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Packaging is defined as:-
“all products made of any material
of any nature used for the containment, protection,
handling, delivery and presentation of goods, from raw
materials to processed goods, from the producer to the
user or consumer”
Current Legislation
The European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
(94/62/EC) imposes certain targets to reduce the volume
of waste going to landfill.
The UK government complies with the EC Directive through
The Producer responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste)
Regulations 1997. Under these regulations businesses
in the United Kingdom have a recycling and recovery
obligation if they manufacture, fill or sell packaging
materials in excess of 50 tonnes per year (including
imported transit packaging) AND have
a turnover in excess of 2 million pounds.
Main Obligations
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To register with the authorities (either the Environment
Agency or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency)
or join a registered collective scheme.
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To provide data on packaging handled, recovered
and recycled
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To recover and recycle certain percentages of packaging
waste
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To provide a certificate of compliance
Businesses can meet their obligations either as an
individual complier following registration with the
Environment Agency or as part of an approved collective
compliance scheme like BiffaPack
and Valpak.
Members pay a levy to the scheme based on their particular
material usage. These funds are then use to purchase
Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) from accredited reprocessing
companies. PRNs provide evidence that businesses have
met the requirements of the packaging and packaging
waste regulations.
How much must a company recover and recycle
Each company in the “packaging chain” will
have a share in the total target for recovery and recycling
at present these obligations are:-
Raw material producers 6%
Converters 9%
Pack/filling 37%
Sellers to consumers/final users 48%
Imported packaging carries a 100% obligation
Essential Requirement Regulations
These regulations are separate from the Producer Responsibility
regulations and are enforced by the Trading Standards
Department within local authorities.
Main requirements
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Packaging must be minimal subject to safety,
hygiene and acceptance of the packed product for
the consumer.
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Noxious or hazardous substances in packaging
must be minimised in emissions, ash or leachate
from incineration or landfill.
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Packaging must be recoverable through at least
one of:
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Material Recycling
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Incineration with energy recovery
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Composting
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Biodegradation
Further information
The
packaging (essential requirements) regulations 2003
DEFRA:
Users guide to the producer responsibility obligations
(packaging waste) regulations 1997
Netregs:
Packaging Management Guidelines
Click on one of the below to find out
more about recycling of specific packaging materials.
glass
| paper & board
| plastics | aluminium
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