-food, and chemicals and plastics.

Defra said the sectors were chosen after the Taskforce found they had the best potential to generate major economic gains while protecting the environment and delivering net zero.

Andrew Morlet, chair of the Circular Economy Taskforce, said the Taskforce will bring together industry, academic and policy experts with central and local government to create jobs, increase resource efficiency and accelerate the path to net zero.

“Transitioning to a circular economy is an ambitious but crucial goal as this government kickstarts economic growth and turns Britain into a clean energy superpower,” Morlet said.

The Taskforce is now set to work with the five priority sectors to create a series of specific roadmaps to improve and reform the approach to using materials, as well as a Circular Economy Strategy which will be published in Autumn.

Defra says both the roadmaps and Strategy will give businesses certainty to plan and the confidence to build and invest in new infrastructure.

The opportunity is clear to facilitate waste prevention, reuse and repair at scale, underpinned by higher recycling rates.

Speaking after attending the speech, Dan Cooke, CIWM’s Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs, said the Institution looks forward to more engagement with the Taskforce to support its “vital work”.

Cooke said the resources and waste sector will be part of the “bedrock” of a more circular economy.

“The opportunity is clear to facilitate waste prevention, reuse and repair at scale, underpinned by higher recycling rates,” Cooke said.

“A more circular UK economy will bring jobs, skills and sustainable growth for our sector and the others we work with.”

Cooke also emphasised the importance of implementing reforms, such as Carriers, Brokers and Dealers regs and Digital Waste Tracking, to “make sure we can walk before we run”.

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Daniel Hiniesto Muñoz de la Torre, Senior Researcher and Project Manager at ACCIONA Construcción, outlines how a circular revolution is taking place in the construction industry.

Across Europe, the built environment remains a key talking point in the circular economy conversation. From carbon emissions and energy consumption to waste material, it all contributes to Europe’s impact on climate change.

What is the impact of the construction industry?

Within the European Union (EU), the construction industry is responsible for close to 40% of total emissions and generates nearly a third of all waste.

In 2021, the EU’s circular material use rate – the share of used material resources which came from recycled waste materials – reached 11.7%, showing the circular economy in the sector is still at a very early stage.

Despite the scale of the impact, only about 40% of construction and demolition waste is reused or recycled, and when it is, the materials are often downcycled into lower-grade applications rather than reintegrated into new builds.

The reason for such high emissions is because the built environment heavily relies on finite raw materials, like sand, gravel, and metals, which depletes natural resources at an unsustainable rate.

It’s these traditional construction methods that produce vast amounts of carbon emissions, contributing significantly to climate change. This linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model leads to excessive landfill waste, pollution, and environmental degradation.

Europe’s Circular Economy Action Plan

Recognising this, in March 2020, the European Commission introduced a new Circular Economy Action Plan as a key part of the ambitious European Green Deal, Europe’s strategy for sustainable growth.

The essential move toward a circular economy is expected to ease the demand on natural resources, create new jobs, and support long-term economic growth, all of which are required to reach the EU’s goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.

The plan outlines actions across every stage of a product’s life, from design to disposal. It focuses on making products more sustainable, supporting circular business models, encouraging responsible consumption, and reducing waste.

The goal is to keep materials and resources in use within the EU economy for as long as possible.

Shifting towards a circular construction model presents a major opportunity to generate environmental, social, and economic value. But what exactly does circular construction mean?

Circular construction

At its core, it involves designing, building, using, and eventually repurposing structures and materials in a way that conserves resources, limits pollution, and protects ecosystems.

For buildings specifically, circularity is about maximising resource efficiency and minimising waste throughout the entire lifecycle, from initial design and construction to renovation and eventual deconstruction.

Due to the rising cost of raw materials and the continued decline of natural resources, the use of waste materials is a potential alternative in the construction industry.

Waste materials, when properly processed, have shown to be effective as construction materials and readily meet the design specifications.

Momentum is building and the EU is working hard to fund innovative, sustainable approaches that drive a fundamental shift in how we design, build, and reuse materials in this sector.

ICARUS

One ambitious, forward-thinking initiative funded by the Horizon Europe programme and spearheaded by ACCIONA’s Construction business, ICARUS,  transforms industrial waste into high-quality secondary raw materials (SRMs).

With 18 beneficiaries from Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands, ICARUS aims to make Europe the first digitally led climate-neutral economy through the transformation of its mobility, energy, construction, and production systems.

It aims to close the loop in construction, significantly cut down on waste, reduce environmental impact, and ensure materials meet the same standards as virgin resources.

By pioneering innovative recycling and upcycling techniques, ICARUS is proving that sustainability and high-performance construction can go hand in hand.

Its efforts are not only reshaping the industry but also setting the stage for a greener, more resource-efficient future.

This shift isn’t just necessary, it’s inevitable. To tackle the carbon footprint of the construction industry, this EU-funded project has three key demonstration case studies that are excelling across Europe.

