feature: waste recycling


“Preparing for change - waste legislation”


This is a big year for electrical waste. Stores not only have to provide in-store collection points for the first time, retailers are also facing major challenges under impending extended producer responsibility for packaging. STEPHANIE SIMPSON, Strategic Account Manager at Valpak, explains.


O


ver the years, recycling has become part of the landscape. At home,


separating our waste is now second nature, and retailers are also comfortable with their responsibilities. However, both the legislation around WEEE waste and regulations for producer responsibility for packaging are changing, bringing greater responsibility and far higher costs for packaging producers. With the end of the Distributor Take-Back


Scheme, many retailers are having to set up systems to accept electrical waste items in store for the first time. Meanwhile, extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging is undergoing the greatest shake-up since the introduction of the Packaging Waste Regulations 24 years ago. This spring will see the final stage in a consultation on EPR that is expected to result in a ten-fold rise in costs. With Plastic Packaging Tax also on the horizon, many retailers and brands are looking for support.


Extended Producer Responsibility Since the Packaging Waste Regulations came into force in 1997, UK recycling has increased from a standing start to a rate of around 70 per cent. While the legislation has helped create a robust market for packaging waste recycling, the challenges today are very different to those faced at the time of the system’s inception. The changes are driven by the 2018 update to


the EU’s Circular Economy Package, which calls for packaging producers – retailers and brands – to take more responsibility for the packaging they place on the market, including collection and recycling at end of life. We have all seen media coverage of floods of packaging waste around the world, often swept great distances across oceans. The aim of the new system is to boost recycling rates and help drive the design of less problematic packaging. In the UK, this has also led to discussions


around collections consistency, which would help local councils to collect the same materials across the whole country.


What is changing? Under the current Packaging Waste Regulations, manufacturers and retailers are required to report the volumes of packaging they place on the UK market. They must also cover the costs of recycling some of that volume, by purchasing Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs). The new system will charge producers with the full cost of both recycling and local authority household collections. Modelling predictions expect costs to rise ten-fold. However, retailers and brands that turn to more environmentally friendly packaging will substantially lessen the blow. The Plastic Packaging Tax reinforces the need


20 | www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk


for change. Under the tax, which is due to come into force in 2022, businesses which place plastic packaging on the market will be charged a fee; those incorporating 30 per cent recycled material into their products are exempt. Many are already evaluating the pros and cons of particular materials or, for example, exploring the potential for eliminating certain types of plastic. For some producers, EPR reforms will merely formalise work they are already undertaking. For the less-prepared, the additional costs, reporting requirements and data management are a daunting prospect. However, with the right systems and know-how, businesses can take steps to become EPR-ready.


Modulated fees The overall aim of the new EPR regulations is to reduce the negative impact of packaging on the environment, and it is very likely that producers of ‘better’ packaging will be rewarded. Modulated fees are already widely implemented across Europe. They consider the environmental credentials of packaging and adjust charges accordingly. For example, plastic items that are highly recyclable would incur a lower fee than more difficult or unrecyclable plastic packaging.


February 2021


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