Wastepack will be exhibiting at Packaging Innovations 2026, the UK’s leading event for forward thinking brands, manufacturers, and sustainability professionals.

With the packaging landscape evolving rapidly – particularly around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – this year’s event provides the perfect platform to share how Wastepack is helping over 1,500+ producers simplify compliance and prepare for the future.

Visit Us on Stand J160

Register Your Free Place Here

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We welcome visitors to meet the team, and discuss how we can support you with compliance, data, and sustainability. Our stand will be easy to spot – complete with our darts challenge – and our experts ready to help with any questions around EPR, data reporting, sustainability strategy, and more.

Showcasing Our Service Offering

At our stand, visitors will be able to explore the full breadth of Wastepack Group services, including:

• Packaging EPR compliance support, backed by over 25 years of expertise helping producers navigate evolving legislation.
• Packaging Data Consultancy, providing precise, end to end support for accurate EPR submissions.
• RAM Data Service, streamlining recyclability assessments with our purpose‑built tool and expert guidance to minimise Red penalties, and strengthen procurement decisions.
• Plastic Packaging Tax support, including data collection, evidence gathering and HMRC ready reporting.
• Carbon Accounting & Net Zero services delivered with Smart Carbon to help businesses measure emissions, develop reduction strategies, and report with confidence.

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What Sets Wastepack Apart

• Packaging Innovations is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to learn why so many producers choose Wastepack as their long term compliance partner. Our value lies in
• Decades of specialist expertise, from EPR and WEEE to PPT, carbon management and more.
• Comprehensive, full service support, from data management to reporting, training webinars, platform access, and detailed legislative updates.
• Dedicated personal account management, ensuring every member receives tailored, responsive guidance.
• Long‑standing industry trust, strengthened by positive member feedback and a track record of dependable, knowledgeable service.

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Try Your Luck at Our Darts Challenge!

While you’re visiting us at Stand J160, don’t miss our Wastepack darts competition – a fun challenge open to all attendees. Step up, take six throws, and aim for the highest score of the event for your chance to win a £50 prize voucher.

It’s a great way to take a break from the busy show floor, enjoy some friendly competition, and chat with our team!

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Join Us at Packaging Innovations

Whether you’re preparing for your next EPR submission, looking for ways to reduce packaging‑related costs, or searching for a proactive partner to support your compliance and sustainability strategy, we look forward to connecting with you.

Visit us on Stand J160 to meet the team and discover how Wastepack can make your compliance simpler and smarter.

PackUK, the official scheme administrator for extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR), has officially launched today (21 January 2025). The development was announced last week by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It will be responsible for overseeing pEPR across the UK.

Dr Margaret Bates, who was appointed head of the UK pEPR Scheme Administrator in January 2024, emphasised the urgent need for an effective pEPR scheme. She stated: The need for an effective pEPR scheme that shifts the cost of managing household packaging waste to producers has never been more critical.

“The launch of PackUK marks an exciting leap forward in delivering this. We remain committed to working closely across the four nations, producers, and stakeholders across the collection and packaging value chain.“Together, we aim to deliver a fair and collaborative pEPR scheme that addresses the challenges of packaging waste and lays the foundation for a more sustainable and responsible approach to packaging.”

PackUK’s primary role will involve setting pEPR fees, collecting these fees from obligated producers and making payments to local authorities. The scheme is expected to raise over £1 billion annually to support household collection and disposal services, according to Defra.

Jim Bligh, director of corporate affairs and packaging at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), welcomed the launch, noting the potential for pEPR to create a world-class recycling system and contribute to a circular economy. He added: “Shoppers can be confident that when they dispose of their crisp packets, yoghurt pots and bread bags, they will be responsibly recycled and turned back into food-grade packaging.”

Paul Van Danzig, CEO of The Wastepack Group, said “The launch of PackUK marks a significant milestone in the evolution of EPR. We are laying the foundation for a system that not only meets ambitious environmental goals and recycling targets but also fosters long-term innovation and efficiency. At Wastepack, we are pleased to continue working alongside industry and producers to ensure the EPR system delivers as intended, while proactively addressing any potential unintended consequences at every stage.”

In addition to overseeing the scheme, PackUK will also manage the appointment of an industry-led Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), which will handle the practical aspects of pEPR. This follows a government decision in October 2024 to support the creation of the PRO.