Turning Lithium Residue into Strong, Sustainable Materials

Leftover waste material, such as lithium aluminosilicate residue (LAR), can be turned into useful products like cement and concrete, road base, backfill, and ceramics.

By improving how LAR is processed, the project ensures these materials are strong, long-lasting, and ready for use in construction.

This reduces the need for new raw materials and gives industrial waste a second life in sustainable building.

Recovering Cellulose from Everyday Waste

New value in waste can be found from diapers and wastewater by recovering cellulose fibres that would normally be thrown away. These fibres are cleaned, processed, and reused in construction materials and other bio-based products.

By targeting both hygiene product waste and wastewater sludge, ICARUS is helping reduce landfill use and emissions. With the help of an AI-powered platform, this process can be made to be efficient and ensure high-quality results.

Making Use of Steel Slag for Greener Building Products

There is a huge opportunity for businesses in the built environment to turn steelmaking slag, usually treated as waste, into precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), a useful material for construction, ceramics, and even steel production.

This process replaces the need for virgin limestone and captures carbon dioxide, which helps to cut emissions. ICARUS is refining the method to produce high-quality PCC and exploring other ways to reuse slag, showing how industrial waste can support both circularity and climate goals.

What does the future look like?

Together, these demonstration cases bring circularity out of the conceptual realm and into practical, measurable progress, one industrial byproduct at a time.

While circular economy concepts often shine in theory, real-world application is where their true potential is tested.

By setting the foundation for a future where waste is not discarded but repurposed into valuable resources, ICARUS is helping the EU reach their ambitious climate goals.

The combination of advanced recycling technologies with digital innovation helps to reduce carbon emissions, enhance material traceability, and improve overall resource efficiency.

As we move forward, we must think outside the box with innovative technologies to position Europe as a leader in the circular built environment.

Not only to benefit ourselves but to set an example for the rest of the world to join us on this journey towards sustainability.

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Designing waste-derived materials to produce sustainable concrete – a potential mine for the future?

CIWM Early Careers Ambassador, Dr Sadish Oumabady & Dr Rory Doherty FCIWM spotlight their research project that provides a circular solution to help two of the most polluting industries, agriculture (poor water quality) and construction (carbon emissions).

Biochar based concrete

The project in Queen’s University Belfast is an industry-led collaboration funded through the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE) with Agri-Food Biosciences Institute (AFBI), United Renewables, Mineral Products Association NI, Mannok Build, Breedon Group, Irish Cements and Northstone NI as research partners.

The root cause

Agricultural intensification and the subsequent spreading of slurry onto the land caused run-off from non-point sources that allowed nutrient leaching (primarily Nitrogen and Phosphorus) into catchments and Lough Neagh.

Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles and supplies drinking water to about 40.7% of Northern Ireland’s population.

Eutrophication of the lake happened in 2022 causing a major environmental issue affecting water companies, the eel fishing industry, tourism and recreational users of the Lough, as it is likely to happen again and again.

This triggered an outcry from the local population and the Northern Ireland government is now rapidly seeking management strategies.

A mitigation strategy in progress

The simplest solution to help Lough Neagh is to prevent farm waste (slurry) from being returned to land.

Valorising the farm waste through Anaerobic Digestion (AD) promotes renewable energy generation (biogas) and the nutrient rich slurry (digestate) is derived as a byproduct.

The subsequent usage of dried digestate for syngas production through pyrolysis yields biochar, contributing to Biomass Carbon Capture and Storage (BCCS). Biochar production from AD digestate contributes to the reduction of sector’s emission between 54 and 160kt CO2e.

With the current electricity output of 213 GWh, the AD sector in NI produces 110kt of digestate dry matter and this could yield 32kt of biochar upon pyrolysis.

Considering the UK Climate Change Committee’s 2050 biomethane target for NI, an estimated 184kt of biochar could be produced annually.

Industrial scale applications of biochar as an energy source, as a filter for wastewater treatment and as a soil amendment are well established.

Our initial analysis of the elemental composition of the digestate biochar showed that it was over 55% carbon but also confirmed the presence of significant quantities of essential components for cementitious mineral formation in concrete manufacturing.

The construction industry is responsible for up to 8% global CO2 emissions, in Northern Ireland it emits up to 900kt of CO2e.

The 2024 requirement by the Irish government for low-carbon cement mandate a minimum 30% reduction in clinker use demonstrate the time is right to scale up the biochar production for use in the construction industry.

Biochar production and its usage in concrete manufacturing provides tangible benefits in terms of emission reductions (potentially up to 75%), volume shrinkage and helping achieve the UK’s net zero target by 2050.

How our work plan contributes

Utilising locally available materials to produce biochar serves as a decentralised solution to valorise waste and an effective resource consumption tool.

We have currently optimised the proportion of biochar in concrete for non-structural precast mixes, such as roof tiles, paving stones, facades, curbing, and barriers, etc.

