The organisation has instead encouraged its resources to be focused on successfully delivering other policies such as packaging EPR and Simpler Recycling.
Noting the “complications” that DRS has caused, referring to the “collapse” of the Scottish proposals in 2023 and the withdrawal from Welsh government, NAWDO has emphasised that the inconsistency creates problems, and generates “uncertainty” throughout the value chain.
Urgent clarification
The organisation remains firm that Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) and Simper Recycling should be prioritised, with DRS to be considered later, once the impact of pEPR and Simpler Recycling can be felt across the sector.
If DRS remains a part of government policy, NAWDO has insisted that the packaging EPR regulations should be “amended” to ensure the exclusion for drinks containers only continues to apply in nations which have implemented a DRS.
NAWDO has urged the government to “urgently clarify” how the financial impacts of a DRS on local authorities will be addressed, and identify a “common-sense route” to accessing unclaimed credits to cover the costs of managing drinks containers that continue to be disposed of through municipal collection and treatment services.
Subscribe for free