The UK has set out plans to amend the country’s packaging extended producer responsibility (pEPR) regulations, proposing changes intended to how the scheme works from January.
The move follows the first year of pEPR, during which issues were identified in areas such as material classifications and producer obligations.
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The pEPR regulations took effect in January to shift the full net cost of managing household packaging waste from taxpayers to obligated producers.
PackUK, the government’s scheme administrator, sets household packaging fees, invoices producers and distributes funding to local authorities.
A key proposal seeks to clarify the definition of “fibre-based composite material” in line with PackUK’s recyclability assessment methodology (RAM).
Under the change, packaging made from paperboard or paper fibres with one or more inseparable plastic layers would be classified as composite. However, if the plastic accounts for less than 5% of the total weight, the item would be reported in the paper/board category rather than as a composite material.
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By GlobalDataThe amendments also expand PackUK’s authority to set criteria for modulated fees so that costs better reflect whether packaging is “reasonably necessary” for its purpose.
Under the proposals, for the first time, producers operating closed loop collection and recycling for food-grade plastic household packaging would be able to offset the tonnage they collect and recycle against their EPR fees.
To qualify, businesses would need to collect the material directly, keep it separate from other producers’ waste, and hold evidence that it has been reprocessed back into food-grade plastic.
The proposals, meanwhile, would PackUK to appoint one or more Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to perform certain functions or provide operational advice on pEPR.
According to industry updates, applications for PRO status are open, with suitability to be assessed on industry support, value for money and past performance.
Earlier this year, Valpak, the Packaging Scheme Forum, and a joint bid from INCPEN and The Food and Drink Federation progressed to the next round of the appointment process. Any appointment will require the consent of the four UK nations.
If approved, the amendments are expected to take effect from January.
Producers received their first pEPR base-fee invoices in October and are preparing for wider fee modulation linked to recyclability from next year.
Clearer guidance is also being put forward for corporate mergers, with the merged entity treated as a large producer if either predecessor met that threshold.
