Closed consultation Consultation on proposed changes to the Waste Batteries Regulations 2009, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

Summary

The Department of the Environment has issued the above named consultation as part of a UK-wide consultation. The consultation seeks views on proposals to amend Producer Responsibility regimes to reduce burdens to business following the UK wide review of the Producer Responsibility Regulations.

Consultation description

For the packaging regime the proposal is to:

• remove the requirement for Compliance Schemes and producers to have operational plans, subsuming the most important elements within conditions of approval
• transfer responsibility for approving new compliance schemes from the governments to the environment agencies
• enable producers to delegate the signing of reporting and monitoring requirements to the most appropriate person on agreement with the relevant environment agency

For the batteries regime the proposal is to:

• remove the requirement for operational plans, and linked requirement for annual confirmation of approval
• enable producers to delegate the signing of reporting and monitoring requirements to the most appropriate person in agreement with the relevant environment agency

In addition the consultation also calls for evidence to:

• assess the case for changing the recovery and recycling rates of plastic waste packaging
• explore the opportunities for increasing links between the producer responsibility regime for packaging and local authorities collection of packaging waste for recycling

A copy of the consultation paper can be viewed online in full

• Consultation on changes to the Producer Responsibility regimes for batteries and packaging

Ways to respond

Consultation closed — responses are no longer being accepted.