The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance, detailing how UK regulators will determine fit and proper person status for applicants seeking approval as a packaging compliance scheme or accreditation as a reprocessor or exporter under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1332. The guidance outlines the criteria for determining who qualifies as a fit and proper person, the requirements for maintaining this status, and the appeals procedure.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance to assist lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) in conducting flood investigations under section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (FWMA 2010). The guidance provides a framework to help LLFAs determine whether to investigate a flood, carry out an investigation, analyse the findings, collaborate with flood partners to develop recommendations, and compile and publish a report.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance for waste collectors on household recycling requirements in England, set to take effect on 31 March 2026. The guidance outlines the materials that must be collected, those that are exempt, and procedures for collecting various types of waste, including household recycling, dry recyclables, and food and garden waste.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance for waste collection authorities in England, effective from 31 March 2026. The guidance mandates weekly food waste collections from all households, unless a longer transitional arrangement has been granted. This aims to facilitate the frequent disposal of odorous organic waste. It states that waste collection authorities should continue to determine the collection frequency and methodology for residual and dry recyclable waste stream, emphasising the need to meet local requirements and ensure value for money. The guidance outlines factors for authorities to consider when planning waste collection services, including bin size, number of occupants, property type, and specific household needs.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on accessing the lists of large organisations (producers) that have reported their waste packaging data for 2023 and 2024 using the report packaging data (RPD) service.  The guidance outlines what the lists include and exclude, as well as the definition of a ‘large producer’, among other aspects.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on the new mandatory waste receipt reporting service for organisations licensed or permitted to receive waste, as well as consultants or representatives acting on behalf of such organisations. The service will become compulsory from October 2026 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and from January 2027 in Scotland. Waste receipts must be reported within two working days using either an application programming interface or by completing and uploading Defra's prescribed spreadsheet template. An annual fee of £26 will apply per organisation. Access to the service requires setting up a Defra account linked to the organisation's Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login account. Local authorities are not currently able to use the service.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on sampling methods and methodologies for materials facility operators. The guidance includes information about sampling areas, equipment, schedules and compliance. From 1 October 2024, more materials facilities will need to sample and report their waste. Those facilities which qualify as materials facilities will be subject to sampling, measuring and reporting requirements.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) Nature Investment Standards, which were developed with Defra funding and support from the devolved governments to provide a voluntary framework for the supply, storage and trade of nature credits in UK nature markets. The standards aim to ensure market integrity by preventing greenwashing, promoting transparency and consistency, and enabling private sector investment to deliver genuine environmental benefits, including biodiversity, carbon storage, clean air and water, and flood protection, while also encouraging community participation. The framework comprises a series of standards covering overarching principles, biodiversity, carbon, nutrient benefits, and community engagement, and is intended for use by credit suppliers, crediting programmes, market intermediaries, and buyers and investors across the UK.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on new workplace recycling requirements in England, set to take effect from 31 March 2025 (or 31 March 2027 for micro-firms). The guidance outlines legal obligations for businesses and non-domestic premises to separate dry recyclables, food waste, and black bin waste, in accordance with arrangements made with their waste collector. These requirements apply to a wide range of workplaces, including offices, retail establishments, and educational institutions, among others. Non-compliance may result in compliance notices issued by the Environment Agency, with potential enforcement action for failure to adhere to these notices.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) designations and the appeals process for the 2025-28 period. The guidance outlines how landowners can determine if their property is within an NVZ using an interactive map and clarifies that NVZ boundaries encompass whole fields. It also explains the appeals process, stating that landowners will receive a letter from Defra if their land is within an NVZ and will have 28 days from the date on the letter to lodge an appeal. Valid grounds for appeal include demonstrating that the land does not drain into identified polluted waters or drains into water incorrectly classified as polluted

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance setting out how offshore wind developers and consenting authorities must compensate for environmental harm to protected marine sites, and establishing a statutory compensation hierarchy under the Habitats Regulations. The guidance applies to offshore wind projects likely to adversely affect Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites in English, Welsh and Northern Irish waters, requiring compensatory measures that deliver ecological benefits to the UK Marine Protected Area network proportionate to the harm caused. It requires developers to first exhaust the mitigation hierarchy before proposing compensation, supported by early engagement with Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and robust scientific evidence submitted through consent applications, while consenting authorities must ensure appropriate measures are secured. The framework mandates a sequential compensation hierarchy, prioritising measures benefiting the impacted feature (tier 1), then ecologically similar features (tier 2), and finally the wider network (tier 3), with progression allowed only where justified by lack of availability or greater ecological benefit; tier 2 and 3 measures must be drawn from a Defra-managed, ministerially approved library, while tier 1 measures may also be developer-led. The guidance further provides for the Marine Recovery Fund as a delivery mechanism, requires that measures are additional to normal management, proportionate, and supported by detailed evidence, and stipulates monitoring and adaptive management to ensure effectiveness, with implementation generally required before harm occurs unless justified otherwise.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on packaging data reporting periods and submission deadlines for large and small organisations under the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme. The guidance outlines that large producers are required to collect and submit data bi-annually, while small producers must do so annually. The next submission deadline for both is 1 April 2025, covering data collected from 1 July to 31 December 2024 for large producers, and from 1 January to 31 December 2024 for small producers. Large producers must subsequently submit data for the first half of 2025 (1 January to 30 June 2025) by 1 October 2025, while small producers have until 1 April 2026 to submit data collected throughout 2025 (1 January to 31 December 2025).