The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on new mandatory registration and voluntary accreditation requirements for packaging waste reprocessors and exporters under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme. From September 2025, registration will be mandatory, with applications due by 1 October 2025 for the compliance period starting on 1 January 2026. While accreditation remains voluntary, reprocessors and exporters must apply if they wish to be eligible to issue packaging recycling notes (PRNs) or packaging export recycling notes (PERNs). The guidance also clarifies that applications for 2026 registration or accreditation cannot be submitted through the National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD). Further details on accessing the NPWD for past reprocessing or exporting data, as well as information on the 2026 application process, will be released in due course. Additionally, the guidance sets out updated fee structures.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance outlining how vehicles used in fly-tipping offences should be searched, seized and destroyed. Defra describes it as the first comprehensive overview for local authorities on identifying, seizing and disposing of vehicles involved in illegal waste dumping. The guidance also covers how to take cases to court and secure convictions against vehicle owners. It states that councils are expected to publicise enforcement activity, including sharing images of seized or crushed vehicles on social media. The guidance also recommends the use of surveillance techniques such as CCTV, drones and Automatic Number Plate Recognition, and calls for intelligence-sharing with the police, the Environment Agency (EA) and National Trading Standards (NTS). Defra states that convicted fly-tippers may face fines, community sentences or imprisonment. It adds that around £78bn is being made available to council budgets in England in 2026 as part of a multi-year funding settlement, which includes support for responsibilities such as tackling fly-tipping.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on single-use plastics bans and restrictions. The guidance outlines banned items which include polystyrene food containers, drink stirrers, balloon sticks and cutlery. Restrictions apply to plates, bowls, trays, straws and cotton buds. Exemptions exist for certain situations, such as when a business is supplying to other businesses or as packaging at the point of sale, and straws can be supplied by registered pharmacies, catering establishments, and for medical purposes. Local authorities will undertake inspections to ensure compliance, with fines to be handed out for violations. Businesses are encouraged to use reusable alternatives, but if not feasible, other materials like wood or paper are acceptable.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance explaining species indicators used for biodiversity monitoring and policy decisions in England. The guidance defines species indicators as metrics that track wildlife population changes over time through abundance and distribution measurements. It outlines how government departments and advisory bodies use multi-species indicators to assess conservation effectiveness and progress towards nature recovery targets, including statutory objectives to halt species abundance decline by 2030 and achieve 10% increases by 2042. The guidance describes various official publications including UK and England Biodiversity Indicators compendiums, annual wild bird population reports, and the developing ‘Indicators of species abundance in England’ statistic covering over 1,000 species from 1970 onwards. It explains how indicators combine data from citizen science volunteers and monitoring schemes into composite metrics, while noting limitations including incomplete species coverage and potential masking of individual species trends within averaged results.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance to assist businesses in preparing for the ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes, effective from 1 June 2025. The guidance outlines the definitions of single-use and reusable vapes, explains the rationale for the ban, and provides detailed instructions for businesses in the vaping industry to ensure compliance. This includes information on managing existing stock, criteria for identifying reusable vapes, and requirements for the proper disposal and recycling of vaping products. In addition, it details enforcement mechanisms and penalties for non-compliance across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Businesses are advised to prepare for the ban by stopping the purchase of new stock of single-use vapes and prioritising the sale of existing stock. Any remaining single-use vapes must be recycled through registered vape recycling services.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency have published guidelines for online marketplaces regarding the documentation of methodologies used to collect data on electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) placed on the market by non-UK suppliers. Marketplaces handling over five tonnes of EEE annually are now required to submit detailed methodology documentation to their producer compliance scheme. This documentation must cover data collection processes, sampling methods, technology systems and quality assurance procedures. Marketplaces must notify their scheme of any changes to the methodology within 28 days.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued guidelines restricting the use of lead ammunition at outdoor shooting ranges from 1 April 2026, subject to transition periods. The guidelines state that from 1 April 2029, shot containing lead or its compounds at concentrations of 1% by weight or more are prohibited, except by elite Olympic-level athletes. Additionally, from 1 April 2028, projectiles other than shot that contain lead at concentrations of 3% by weight or more are prohibited unless specific risk management requirements are met. The guidelines confirm that lead ammunition remains permissible for military and police activities, as well as for airgun use. Additionally, exceptions apply where an outdoor shooting range has taken reasonable measures to mitigate risks from lead projectiles to ruminants, grazing wildlife, soil and water among other conditions.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a harvest standard specification (HSS), produced by the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, along with evidence gaps for fisheries management plans (FMPs). The HSS aims to guide the design, implementation and review of FMPs and outlines the common framework that will be utilised for the development of harvest strategies for England’s fisheries. Defra has also identified evidence gaps during the development of FMPs, which must be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of the measures and goals set out in each plan.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published an interim policy statement outlining an approach to managing persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) substances under UK REACH, with a particular focus on poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The interim approach addresses significant concerns arising from the high persistence and mobility of PFAS, noting that many such substances are not adequately captured by existing polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) or very persistent, very mobile (vPvB) classifications, despite their widespread detection in environmental media. Emphasising a non-threshold approach in line with the precautionary principle, the approach calls for the development of standardised criteria and enhanced monitoring, and it foresees future research to refine screening methods and support international regulatory harmonisation. Recent monitoring shows PFAS in 46% of groundwater and 88% of surface water samples across Great Britain, supporting the need for enhanced regulation.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the government’s interim response to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)’s report on the implementation of the water framework directive regulation and river basin management planning. This response was presented to Parliament pursuant to section 29 of the Environment Act 2021, which requires the Secretary of State to lay in Parliament a response to the OEP’s report within three months. As a result of the general election and subsequent prorogation, the government notes the OEP’s findings at this time and will provide a more detailed response in September 2024.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published an interim statement from the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, providing an update on the rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) launched on 30 July 2024. The statement outlines key strategic findings and plans for revising the EIP, identifying areas for improvement, including better evidence coordination, clearer delivery and accountability, improved prioritisation processes, enhanced stakeholder engagement, simplified funding mechanisms, and addressing skills and capacity challenges. In revising the plan, Defra aims to clarify cross-cutting enablers for environmental delivery, highlight the broader societal benefits of protecting natural capital, clarify Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021) target delivery plans and update interim targets, and specify the roles of stakeholders in EIP implementation, among other aspects.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), together with the devolved administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, has published a joint policy statement on the extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme. The statement outlines the scheme’s intended environmental outcomes, including promoting the use of environmentally sustainable packaging, preventing packaging waste, increasing reuse and recycling of packaging, and reducing the packaging material placed on the market. It also specifies the deliverables that PackUK, the scheme’s administrator, must achieve in its first year, as well as the core governance documents it must publish and the deadlines for these publications.