The resultant low-carbon concrete products have comparable benefits in terms of aesthetic quality, durability, faster curing, and facilitate industrial mass production due to the supplementary cementitious properties of the biochar.

Our lab scale tests have demonstrated evidence of self-repair capabilities and early strength attainment of biochar-concrete mixes in a factory environment.

Additionally, biochar imparts a black shade to the final products ideally replacing the need of an imported black pigment.

Designing biochar-based concrete products could serve as an initiating point for the reduced dependency on Carbon black imports to the UK which was valued at ~£65 million in 2023.

This could benefit the local economy through lowered VAT/customs/excise duties and help the industries prepare for the UK Government’s plan to introduce CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) in 2027 on GHG emissions from imports.

The way forward

With one of our industrial partners, we have performed factory trials on optimised mix proportions that still adhere to industry standards.

This promoted an advancement in the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of our research and ensured its operation readiness.

Biochar concrete cubes and roof tiles from factory trials

The workflow and baseline work for the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of biochar-concrete mixes and industrial trials will deliver an improved aspect of techno-economic capabilities from the project outcomes.

This eventually creates a circular economic pathway for wider industrial acceptance and a global audience to achieve sustainability.

A curiosity

Aside from the above-mentioned work, a curious question arises in using this nutrient rich biochar to make sustainable concrete. Could this be mapped digitally using Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems and be used to mine nutrients in the future as part of design for deconstruction?

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Over 2.8 billion PET bottles and aluminium cans were returned through the Swedish deposit return system (DRS) in 2024 – a 6% increase compared to the previous year.

In 2024, Sweden’s deposit return rate reached 87.6%, just short of the 90% target.

On average, every person in Sweden recycled 271 containers last year, according to fresh data from Returpack/Pantamera, the operator of the country’s DRS.

In 2024, Sweden’s deposit system prevented over 180,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions, Returpack/Pantamera said.

In the DRS, PET bottles and aluminium cans stay in a closed recycling loop, which is crucial for achieving true circularity.

Sara Bergendorff, Head of Sustainability and Quality at Returpack/Pantamera, said everyone can contribute to the environment and climate by returning their containers through the DRS.

“In the DRS, PET bottles and aluminium cans stay in a closed recycling loop, which is crucial for achieving true circularity,” Bergendorff commented.

“Unlike standard recycling, where materials often degrade in quality and get repurposed into other products, the deposit system keeps valuable materials in continuous use for their original purpose, so that they can become new bottles and cans, over and over again.”

In January 2025, the deposit amount increased with the aim to further grow recycling rates.

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Harriet Lamb has resigned as CEO of WRAP to become the CEO of the Green Party of England and Wales, sparking the search for her successor.

Lamb will leave the global environmental action NGO (non-governmental organisation) WRAP at the end of May.

The Chair of WRAP, Sebastian Munden, said Lamb is leaving the organisation on a “strong footing”.

“We are grateful to Harriet for all her work at WRAP and understand her decision to leave reflects a deeply held personal passion,” Munden commented.

“Together, we remain focused on accelerating the growth of the circular economy with all our partners and stakeholders, to make circular living the norm in every boardroom and every home.”

WRAP’s Trustees have appointed executive search consultancy Saxton Bampfylde to lead the search for their new CEO.

Lamb said the role was a great privilege and called the decision to leave extremely difficult.

“However, the chance to be CEO of the Green Party fulfils a lifelong interest,” Lamb said. “WRAP is a special organisation. Its many expert and motivated people will ensure the organisation continues to grow its impact.”

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The European Union’s plastic recycling industry is at a “breaking point”, Plastic Recyclers Europe says.

Plastic Recyclers Europe said a sharp decline in domestic production, increased imports, and rising economic pressures are forcing company closures.

Plastic Recyclers Europe, which represents European plastics recyclers who reprocess plastic waste, warned of “severe consequences” across the entire value chain.

“Now more than ever, decisive action is essential,” Ton Emans, President at Plastics Recyclers Europe, said.

“We urge EU policymakers to take a fast and strong political stance, introducing effective import controls and enforcing existing legislation, including the restriction of importing materials which do not meet equivalent EU sustainability and safety standards.”

We urge EU policymakers to take a fast and strong political stance…

European recyclers also have to deal with high energy costs and soaring input waste costs, Plastic Recyclers Europe said, which have increased operational expenses over the last few years.

Plastic Recyclers Europe also warned businesses are being undercut by cheaper imported materials.

The negative market trends have been detrimental to the industry, Plastic Recyclers Europe said, which has led to a decline in recycling rates, hindered the adoption of circular practices and increased reliance on unsustainable production methods.

Imports of both recycled and virgin polymers account for over 20% of EU polymer consumption, while domestic recycling production has declined by 5% for most polymers.

Plastic Recyclers Europe said EU plastic production is projected to regress to levels last seen in the year 2000, even as polymer consumption continues to grow.

At the same time, plastic waste exports from the EU increased by 36% in 2024 compared to 2022, highlighting a shift away from in-region recycling efforts.

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