The Producer Responsibility Obligations
(PACKAGING WASTE) REGULATIONS - (S.I 1997/648) EC DIRECTIVE 94/62/EC
Entry into force: 31st August 1997 - Registration
Primary legislation: The Environment Act 1995
DOES THIS NEW LEGISLATION AFFECT YOU ?
The Act applies to :
Producers of Packaging who supply packaging (which they own) to another stage in the chain or to the final user of the packaging, so long as they meet the threshold tests.
Threshold Tests
note that from 1 January 2000
The act applies to businesses with a turnover in excess of £1M
What do you have to do now ?
REGISTRATION
To Whom
Affected Business in England & Wales must register with the Environment Agency or those in Scotland with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
Fees
An annual fee is payable, on initial registration and thereafter on 1st April. (N.B. This fee is set by the Agencies and may change)
Data
The data is to be provided on forms or disks supplied by the Agency. The Department of Environment is producing a Ready Reckoner to help business. This is available by faxing to :
D of E Publications Despatch Centre 0181 694 8776 or from Atlantic Bridge Limited.
TARGETS FOR REDUCING PACKAGING
The EC Directive requires Member States to recover between 50% and 65% by weight of packaging waste by the year 2001, of which :
- Recycling should account for between 25% and 45%
- A minimum of 15% by weight of each packaging material shall be recovered
To achieve this the UK has set different obligations depending on each different activity which are combined with National Recovery and Recycling Targets.
CALCULATION
The calculation of the target applying to a particular producer is somewhat complex. More information can be found in:
The Department of the Environment’s User Guide to the Regulations (Fax No. 0181 694 0099) from which these notes have been produced.
ADVICE
If you are in any doubt about the application of the regulations, please contact:
- Atlantic Bridge Limited by fax or by email