Response to the government's update on EPR
On the power to appoint a Producer Responsibility Organisation:
Jim Bligh, Director of Corporate Affairs and Packaging, The Food and Drink Federation, said:
"Every successful EPR scheme is run by producers, who are now legally on the hook for pushing up recycling rates. For many years, we have urged the UK’s governments to follow international best practice and hand over as much responsibility as possible to producers, through appointing a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). We are delighted that the four nations are legislating to appoint a PRO, which gives industry the green light to drive forward an EPR scheme that will work collaboratively across the value chain to create the innovative and effective recycling system the UK needs.
“EPR is a once in a generation opportunity to revolutionise our recycling and use of packaging, building on best practice in the UK and around the world. We will continue to work with the full waste value chain, including producers, waste managers, compliance schemes, packaging manufacturers, and local authorities to achieve this."
Karen Graley, Head of the Producer Responsibility Organisation, said:
"FDF has convened more than two dozen leading businesses from across sectors to develop a PRO which enables a circular economy for packaging recycling. Our vision is for a collaborative, representative not-for-profit organisation that supports industry to cut its use of packaging, supports councils and waste managers to improve recycling performance, and ensures value for money for producers’ billions of pounds of fees. We will now submit a formal expression of interest to be appointed the PRO, and we would be delighted to involve any obligated producers in this important work."
On the amending Regulations:
Jim Bligh, Director of Corporate Affairs and Packaging, The Food and Drink Federation, said:
"We’re also pleased to see that government has listened to industry’s concerns and changed the law, so that it no longer unfairly penalises innovative manufacturers that use their own closed loop recycling systems.
"While many of the changes made by government are huge leaps forward in the right direction for EPR, there’s still significant work to be done to make the policy viable ahead of its fast-approaching start date. This includes the fact that government’s current definition of ‘household waste’ simply doesn’t work. With the current phrasing, food and drink that is consumed at bars, restaurants, and even by hospital patients, will still be classed as ‘household waste’. This is unfair. We urge the government to resolve this issue and prevent both the NHS and consumers from unnecessarily spending millions of pounds by double-paying for waste collection."
On infrastructure investment and development:
Jim Bligh, Director of Corporate Affairs and Packaging, The Food and Drink Federation, said:
"Food and drink manufacturers support EPR in principle, because it is a proven way of creating a circular economy for packaging recycling. But EPR will cost producers billions of pounds from this year, and is likely to push up food prices. So it is imperative that government and businesses work together to ensure this investment delivers a return, and that we have an efficient and effective recycling system for household packaging waste.
"Britain’s recycling rates have flatlined in recent decades, and just bringing in EPR alone will not turn that around. To improve recycling rates, the government needs to ensure producers’ billions of pounds of fees are well-spent. This includes developing a plan to upgrade our recycling infrastructure, so it becomes possible for us to recycle food grade packaging back into packaging. However, government should go further as soon as possible by ensuring producer fees are ring-fenced at local authority level, so money invested in recycling is spent on recycling."