Steps to make it easier for consumers to recycle packaging waste have moved one step closer this week with reporting requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) now officially in force.
The new legislative measure will make firms that supply household packaging responsible for the costs of dealing with packaging waste, moving the onus away from councils and council taxpayers.
As of 1 March, producers are now required to pay for the collection and disposal costs of household packaging they supply when it becomes waste. The aim is this will encourage producers to reduce the amount of packaging they place on the market, and to improve the recyclability of their packaging – in turn ensuring less waste ends up in the natural environment.
From this week, all obligated packaging producers in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland must collect information on the amount and type of packaging they have supplied during 2023. Wales will be following shortly.
Producers with a turnover of greater than £2 million and who handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year must also report this information to the Environment Agency twice a year. The first reports must be submitted from 1 October 2023.
“We need to stem the flow of packaging which goes unrecycled and instead is lost forever to landfill and incineration,” said environment minister, Rebecca Pow. “As set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan, these reforms will encourage businesses to increase their use of recyclable materials, shifting costs away from the taxpayer and supporting our work to protect the environment from the scourge of waste.”
In 2020, 12 million tonnes of packaging was placed on the UK market, some of which contains plastics that are hard to recycle. Incentivising producers to use better, more recyclable materials, will help to stem this tide of waste.
Producers will be required to pay an EPR fee towards the costs of collecting and managing household packaging waste, currently borne by local authorities. The shift of costs is estimated to be around £1.2 billion per year across all local authorities, once EPR is fully operational.
Claire Shrewsbury, director of insights and innovation at the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), said: “The introduction of an EPR for packaging could be a game-changer. If done effectively, it could reduce the impact packaging has on the environment by regulating material use and increasing recycling.
“For EPR to work it must serve all – producers, local and central government, recyclers, and the public. We’ve been working with these key groups since 2018 to help collaboration on pEPR.”
Data gathered from businesses from this point will help provide the shape of the packaging waste management fees individual producers will pay in 2024, when pEPR comes into force. The UK government is now engaging with businesses and local authorities to shape the future vision of waste reforms through industry-wide sprint events, deep dive sessions and fortnightly forums.
These will help ensure businesses are ready for planned reforms from 2024 and make sure that industry is involved in shaping the long-term future of EPR.
