Packaging waste

Packaging waste

Packaging waste regulations

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007, SI 2007/871, (PRO(PW)R 2017) as updated by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020, apply in Great Britain. They are intended to manage packaging waste and prevent or reduce the impact of packaging and packaging waste on the environment by encouraging minimisation and reuse and by setting recovery and recycling targets. These obligations are part of the extended producer responsibility obligations on producers to ensure that waste derived from their products is kept to a minimum.

The producer responsibility regime for packaging waste is being extended. ‘Extended producer responsibility’ will ultimately replace producer obligations under the PRO(PW)R 2017.

The Environment Act 2021 introduced powers for the government to reform existing producer responsibility schemes and to introduce new schemes in the future. The powers provide for modulated fees that can be used to incentivise producers to design their products with re-use and recycling in mind.

Data collection and data reporting regulations for packaging waste are in place to inform the charging schemes for the draft extended producer responsibility regulations. For more information, see Practice

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