Packaging waste regulations

What are packaging waste regulations?

The UK produces 10 million tonnes of packaging waste a year - most of it destined for landfill. New legislation was introduced in 1997 in response to an EU directive on packaging waste. The aim of the legislation was to minimise the impact packaging waste on the environment by setting targets for how much of that waste is recycled.

To achieve this, the legislation requires UK business handling packaging to cover the cost of recycling. One aspect of the regulations businesses can find confusing and frustrating is that they're concerned with the amount of packaging a company introduces into the UK, not with the amount of packaging waste that leaves their premises.

Who do the regulations apply to?

The regulations don't apply to all businesses, and you need only comply if you are a UK business, have an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year - not including any packaging you then export.

The packaging chain

Under the regulations, responsibility for recycling packaging waste is shared between different participants in the packaging chain. It means that, in the case of food packaging, the seller - say a supermarket - would have a greater responsibility than the actual manufacturer of the packaging. The regulations are complex, so we'll be happy to interpret them for you and help you meet the necessary targets.

Packaging recovery notes

If your company is required to comply with the regulations you won't actually be required to physically recycle yourself. Instead, you'll need to purchase packaging recovery notes (PRNs) to prove that recycling has been carried out in the UK, on your behalf.