• RCEP challenges REACH

  The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution says its proposals on chemicals regulation will be cheaper and more effective than the European Commission's

• Row over IPPC permitting

  Environment Agency inspectors are furious at plans to reduce their role in permit processing - while chemical firms fear site-specific knowledge will be lost

• Big plans for offshore wind

  The Government is planning an ambitious expansion of offshore wind capacity - but it is not clear what the associated environmental impacts will be

Waste management

• Packaging costs challenged

  The assumption that the UK packaging regime provides better value for money than systems in other EU countries is under fire

• Nike retains greenhouse gas

  Nike has belatedly phased out use of a powerful greenhouse gas in its trainers - only to switch to another one

UK policy

• Corporate reporting plans

  A DTI working group has proposed that company directors should consider stakeholders when deciding what environmental and social information should go into their OFRs

• Dispute over IPPC upgrading deadlines
• Wake-up call on leaky tanks
• Study links ICI landfill to kidney damage
• Dip in environmental spending by industry
• Update on GM debate
• Slippage on contaminated land
• Low emission zone plan for London
• OECD doubts over voluntary agreements
• Drinking water improves again
• Little evidence of crypto-tap water links

Waste management

• Packaging data badly overstated
• Landfill odour costs Cleanaway £2m
• WEEE recycling well below target

• Green chemistry rewarded
• Car firms continue greening their supply chains
• New uses for industrial wastes
• FoE complains over NI sewage treatment
• Northern Ireland lignite plan put on hold

Waste management

• Joint venture to increase use of power station ash
• Comet launches free refrigerator take-back

• WWF 95+ group in timber scandal
• Threat to printer cartridge reuse
• Cement firms snub eco-cement

Parliament

• DEFRA and responsibility for waste
• Water Bill strengthened on efficiency
• Biofuel firms' pitch on fuel duty
• Home Office admits to 'illegal' timber

UK policy

• Deregulation plans for waste in kilns
• Acid gas trading at combustion plant
• Climate change agreements extension
• Agency to review 'low impact' permitting
• New guidance on hazardous waste
• DEFRA finally moves to tackle unlicensed, untaxed waste activities
• Waste permitting review kicks off
• Car industry wins fight over ELVs
• Tyre industry asks for statutory targets
• Agency refines waste convictions test
• Consultation on tax boost for cleaner oils
• Disagreement on sulphur in ship fuel

EU policy

• EU emissions trading breakthrough
• Commission backtracks on air quality
• EU targets fluorinated greenhouse gases
• Nuclear discharges dominate OSPAR

Parliament

• Commons report on waste regulation
• New inquiries on cars, GM, marine environment
• Voluntary agreements mooted for batteries, magazines, farm plastics
• Low recycling rate for light bulbs
• Household waste Bill extended to Wales
• Incinerator emissions improve
• Advisory group on environmental technology
• Activity on contaminated land
• More 'sensitive areas' for Scotland

UK policy

• Delay for emission trading projects
• Agency revises monitoring assessment guidance
• Grid connection help for small generators
• Guidance for councils on IPPC and health
• 'Duty of care' powers for Welsh councils
• Farm pollution rules for Northern Ireland
• EIA regulations on Scottish water projects
• Waste site permitting in Northern Ireland
• Agricultural landfills brought under control in Scotland
• Surface treatment processes shifted to councils under IPPC
• Consultation on assessing risks from oil-contaminated soils
• Wales, N Ireland transpose ozone Directive

EU policy

• 'Co-existence' provisions inserted in new GM laws
• Pesticides armoury continues to diminish
• UK faces ECJ over EIA
• Overhaul of EU transboundary waste rules
• MEPs accept 2008 deadline for packaging targets

• Time to rethink EMS certification

• Spotlight on EMS auditors

  Regulators are keen to forge links between environmental management systems and permitting - but concern is growing about the quality of EMSs and their assessment

• Power plants eye biomass

  The renewables obligation is encouraging coal-fired power stations to burn biomass - prompting a scramble for fuel sources

• Product policy loses its way

  The EU White Paper on integrated product policy contains few concrete proposals - generating bitter disappointment among environmental groups

• ECJ ruling on recycling

  Packaging recycling occurs when secondary material is returned to a state comparable with the original, the European Court of Justice has ruled

• Fine for phoney Agency inspector
• DTI secures rare offshore conviction
• Law of the sea dispute over Sellafield
• Ireland loses in MOX tribunal
• 'Rotten egg' discharge costs Croda
• Inveresk in double trouble
• Brecon food firm fined for three pollution offences
• Fish processor fined for bleach pollution
• Waste burning costs man £35,000
• Landfill litter offences cost Onyx £23,500
• Rubber manufacturer fined for pollution offence
• Food firms fined for pollution
• Rolls Royce fined £10,000 over oil pollution
• More packaging fines
• Asbestos offences cost firms £58,000
• Southern Water fined