Packaging Waste Regulations
In January 1998 the UK Government implemented the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. The law was extended to Northern Ireland with effect from October 1999 and has since been amended.
The regulations require that ALL businesses in UK that have a turnover of more than £2 million and that handle more than 50 tonnes packaging per year must comply.
Compliance imposes three specific requirements on companies that pass the two thresholds:
- They must register, pay a fee and supply data
- They must take steps to recover and recycle that which is assessed to be obligated tonnage and provide evidence – the PRN
- They must officially certify that they have complied
A company that fails to carry out each and every one of these can be prosecuted. However, by joining a compliance scheme, paying fee's and supplying data the compliance scheme performs the various functions on behalf of the obligated company.
Recovery and recycling evidence is provided in the form of a tradeable certificate called a Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) issued by accredited reprocessors. It is the case that some packaging waste collected in UK cannot be recycled here and is exported for recycling overseas. Evidence of this traffic is provided by a Packaging Waste Export Recovery Note (PERN) issued by accredited exporters.
Recycling & Recovery targets in 2011
Overall Recovery 74%
Paper 69.5%
Glass 81%
Aluminium 40%
Steel 71%
Plastic 32%
Wood 22%
Minimum Recycling 92%
