As Recycle Week celebrates its 20th anniversary, leading eco-cleaning company, Delphis Eco has published some key findings from its latest survey which captures some of the focus of this year’s theme, “missed capture”, the items that can be recycled but are commonly missed in the home.
One of these key missed items for recycling are cosmetics and where nearly 40 per cent of people said they don’t think to recycle bottles or may occasionally do.
Food waste is another "missed capture". It’s estimated that 70 per cent of wasted food in the UK is caused by families in their own homes. This is 4.5 million tonnes of food being thrown away every year that could have been eaten.
The Delphis survey found that nearly half the population don’t have a home compost
Another key aspect of this year’s Recycle Week theme is a focus on local authorities to share the central message - to galvanise the public into recycling more of the right things, more often.
However, with different systems in play across regional authorities, 73 per cent of responders said they strongly agree that all local authorities should be consistent in their recycling approach to make recycling more efficient, less confusing as a national standard.
When asked how confident people are that their local authority is correctly sorting their household recycling rather than sending it to landfill, nearly half of those asked were not confident that recycled waste was being processed effectively.
“WRAP’s Recycle Week is always a great opportunity to focus on how we can reduce, reuse and recycle more," said Delphis Eco, Founder and Managing Director, Mark Jankovich.
The UK is witnessing a continued resurgence in cash usage, as revealed by a new report from Nationwide Building Society. For the third consecutive year, cash withdrawals have risen, with ATM withdrawals increasing by nearly 5 per cent over the past year.
In 2024 alone, over 30 million withdrawals were made, totalling £4.34 billion. Since 2021, the number of cash withdrawals has surged by nearly 30 per cent, defying the narrative of digital payment dominance.
The report identifies economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis as significant drivers of this trend. Consumers increasingly turn to cash for budgeting purposes, finding that using physical money helps them manage spending more effectively and maintain financial discipline.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has prompted many consumers and businesses to reevaluate their payment habits. For many, cash remains a trusted, resilient, and private method of payment. Businesses that have shifted to cashless models may be losing customers who prefer the option to pay with cash, underscoring the need for payment flexibility in a challenging economic climate.
“The recent figures show consecutive annual increases since the pandemic. With cash usage continuing to grow year on year, it’s evident that cash is no longer in decline,” said Mike Severs, Sales & Marketing Director at Volumatic, leaders in cash handling solutions. “Businesses must adapt to this trend by maintaining the option to accept cash and promoting it to customers. Investing in cash handling technology can streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.”
Severs also highlighted the risks businesses face when going cashless. He adds: “Those who have moved to card-only payments should reconsider, as they risk losing customers and revenue. We have seen many retailers and quick-service restaurants reintroducing cash payments with significant success, boosting profits and enhancing customer satisfaction.”
As businesses adapt to the rise in cash usage, intelligent cash handling solutions can transform operations. Volumatic’s products, trusted globally by leading brands such as Tesco, McDonald’s, and Odeon, offer efficiency, security, and accuracy.
The CounterCache intelligent (CCi) provides award-winning note validation, secure storage, and accurate note counting at the point of sale. Paired with the CashView Enterprise software, businesses gain comprehensive reporting and visibility from POS to bank.
The CountEasy cash counting scales enable businesses to count a till drawer in under a minute, while the secure CounterCache storage devices and FC300 friction note counter are ideal for handling large cash volumes safely and efficiently.
With cash usage on the rise, businesses are encouraged to align with customer preferences and explore advanced cash handling solutions. By doing so, they can reduce operational costs, enhance security, and capitalise on the growing demand for cash payments – a smart investment in today’s economic environment.
Britain's biggest supermarket group Tesco plans to cut about 400 jobs from stores and its head office, seeking efficiency savings so it can invest in the business, it said on Wednesday.
The move follows that of Sainsbury's, the No. 2 player, which said last week it planned to reduce its headcount by over 3,000 roles.
British companies, and particularly large employers, are facing increased costs this year after the Labour government's first budget in October hiked National Insurance contributions for employers and the national minimum wage.
"We have started speaking to colleagues about a number of proposed changes in our stores and head office, including changing our bakery model in some stores, and updating our management structure in Tesco Mobile phone shops," Tesco said.
"Taken together, the changes we are proposing mean that around 400 roles will be removed."
Tesco said it would try and find alternative roles for impacted staff, noting it currently has 1,000 vacancies across the business.
