Packaging Waste
The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2015[1] sets out illustrative examples of Packaging Waste in Schedule 5. The original Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC) set minimum Recovery (60%) and Recycling (55%) targets for Packaging waste to be met by 31 December 2008, as well as material specific targets. This Directive has now been amended and replaced by Directive 2018/852/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste which requires that:
- 65% of all packaging waste must be recycled by 2025
- 70% of all packaging waste must be recycled by 2030.
EU Material Specific Targets
Directive 2018/852/EC revises the material specific targets [2] to those highlighted in the table below:
| Material | Target to be achieved by 31/12/2025 | Target to be achieved by 31/12/2030 |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic | 50% | 55% |
| Wood | 25% | 30% |
| Ferrous Metals | 70% | 80% |
| Aluminium | 50% | 60% |
| Glass | 70% | 75% |
| Paper & Cardboard | 75% | 85% |
Material Specific Targets
Member States must continue to meet these minimum standards, but are free to set higher domestic targets if they chose. The provisional figures indicate 70.2% of UK Packaging Waste was either recycled or recovered in 2017 [3]. The mechanism used to deliver evidence and drive the Packaging Waste targets is delivered in the UK through the PRN system.
UK Performance (2017)
| Packaging Waste Arising (kt) | Total Recovered/Recycled (kt) | Achieved Recovery/Recycling Rate (%) | EU Target Recovery/Recycling Rate (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal | 736 | 525 | 71.3% | 50.0% |
| of which: Aluminium | 177 | 94 | 53.1% | z |
| of which: Steel | 559 | 431 | 77.1% | z |
| Paper & Card | 4,749 | 3,754 | 79.0% | 60.0% |
| Glass | 2,399 | 1,623 | 67.6% | 60.0% |
| Plastic | 2,260 | 1,044 | 46.2% | 22.5% |
| Wood | 1,310 | 411 | 31.4% | 15.0% |
| Other Materials | 23 | 0 | 0.0% | z |
| Total (for Recycling) | 11,476 | 7,357 | 64.1% | 55.0% |
| Energy from Waste | z | 700 | 6.1% | z |
| Total (for Recycling and Recovery) | 11,476 | 8,057 | 70.2% | 60.0% |
z = Not applicable
Arisings estimates made at point of manufacture.
UK Targets [4]
| Material or Process | 2017 (%) | 2018 (%) | 2019 (%) | 2020 (%) | 2021 (%) | 2022 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Recovery | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | ||
| General Recycling | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | ||
| Overall Recycling | 76 | 77 | ||||
| Paper & Card | 69.5 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 79 | 83 |
| Glass | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 |
| Glass (by remelt) | 67 | 72 | 72 | |||
| Aluminium | 55 | 58 | 61 | 64 | 66 | 69 |
| Steel | 76 | 79 | 82 | 85 | 86 | 87 |
| Plastic | 51 | 53 | 55 | 57 | 59 | 61 |
| Wood | 22 | 38 | 43 | 48 | 35 | 35 |
The recycling factor which is multiplied by turnover to calculate the obligation for small producers has stayed the same at 30%
References
- ↑ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1640/introduction/made
- ↑ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018L0852&from=EN, Directive 2018/852/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 UK Statistics on Waste 2019 updating some of the 2018 Digest with 2017 data
- ↑ gov.uk website: Packaging Waste: Producer Responsibilities