Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach in which the responsibility of producers for their products is extended to include the cost of waste management, including the environmental impact of waste disposal. In the UK, EPR is applied to waste packaging, discarded electrical and electronic goods, discarded batteries and end-of-life vehicles. Recently EPR was central to a debate on whether the UK should introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.
In this webinar Lee Marshall, Chief Executive Office at LARAC and Gev Eduljee, External Affairs Director at SUEZ, will discuss the following themes:
• Has EPR been an effective driver for better product design and reduced environmental impact from discards? What supporting policy measures should be introduced?
• Is the present Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) scheme working optimally, and can it support higher recycling performance? If not, how should it be reformed?
• How should EPR revenues be distributed? Are local authorities getting an equitable share of PRN revenues to properly fund waste collections?
• What are the pros and cons of introducing a deposit return scheme for bottles? What international experience can we draw on?
• Can EPR schemes work alongside kerbside collection of recyclables? What are the benefits and drawbacks?
• Should EPR be extended to other consumer products?
