The LGA has responded to consultation on government proposals for reforming the UK Packaging Producer Responsibility system, or Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This is part of a set of proposals on the future of waste and recycling that also covers consistent recycling collections and the introduction of a deposit return scheme.
Key messages
This consultation must deliver full net cost recovery for councils. This has to cover:
- collecting and transporting household/household like packaging waste
- sorting and treatment of household/household like packaging waste for recycling
- treating/disposing of any packaging disposed of in the residual waste stream
- providing information to consumers on recycling packaging waste and anti-littering
- clean-up of littered and fly tipped packaging items
- collection , collation and reporting of relevant packaging waste management data
- Clarification is also required about how expansion of any council owned facilities to accommodate increased recyclate will be funded
- The funding should be paid in its entirety to councils and treated as additional
- Councils must be meaningfully involved in the development of the formula to distribute EPR funding
- EPR reform must deal with the costs to councils of managing ‘approved’ materials now and the governments potential future ambition to add additional difficult to deal with materials in the future
- Address all producers, regardless of size and scale. So that everyone who is creating waste is contributing towards recycling it
- Fundamentally open up the system and deliver greater transparency, meaningful governance, and better monitoring and enforcement.