To mark its launch, PackUK will host the Packaging Innovations Birmingham conference from 12 to 13 February 2025. The event will feature industry speakers and provide opportunities for stakeholders to engage with the PackUK team, with a session chaired by Mary Creagh from Defra discussing aspirations for pEPR.

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View our previous story on pEPR, "UK Government Advances pEPR Legislation [25/10/2024]"

Defra has announced that paper and cardboard must be collected separately under the forthcoming Simpler Recycling regulations, effective from March 2025. Councils and waste collectors will be required to adhere to a “default requirement” of separating waste into four streams:

• Residual (non-recyclable) waste
• Food waste (or mixed with garden waste where suitable)
• Paper and card
• Other dry recyclable materials

The policy update, released on 29 November 2024, allows local authorities and waste collectors to tailor these requirements to their specific needs while maintaining flexibility. Alongside the announcement, new guidance has been issued to workplaces and waste collectors, requiring the separation of dry recyclables, food waste, and black-bin residual waste.

Workplaces must comply by March 2025, with micro-businesses (fewer than 10 employees) granted until March 2027. Organisations will have the flexibility to determine container sizes and collection frequencies based on their waste output but must separate streams effectively.

Paul Sanderson, CEO of The Recycling Association, praised the move as a balanced approach: “Having paper and card collected separately by default, while allowing flexibility when impractical, should help improve the quality of recyclable materials from homes and businesses.”

The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) also welcomed the update. Dimitra Rappou, CPI’s Executive Director of Sustainable Products, highlighted the importance of reducing contamination in paper and card recycling streams, calling it a vital step toward improving recyclability and achieving sustainability goals.

Defra has partnered with WRAP to launch the Business of Recycling website, which offers tailored resources, a waste cost calculator, and guidance for schools, hospitals, and other non-domestic premises.

While the update has been broadly welcomed, the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO) expressed concerns about the March 2025 compliance deadline for non-domestic premises, calling it "illogical and impractical."

These reforms aim to streamline recycling systems and support higher-quality waste management practices across the UK.

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View our previous story on Simpler Recycling, 'Defra Announces Simpler Recycling Update [10.06.2024]'.

Wales has achieved a notable increase in its recycling rate, reaching 66.6% in 2023/2024, up from 65.7% the previous year. This exceeds the 64% target set by the Welsh Government's Beyond Recycling strategy in 2021. Looking ahead, a new goal of 70% has been set for 2024/2025.

The latest figures show that 18 out of Wales' 22 local authorities met or surpassed the 64% target, an improvement from 17 authorities last year. However, Cardiff, Caerphilly, Flintshire, and Wrexham fell short. Bridgend led the way with an impressive 72.8%, while Cardiff recorded the lowest rate at 60.1%. Encouragingly, six councils – Bridgend, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, and Vale of Glamorgan – have already surpassed the upcoming 70% statutory target.

In total, Welsh local authorities managed 1.4 million tonnes of waste in 2023/2024, reflecting a slight 0.6% increase from the previous year. Residual household waste per person dropped by 2.1%, from 172kg to 168kg, showcasing further progress in waste reduction.

Wales' remarkable recycling journey is a testament to its efforts since the 1990s, when rates were as low as 5%. The government attributes this success to a £1 billion investment in recycling initiatives. By comparison, England and Scotland recorded recycling rates of 43.4% and 43.5%, respectively, in 2022, while the UK average fell slightly to 44.1%.

A Welsh Government spokesperson celebrated the progress, stating: “We’re incredibly proud of the collective effort that has brought us closer to becoming the world’s leading recycler.”

A recent study has revealed that UK households produced a staggering 5.6 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2023. Of this total, 3.2 million tonnes were placed in recycling bins, making recycling the largest waste stream. However, 3 million tonnes ended up in general waste bins, with an additional 70,000 tonnes mistakenly put into food waste.

The study, commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA), County Councils Network (CCN), and District Councils Network (DCN), underscores the significant impact of packaging waste on local waste management systems. Councils are calling on the government to focus upcoming reforms on minimising unnecessary packaging and enhancing recyclability.

