Cromwell works very closely with a large number of local authorities, not only supplying them with products for their waste management but also helping to provide guidance and advice on best practices. We aim to provide resources, expertise, and innovative solutions to enhance recycling, reduce landfill use, and promote sustainability, all of which are helping Local Authorities with their waste management success. However, new reforms and government legislations are about to rock the boat and mix things up for local authorities and suppliers such as ourselves. This could mean a few new hurdles to jump, especially with the EPR scheme.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) & What it means for Local Authorities?
As stated by the CIWM ‘EPR is a mechanism by which packaging producers will pay a variable fee based on what they place on the UK market in order to fund the management of packaging through the waste and recycling system.’ It is a new reform that has been in the pipe line for almost 10 years, but with many setbacks due to COVID and changes in government, it has seen little movement – until now.
PackUK will be responsible for setting the pEPR fees, collecting the fees from obligated producers and issuing packaging waste disposal payments to local authorities.
What material will be separated and collected?
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, and trays
- Glass
- Metal tins, cans, aerosols, lids, food trays, and foil
- Food waste – You can read more about this new reform in our blog
- Plastic film packaging and plastic bags made of mono-polyethylene (mono-PE), mono-polypropylene (mono-PP) and mixed polyolefins PE and PP, including those metallised through vacuum or vapour deposition (to be included from 31 March 2027)
EPR and it’s Challenges
EPR has not had an easy ride; continual setbacks and lack of clarity have meant that it has seen several delays during it’s inception. Local authorities anticipated receiving EPR payments to support recycling and waste management. However, the delays have prolonged the period during which councils bear the financial burden of packaging waste management without additional support from producers. Alongside the postponement of EPR and other related schemes, local councils continue to face increasing costs in managing waste, exacerbating budgetary pressures.
The CIWM have also stated that ‘The explanation as to how the figures were calculated, Defra’s reluctance to share its Local Authority Packaging Cost and Performance (LAPCAP) model, and inconsistencies between authority payment amounts, meant that for many it created yet more questions’. If industry bodies such as CIWM and LARAC have concerns, this will only increase those of the councils themselves.
The Contamination and Limitations
Other challenges include the reform limitations; the scheme, as it currently stands, only accepts a fraction of waste stream packaging. Some packaging is not eligible to take back, but is accepted in kerbside collections, this in itself is causing contamination. Other waste collections from local authorities are also effected, as the amount of non-packaging – for example, textiles and batteries – within kerbside waste is significant. This means that local authorities continue to pick up the bill to manage these items.
Many local authorities may begin to change their waste collections strategies in-line with the upcoming ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme, set to be put in place by 2027 – yet if the rules on EPR continue to change and the types of packaging accepted is increased or decreased, will this only hinder the collections and contamination even further, it seems likely.
So, what needs to be done?
Education is a big part of success, not limited to ensuring there is a clear strategy with the scheme but that residents and the public as a whole know and fully understand it and its importance. Behaviour change from people is also needed to ensure it works – which is something that doesn’t come easy (or cheap). But investing time, money and resources to ensure we are all working towards EPR’s end goals, whether we are the government, local authorities, manufacturers, or residents, will help ensure a successful implementation.