Two articles      The scale of plastic pollution in the marine environment is growing and UK backtrack on their blocking moves to agree with Europe on recycling targets and the circular economy.

Unearthed, Greenpeace ‘Investigative journalism does make a difference. Back in January, we revealed that although the UK government was promising ambitious new recycling targets as part of a crackdown on plastic, behind the scenes in Brussels it was pushing back against an EU-wide higher recycling target. One EU diplomat told us the Brits had been “quite blunt” in their opposition. That’s all changed now: the government has told the Guardian it will be signing up to the EU’s more ambitious targets after all – and it has pledged to stick with them, or introduce even stronger ones, after Brexit.’

1. EcoMagazine – New data on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – Growing and covering an area the size of France    1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 80,000 metric tons are currently afloat in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – and it is rapidly getting worse. These are the main conclusions of a three-year mapping effort conducted by an international team of scientists affiliated with The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, six universities and an aerial sensor company. Their findings were published today in the journal Scientific Reports. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located halfway between Hawaii and California, is the largest accumulation zone for ocean plastics on Earth. Conventionally, researchers have used single, fine-meshed nets, typically less than a meter in size, in an attempt to quantify the problem. However, this method yields high uncertainty because of the small surface area that is covered. Additionally, these methods could not measure the magnitude of the problem to its fullest extent, because all sampling nets – small and large – were unable to capture objects greater than the size of the net. Click here to read more

2. Defra: The UK will vote in favour of a package of measures to boost recycling rates, the government has confirmed. The Guardian today reports we (UK) will support the Circular Economy Package, which will be voted on by EU member states shortly. The package will include targets to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and set higher targets for recycling of various everyday materials, including plastic, paper, cardboard and glass packaging. The move has been well received by Greenpeace and the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management. We are supporting the package because:

• The Government wants the UK to be a world leader in resource efficiency. That’s why as well as backing the EU’s Circular Economy Package we have committed to publishing a new Resources and Waste Strategy in 2018, consistent with the EU package and in some respects going beyond it.
• The Government is supportive of more recycling of materials and we have been actively engaged in agreeing the proposals to support the Circular Economy across the EU. Click here to read more