Councillor Adam Hug, the environment spokesperson for the LGA, emphasised the importance of balancing necessary packaging with waste reduction efforts. He stated, “Good packaging is essential for keeping products fresh and intact, and producers are doing more to reduce waste and support recycling. But everybody can see the levels of waste, across our shop shelves, delivered to our homes, and into our bins.”
Hug voiced support for reforms that would shift packaging waste management costs from councils to producers. He also stressed the need for councils to retain control over local waste and recycling services, ensuring reforms prioritise waste reduction.

Supporting Extended Producer Responsibility

Polling commissioned by the LGA, conducted by YouGov, found that the public overwhelmingly supports holding producers accountable for packaging waste. Nearly half of those surveyed (48%) believe that companies responsible for packaging production should cover the costs of waste management, compared to only 4% who think councils should bear this responsibility. Furthermore, 85% of respondents believe the government should require companies to reduce packaging usage.

Councillor Richard Clewer, the CCN’s infrastructure and planning spokesperson, highlighted the importance of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, which aims to reduce residual waste. Clewer noted, “The County Councils Network supports the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, particularly its overall aim to reduce residual waste. As this research has shown, a significant amount of recyclable waste still ends up in the wrong bin despite the best efforts of local authorities.”

Clewer urged the government to consider recyclable waste mistakenly placed in general waste when determining council payments under the EPR scheme. He stressed that, given councils’ current financial pressures, they should not be penalised for these misplacements, and producers must do more to ensure packaging is disposed of correctly.

The study’s findings have prompted councils to advocate for clearer packaging labels to help households sort waste more accurately. As waste management and recycling remain significant public concerns, clearer labelling could play a crucial role in minimising waste and enhancing recycling efficiency across the UK.

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You can view our previous story on Recycling and Packaging Waste, "Defra announces Simpler Recycling update [10.06.24]".

The Environment Agency (EA) have recently released their monitoring plan for packaging producer responsibility that outlines what is to be expected in 2020. In March 2019, the EA restructured how they work to achieve producer responsibility requirements resulting in a move to a single nationally managed delivery approach. Their compliance activities include site inspections, desktop reviews, validation checks on data submissions and data trend analysis, looking for errors and anomalies.

The updated monitoring plan builds on their 2019 strategy with an overall aim to resolve issues of non-compliance, with added emphasis on the accuracy of data submitted by producers. The EA monitor submitted data from all (approx. 7,000) registered producers, this includes comparing data submission to previous years.

The plan also confirms continued efforts to identify and investigate packaging producers (freeriders) who are not compliant to bring them into compliance thus increasing producer registrations, reducing non-compliance and ensure a level playing field for all producers.

You can view the full plan here.

Ongoing Monitoring: Data Submissions & Compliance Schemes

The EA undertakes robust monitoring of registrations and submissions from both direct registrants and producers who are members of compliance schemes through a variety of desktop and site audits. In April, following the registration deadline, the EA will identify producers who have not re-registered and aim to find the reason behind this, and if necessary, bring them back into compliance with the support of compliance schemes.

Approved producer compliance schemes such as the Wastepack Group schemes must register with the EA each year and a detailed compliance assessment is undertaken. To mitigate the risk of not meeting the UK meeting national and EU targets, the EA monitor schemes on a quarterly basis to check progress towards meeting their members’ obligations, including checking procurement patterns of PRNs and PERNs.

Ongoing Monitoring: Accredited Reprocessors & Exporters

Accredited reprocessors and exporters are also subject to monitoring from the EA. At the application stage for accreditation the EA assess the full application including sampling and inspection plans to ensure they are robust and reliable. The 2020 monitoring plan states that the EA will “only accredit those which fully satisfy the regulatory requirements”. Once accreditation is granted reprocessor & exporters must submit a quarterly data return otherwise suspension notices may be issued. The EA have set a target of a minimum of 110 site inspections of accredited operators and exporters, and confirmed that, if required, they will carry out more than one site inspection.

What does this mean for producers?

With the emphasis on data it is more important than ever for producers’ to strengthen data gathering processes and procedures. Not only will this provide you with high quality data that is “as accurate as reasonably possible” as required by the regulations, it also demonstrates a proactive and serious approach to data collation which will support a producers position when the EA’s monitoring procedures commence. It is also important to note that accurate data will safeguard your obligation ensuring you are not over obligating yourself which, with high PRN/PERN prices particularly in aluminium and plastic, can have a significant effect on costs.

