PRODUCERS of household packaging are now responsible for the costs of dealing with packaging waste, following the introduction of reporting requirements as part of the UK Government’s extended producer responsibility (EPR).
Extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) moves costs away from councils and taxpayers, with producers now required to pay for the collection and disposal of household packaging they supply when it becomes waste.
The UK Government said that it 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.
Obligated packaging producers in Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland must collect information on the amount and type of packaging they have supplied during 2023, with Wales due to ‘follow 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.
Environment minister Rebecca Pow said, “We need to stem the flow of packaging which goes unrecycled and instead is lost forever to landfill and incineration.
“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.”
Deep Sagar, chair of the advisory committee on packaging, added, “Packaging materials that are not recycled back into new packaging harm our natural environment. Councils have to spend more managing that waste and the public cannot enjoy spaces such as parks and high streets as they should.
“Extended Producer Responsibility will reduce that waste. It will make goods producers pay for collection of all packaging waste encouraging them to reduce or recycle more packaging. I look forward to supporting government and industry in making this smart policy work for the public and improving the environment.”
