Who must comply?
Since January 2025, businesses in the UK with an annual turnover of £1 million or more, and that import or supply over 25 tonnes of packaging, must meet Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This means covering the costs of collecting, sorting and recycling both household and non-household packaging waste, and reporting on the amount and type of packaging supplied.
The EPR scheme is the most significant change to packaging regulations in recent years.
Thousands of businesses are now obligated by the new rules. Many small and medium-sized businesses part of this are new to packaging compliance and may lack dedicated sustainability teams.
The real ramifications
The scheme uses the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) to rate household packaging recyclability with a red, amber, green system. In time, non-recyclable, or difficult-to-recycle packaging will incur fees over twice their recyclable alternatives.
According to data from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, approximately 30% of plastic packaging is currently classified as 'difficult to recycle' or 'not recyclable' under RAM. Black plastic packaging, common in ready meals, faces higher fees and accounts for 1.3 billion pieces annually.
Accurate data is critical and can cost businesses. Overreporting packaging obligations due to misunderstandings or lack of expertise is a common mistake that increases costs.
How we help businesses save money and stay compliant
To help businesses track packaging data across their supply chains, keep up with evolving regulations, and ensure audit-ready accuracy, we offer a comprehensive packaging compliance and data management service. We identify overreporting and ensure you only pay for what you owe.
Through our wider service, we collect and recycle hundreds of thousands of tonnes of packaging waste annually, directing much of it through our own facilities to generate Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) to cover members’ obligations.
Updates from Pack UK
PACK UK, the scheme administrator for EPR, announced two major updates in July.
They have introduced a re-submission deadline of 1 September 2026 for producers to correct and resubmit their 2025 packaging data. This data will be used to calculate 2026-27 producer fees and will dictate the funding local authorities receive for handling household packaging.
They have also released an update regarding RAM for 2027 and the ratings of certain materials, with expanded automatic red criteria for packaging deemed unsuitable for recycling, including the use of certain inks and single-use plastic packaging.
Beyond packaging compliance
As well as packaging, we support businesses with Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE), and an emerging area for compliance, disposable vapes.
The incorrect disposal of lithium-ion batteries in WEEE and vapes has led to hundreds of waste facility fires annually, creating both environmental and safety concerns.
Our comprehensive vape collection and recycling service addresses this challenge at the intersection of packaging, WEEE, and battery regulation, helping businesses manage risk and compliance effectively.
Need some advice?
For more information or to discuss how these compliance schemes could help your business, please get in touch with your Veolia UK account manager.