Press releases

• WRAP sheds light on food surplus and waste on farm and says more work is urgently needed in this critical area of the food chain.
• Around 3.6 million tonnes of food surplus and waste occur in primary production every year, worth £1.2 billion. 
• Agricultural food waste tops 1.6 million tonnes with 2 million tonnes of surplus – equivalent to 7% of total annual UK food harvest.

A new grant has been unveiled today to help improve recycling rates. The new recycling grant is part of the £18 million Resource Action Fund, launched by Defra in May 2019. 

• UK Plastics Pact members to eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use plastics.
• 8 items targetted initially for elimination by the end of 2020. 
• 19 other items have been identified as problematic or unnecessary and WRAP is advising Pact members to avoid their use where possible, consider reuse options, or ensure they are suitable for recycling.

• New UK Plastics Pact guidance published today as part of plans to significantly improve the UK recycling rate of plastic packaging

• Unrecyclable plastics such as non-detectable black plastics and polystyrene are disappearing from UK supermarket shelves
• Members have started removing unnecessary single use plastics such as straws and plastic cutlery

• Bold new food waste reduction campaign launched at Government symposium to tackle the £3 billion of food thrown away at hospitality and food service outlets.  
• Call to arms for hospitality and food service sector to find its Guardians of Grub and Stand up for Food month of action. 
• UK targets 100,000 tonnes less food wasted across the hospitality and food service sector*.

• WRAP and ASDA IPL find significant variations in UK potato yields and a critical need for more standardised data measurement on farm.
• New trials help increase crop yields and limit rejection through noncompliance with specifications.

WRAP is offering a total of £1.5 million in grants to support projects that provide innovative ways for textile waste to be recycled or re-used, keeping it out of landfill or incineration so that it remains a valuable resource. The money is part of Defra’s £18m Resource Action Fund, set up to support key priority policy areas.

WRAP and OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label) have today announced a strategic partnership which sets out how the two organisations will work together towards meeting the UK’s recycling targets.

Marcus Gover, CEO WRAP “We welcome the publication of these four consultation papers, setting out detailed options for how the Government intends to implement key elements of its Resources & Waste Strategy for England. Making producers pay the full cost of recycling the packaging they produce, improving the consistency of council waste collections, introducing deposits on drinks containers and taxing packaging which doesn’t include enough recycled material has the potential to transform our use of resources and waste for the better."