Simpler Recycling has come into effect for households across England.
It is hoped the scheme will boost recycling rates and cut the amount of waste sent to landfill or incineration.
Simpler Recycling should enable consistent and streamlined collections.
Waste collectors must now collect the following types of waste separately: food and garden waste; paper and card; all other dry recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic, including cartons); and residual waste (non-recyclable waste that is sent for energy recovery or to landfill).

A number of English local authorities have been awarded £155,000 each to improve food procurement practices.
Pupils, patients and public sector workers are set to benefit from healthier, more sustainably sourced meals.
Councils will use the funding to improve how food is procured, increase the provision of healthier and more sustainable food options, and support local and small food businesses to understand better how to supply to the public sector. 
The public sector currently spends £4.9 billion on food and catering every year.

The government has announced a new £165 million fund to remove the barriers holding back housing and key growth developments across England.
The new Growth and Housing Accelerator Fund will target sites where progress has stalled due to funding constraints, delivering the transport improvements and links needed to get building started.
The fund is part of  Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), the government’s £27 billion for England’s motorways and major A-roads from 2026 to 2031.

The government has confirmed £108 million of funding to deliver hands-on training, community programmes and school initiatives to boost active travel.
The funding, announced by by Active Travel England (ATE) will include £78 million for the government’s flagship Bikeability programme, which has provided cycle training to more than 5 million children since 2007. The funding will go to local authorities across England, with the Bikeability Trust providing support, advice and guidance.

The government will issue new guidance to councils to help them consider how to make their streets safer for women and girls.
YouGov polling has found that almost 9 in 10 (88 per cent) women have felt unsafe while walking at night, while 7 in 10 (71 per cent) have changed their route to avoid walking in the dark during winter or darker months.

The government has announced £27 billion to upgrade and future-proof England's roads and deliver smoother and safer journeys.
The Road Investment Strategy will be spread across five years and will be spent on resurfacing roads, fixing potholes and replacing worn-out stretches of motorway.
The investment will fund major schemes that unlock growth and improve connectivity across the country, and allow National Highways (NH) to resurface over 9,000 kilometres worth of motorway and major A-road lanes.

A new 190-mile coast-to-coast path has officially launched as England's newest National Trail.
The Path starts at St Bees Head on the Irish Sea and crosses three National Parks, before ending at Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea.
£5.5 million has helped Natural England and partners bring the route up to National Trail standard, with improved signage, better surfacing and more opportunities for cyclists and horse riders where suitable.

A new competition has been launched for a delivery partner for a new national forest in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
The new forest will focus on delivering nature recovery alongside sustainable urban growth.
Meanwhile, potential delivery partners for a new national forest in the Midlands or North of England are being invited to register their interest. This forest will be designed to address health inequalities in the North of England or Midlands through the creation of attractive, accessible natural spaces for all.