What is the Government doing to reduce the amount of plastic packaging in the waste stream?
Packaging is one of the waste streams affected by legislation, namely the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended).The Government’s aim is to reduce the amount of waste that is generated and to manage the waste which is then produced by more sustainable means, such as reuse and recycling. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, which came into force in March 1997, require certain businesses to meet targets for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in line with the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste. This is likely to lead to an increase in the recycling of all packaging materials, as businesses will have to invest in more recycling facilities in order to meet their obligations. The Regulations require certain businesses who handle packaging (from raw materials manufacturers, converters, packers/fillers to sellers) to recover and recycle specified amount of packaging handled by their business. T
