Packaging Regulations
The UK produces around 10 million tonnes of packaging waste every year, most of which is disposed of in landfill sites.
The EC Directive on Packaging & Packaging Waste (94/62 EC) aims to minimise this disposal by setting targets for recycling and recovering packaging waste. From 2001, Directive targets require that at least 50% of the UK's packaging waste must be re-utilised through recycling and other recovery methods.
The UK has implemented the Directive through two sets of Regulations. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 1998 require that packaging be minimised, that it be capable of recovery and recycling and that it contain only restricted amounts of certain hazardous substances.
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (below) provide the statutory framework by which the UK must meet the minimum recovery and recycling targets contained in the Directive. These Regulations place obligations on all UK companies that have a turnover exceeding £2 million and that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per annum.
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