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Packaging Waste
European packaging waste recovery targets are revised every five years under the 1994 European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62).
The most recent targets set under the Directive required that the UK recovered at least 60% of all packaging waste by December 31, 2008, as well as meeting a number of other targets.
In order to achieve this, a series of UK targets have been set by Defra for each year up until 2010. Since the EU Directive is a "producer responsibility" measure, it is up to packaging producers to meet the costs of achieving these targets.
The UK's Producer Responsibility Regulations affect any company involved in the packaging supply chain that has an annual turnover above £2 million, or which handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year.
Under the regulations, companies carry out their producer responsibility by purchasing enough packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) or their export equivalent (PERNs) to meet their obligation, which depends on how much packaging they place on the market.
Obligated companies can sign up to compliance schemes to carry out their obligations, or purchase PRNs or PERNs themselves from accredited reprocessors and exporters. PRN/PERN prices are determined by supply and demand.
Legislation
To follow the development of the UK's packaging producer responsibility system, click on the dates below for letsrecycle.com coverage:
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February 2009: "Excessive" food packaging is undermining council efforts to recycle, according to the third packaging survey conducted by the Local Government Association. January 2009: Packaging recycling targets for businesses in 2009 are to remain unchanged despite concerns that they may be distorted by the recession. December 2008: The UK looks likely to meet its packaging recycling targets for 2008 according to Defra and packaging waste compliance schemes speaking at a letsrecycle.com event. |
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November 2008: The main themes of the government’s packaging strategy review have been outlined ahead of its full publication. |
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October 2008: The grocery sector has halted packaging growth in the UK despite a sharp increase in sales. September 2008: The UK looks largely on track to meet its packaging recycling targets for 2008 despite some concerns over aluminium. |
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July 2008: Prime Minister Gordon Brown has laid out plans for a new strategy to tackle packaging as part of a report entitled ‘Food Matters: Towards a strategy for the 21st century’. March 2008: The plastic bag industry has threatened legal action if the government forces retailers to cut down on their use of plastic bags. March 2008: Chancellor Alistair Darling has pledged action to reduce the use of disposable carrier bags within this year's Budget. |
March 2008: Consultation on export regulationsDefra wants to relax requirements for exporters to provide evidence that foreign reprocessors of UK packaging waste meet "broadly equivalent" standards to EU recyclers. |
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March 2008: The plastic bag industry has threatened legal action if the government forces retailers to cut down on their use of plastic bags.
March 2008: Chancellor Alistair Darling has pledged action to reduce the
use of disposable carrier bags within this year's Budget. |
 March
2008:
Reprocessing data - Q1-4, 2007 The Environment Agency has confirmed that the UK easily met its packaging waste recovery targets in 2007 with a surplus of nearly one million tonnes of recycling. |
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