Defra confirmed on 25 July that the waste management fees under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging will be delayed by one year.
The waste management fees are designed to reimburse local authorities for the collection and management of packaging waste. These fees are charged to packaging producers under a new single point of compliance and apply to packaging that is classified as household waste or commonly ends up in public bins.
Originally scheduled to take effect in 2024, based on 2023 packaging data, the government announced yesterday that the implementation of these fees will be delayed until October 2025. As a result, they will not be applicable in the first year of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program.
According to the government, the delay comes “after extensive engagement with industry and considering the pressures consumers and businesses are facing in the current economic context.” The additional time will be used to continue discussions on the scheme’s design with industry stakeholders and to explore ways to reduce implementation costs.
The government also indicated that preliminary information about the fees will be provided in 2024, with variations depending on the materials reported. Starting in 2025, the fees will also be adjusted based on the recyclability of the packaging, with lower fees for packaging that is easier to recycle.
Data and PRN requirements are unchanged
Although the waste management fees have been delayed, the new data reporting requirements for both small and large organizations under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme remain in effect. A statutory instrument published earlier this year mandates that large producers must report detailed packaging data twice a year, while small producers are required to report once annually. This legislation has not been revoked, and the first reporting deadline for large producers, covering the first half of 2023, is still set for October 2023.
The Producer Responsibility Note (PRN) obligation will also proceed as planned for the 2024 compliance year, based on 2023 packaging data. This will be the only financial obligation for large producers under the EPR until the waste management fees are introduced in October 2025.
Additionally, the government has confirmed that the long-delayed rollout of consistent recycling collections for households will be implemented following the EPR scheme.
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