environment
then calculate how many tonnes of Packaging
Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs) of different
material types they are required to purchase
in order to fulfil their obligations.
Once a company’s obligation has
been calculated, a company must then
demonstrate that it has paid for the
recovery and recycling of the required
amount of packaging. This is achieved
through the Packaging Waste Recovery
Note PRN system.
The PRN System
Following the creation of a piece of
Waste away
packaging, it is eventually passed to the
consumer and enters the waste stream. From
here the packaging could go to landfill (what
the Regulations are trying to avoid), or be
In every aspect of our lives, the need to reduce waste to landfill has never been collected by an accredited reprocessor who
greater. In this special article, Sue Gray, Environmental Co-ordinator at Headley will recycle/recover the packaging.
Brothers, examines the legal obligations concerning a company’s disposal of its
For every tonne of a certain material of
packaging waste.
packaging that is recycled/recovered the
The past few months have seen a strong
accredited reprocessor can issue evidence
movement towards the reduction in use
The packaging activities that attract
of recycling, which is called a packaging waste
an obligation are:
of packaging, with a high profile media
recovery note or PRN. Obligated companies
campaign highlighting ‘obscene’ levels of
l
Raw material manufacturer are therefore not expected to recycle/
environmentally-unfriendly waste in the form
Manufacturing of packaging raw materials recover the actual packaging that they
of discarded carrier bags. The most notable
have put into the waste stream, but to
l
Converter
reaction was the supermarkets’ removal of
purchase enough PRNs (either themselves
Manufacturing a recognised packaging
carrier bags from the shoppers’ vision, with
or through a compliance scheme) to
item
the repeat use of long-life, durable shopping
offset their obligation. The money that is
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Packer/filler
bags now being strongly encouraged.
spent on these PRNs is then re-invested
Putting a product into packaging back into the recycling infrastructure and
Such vilification of packaging within the
or applying packaging to a product
collection facilities.
media has served only to push awareness
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Seller
Recycling and climate change
of a reduction in waste to landfill to the
Supplying the packaging to the end
In the vast majority of cases, recycling waste
top of everyone’s agenda. Packaging can be
user of that packaging (generally this is
is more energy efficient than producing new
defined as something that contains, handles,
the company or person who removes
products from virgin material. This results in
protects, displays or presents your product. the packaging)
lower emissions of those greenhouse gases
The Producer Responsibility Obligation
l
Importing that cause climate change.
(Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 and
importers pick up the ‘rolled up’
Recycling waste into new products is also
The Producer Responsibility Obligation
obligation for activities performed
usually significantly more energy efficient
(Packaging Waste) Regulations (Northern
outside the UK (e.g. if you import raw
than producing these same products from
Ireland) 2006, are known as the Packaging
materials for the purpose of converting
virgin material. This is due to the high levels
Waste Regulations. Based on the 1994
them into packaging, you will attract the
of energy required for the extraction and
European Packaging Waste Directive, the
raw material manufacturing obligation
treatment of raw materials from nature and
that was performed outside of the UK)
regulations became UK law in 1997, with the
the associated processing and transport. In
aim of reducing the amount of packaging
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Service provider (lessor)
addition, recycling helps preserve the earth’s
going to landfill. provides a packaging leasing service to finite resources.
another company e.g. a pallet rental
The Regulations require businesses with
company is a service provider (you are
Headley Brothers Ltd. is registered with
a turnover greater than £2 million, which
the lessor). The lessor is now obligated
a compliance scheme that ensures that
supply or import more than 50 tonnes of
and must be declared.
we meet our obligation. Our most used
packaging a year, to register and fulfill an
packaging materials are plastic (in the form of
obligation to recover and recycle an amount
mailing film and pallet wrap) and cardboard
Businesses that are obligated must go
of packaging waste. They must also own
(in the form of boxes).
through a data collation exercise in order to
the packaging, perform an activity on the
determine the weight and type of packaging For more information, please contact
packaging and supply it onto the next
they supplied or imported in the previous Sue Gray, Environmental Co-ordinator:
stage in the chain.
year. Using this information a business can 01233 623131, sue.gray@headley.co.uk.
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