The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 were first introduced in 1997, with the purpose of controlling the amount of packaging waste produced by UK businesses and its impact on the environment. There have been multiple updates and amendments since 2007.
The regulations impose obligations on producers to attain the recovery and recycling targets set out in Article 6(1) of Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003, Council Directive 2004/12/EC and Council Directive 2005/20/EC (also known as the Packaging Waste Directive). The Packaging Waste Directive came into force in 1994 and aimed to harmonise the management of packaging waste. It sought to prevent or reduce the impact of packaging and packaging waste on the environment by encouraging minimisation and reuse, and by setting recovery and recycling targets. At the same time, it aimed to avoid obstacles to trade and the distortion and restriction of competition within the EU.
The main aim of the regulations is to reduce the amount of packaging produced in the first place. Businesses using packaging must take responsibility for any environmental impact and pay a fair proportion towards the costs of packaging waste recovery and recycling. They must reduce the amount going to landfill, increase the amount of packaging waste that’s recycled and recovered, control the amount of heavy metals, such as cadmium, mercury, lead and hexavalent chromium used in packaging and ensure packaging meets the minimum weight and volume needed to keep the product safe and hygienic.