If you are a member of a Wastepack Group compliance scheme, we can help! Get in touch today and request a free packaging health check with one of our experts. Call us on 01279 620000 or email help@wastepack.co.uk

The Scottish Government has confirmed its plans for the introduction of a deposit return scheme for plastic drinks bottles, aluminium and steel cans and glass bottles.

Under the proposed DRS system, which would come into effect from 2020, consumers would pay a 20p deposit upon the purchase of a drink at a retailer, which can then be recouped when the packaging is returned for recycling.

Scotland is the first UK administration to outline its proposals for a DRS – with an ongoing consultation on the introduction of the measure in England, Wales and Northern Ireland due to close this week. Ministers will then consider the wider introduction and design of a DRS elsewhere in the UK.

Announcing the details in May, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Roseanna Cunningham, said: “Scotland was the first part of the UK to commit to a deposit return scheme as part of our wider efforts to prevent discarded drinks containers from ending up in our streets and seas, and is now the first to outline its design – one that is ambitious in scale and scope, and which gives the people of Scotland a clear and straightforward way to do their bit for the environment.”

The measure, while seen as having the potential to combat littering and potentially boost recycling of drinks packaging, is not without its opponents, with some questioning the financial cost of a DRS and whether this outweighs the benefits of the scheme.

The Institute of Economic Affairs is among those to have questioned the merits of a DRS, and has suggested that setting up a DRS in the UK is a “very expensive way of achieving very little” and could lead to local authorities losing out on revenue.

A group of politicians have expressed their support to phase out exports of packaging waste by the end of the next decade.

The news came in a report launched on 12 February from the Policy Connect think tank, which brings attention to a number of proposals highlighting the UK’s dependence on overseas markets for plastic packaging and methods to improve recycling for plastic products.

According to the document, two thirds of plastic packaging waste recycling is exported per annum; equating to 4.15 million tonnes in total for plastic recycling exports between 2010 and 2017.

The proposals have received support by 12 parliamentarians including Lord Deben, chair of the Committee on Climate Change and Labour MP Mary Creagh, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee.

Commenting on the report, she said: “Exporting two thirds of the UK’s plastic waste overseas is bad for jobs, business and our environment. I welcome the call for the UK to commit to a bold target of zero exports of plastic packaging by 2030.

Ms Creagh continued: “Achieving this will require home-grown solutions such as implementing a Deposit Return Scheme by 2022 and applying a coffee cup levy as my Committee recommended. We can and must transition from exporting our plastic waste problem to growing our own solutions.”

International exports

Albeit China has put a ban on specific grades of plastics, other countries including Malaysia, Turkey and Poland, are still thought to be dealing with large quantities of plastic waste exports from the UK.

“British consumers want to recycle more but our lack of UK reprocessing plants and circular policies are letting them down,” said Jonathan Shaw, chief executive of Policy Connect. “We need a bold national plastics plan that we can all be proud of to protect the marine environment, to kick-start infrastructure investment and jobs, and to boost UK demand for recycled plastics.”

He added: “Among the headline measures outlined within the policy document is a target of net zero exports of recyclable plastic packaging by 2030 at the latest, a measure intended to ensure that plastic from products sold and used in the UK does not end up in the oceans and water courses.”

The Think Tanks also claimed that the UK could end the export of over four Wembley stadiums full each year to countries with lower recycling and environmental standards if it starts managing and handling more of its packaging waste internally. However, Policy Connect states that an investment will be required to triple the UK’s recycling capacity to allow for efficient processing of materials domestically.

In addition, the report draws on the Treasury to set targets for the percentage of recycled content in new products at different levels for different packaging formats, which will depend on the recycled materials availability. However, the Think Tank claims that this could be periodically revised as recycling activities start to increase.

Lord Deben, chair of the Committee on Climate Change and a former Environment Secretary said:

“Britain is a proud, responsible, ‘can-do’ nation which looks to the future. We welcome the government’s forthcoming consultation on its ambitious Resources and Waste Strategy. The right policy roadmap can turn our plastic waste problem into an economic opportunity for the UK to lead the world in waste-processing, recycled plastic, and waste-to-energy innovation and jobs."