Theft and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year and are "out of control", driven partly by criminal gangs, according to a report published on Thursday.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to 31 August 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion.
There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
The BRC said many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before. This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were just 455 incidents a day.
Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.
"Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive," said Helen Dickinson, head of the BRC.
Satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61 per cent of respondents describing it as "poor" or "very poor", the report showed.
"With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse," said Dickinson.
The BRC said the amount spent on crime prevention also hit a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion in 2022/23.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. It also plans to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
“Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence,” Paddy Lillis, general secretary of trade union union Usdaw, said.
“We have campaigned along with the BRC for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the government will be introducing the Crime and Policing Bill, which will meet our aims. That is only part of the fightback against the criminals and we will continue to work closely with retailers to deliver respect for shop workers.”'
Responding to the report, the police said they had made progress in 2024.
“Over the last year we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers and greatly improving information sharing which has resulted in a number of high harm offenders being brought to justice,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council's lead for retail crime, said.
Diageo on Tuesday announced the sale of its majority shareholding in Guinness Ghana Breweries plc to Castel Group.
A key player in the production and distribution of beverages across Africa, Castel will acquire Diageo’s 80.4 per cent stake in the local unit for $81 million (£65.2m).
Diageo will retain ownership of the Guinness brand, and other Diageo brands currently produced by Guinness Ghana (Malta, Orijin, Smirnoff Ice and Alvaro, and mainstream spirits) will be licensed to Guinness Ghana under a new long-term license and royalty agreement.
Diageo said it will continue to drive the brand and marketing strategy for the Guinness brand, in partnership with Castel, to promote continued growth and development in the country.
“Guinness Ghana is performing strongly powered by a fantastic team of people. Through this transaction, I look forward to the Guinness brand continuing to thrive and delivering further growth,” Dayalan Nayager, president Diageo Africa and chief commercial officer, said.
“I am excited to extend our partnership with Castel, a long-term partner in the region with a proven track record.”
Castel Group has significant and extensive expertise across West and Central Africa, and are a partner to Diageo in 11 other markets in Africa.
“This acquisition exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit that drives Castel and marks a new milestone in our growth ambition,” Gregory Clerc, Castel chief executive, said.
“It reflects our ability to go where we are least expected, exploring new horizons on a continent full of opportunities. With this 22nd African country, we reaffirm our dynamism, our boldness, and our confidence in Africa’s potential.”
The company said the latest transaction, and the expanded long-term partnership with Castel, further demonstrates its “active portfolio management and commitment to building an efficient operating model” in West Africa that is structured to deliver long-term and sustainable growth.
The announcement follows the sale in September 2024 of Diageo’s shareholding in Guinness Nigeria plc to Tolaram; the announcement in October 2023 of a wholly-owned dedicated spirits company to strengthen Diageo’s international premium spirits business and serve a wider geographic reach across West Africa; and the sale of Guinness Cameroon to Castel in July 2022.
Diageo’s footprint across Africa consists of East African Breweries Limited (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) and Diageo South West Central, and the company is present in 34 countries with strategic beer and spirits distributors.
The Wrexham Lager Beer Co has announced its expansion into the Hungary market, securing a partnership with Drink Station, a leading importer and distributor of beer in the country.
Servicing both the on and off trade, Hungary will see Wrexham Lager, Wrexham Export and Wrexham Pilsner hit the market in the 440ml can, 330ml bottle and 5L keg formats.
Now co-owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, alongside the Roberts family from Wrexham who took over the running of the brewery in 2011, the new listing follows the company’s recent successful expansion into the US, Australian and Scandinavian markets.
CEO of The Wrexham Lager Beer Co said: “Expanding into Hungary marks an exciting new chapter for Wrexham Lager Beer Co as we continue to grow our presence throughout Europe,” James Wright, chief executive, said.
“We believe our authentic beer, steeped in over 100 years of history, will not only appeal to Hungarian beer lovers, but also introduce them to a new dimension of flavour forged by our commitment to proper lagering.
“2025 is set to be another year of significant growth for Wrexham Lager Beer Co and we look forward to seeing how our product lands in Hungary.”
The Wrexham Lager Beer Co produces high-quality lager beer made with the finest ingredients, using a unique original recipe that is over 140 years old and still to this day follows those traditional Bavarian methods of its founders.