Brow Packaging: Recycling

We recycle polythene in-house and manufacture several products making use of recycled waste.

Apart from recycling, we are aware of our Packaging Waste obligations and have been a member of Valpak Ltd, a compliance scheme since 1999.

The packaging waste obligations impose legal requirements on obligated companies. This is explained below and will affect many of our customers.

Packaging Waste Regulations - A General Overview

As a result of European directives to encourage packaging waste reduction and increased recycling "The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999" was passed.

This affects all companies, partnerships and sole traders who meet the following criteria:-

• Any business with a turnover in excess of £2 million (Stg).
• And they handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per annum.
• Carry out an "activity".
• Supplies packaging to another stage in the chain or to the final user of packaging.

The regulations are complex and apportion obligations on each party in the packaging chain - the Raw Material Manufacturer, the Convertor of the material into packaging, the Packer who uses the packaging and the Seller who sells goods in the packaging. People who import goods into the U.K. already packaged are also obligated and take "rolled up" obligations.

Organisations that meet the above criteria are "obligated" to register with the Environment and Heritage Service. They can do this directly or by joining a Compliance Scheme which will register on their behalf.

Obligated businesses will have to keep detailed records of packaging used each calendar year and will have to report this to their Compliance Scheme, or the E.H.S. when requested.

From these records recycling and recovery targets by material are calculated and the obligated organisations have to show that they have covered their annual obligations by buying "Packaging Recovery Notes" - PRN's. These can be bought off approved recyclers or as this is a complex area, the Compliance Scheme will do this on your behalf as they have the expertise and bulk buying.

Each year the Governement amends the percentage recycling and recovery targets (usually upwards). This means costs will rise each year as demand for 'PRN's' grows.

Apart from the costs of recycling and recovery each year, the most difficult aspect will be maintaining detailed records to allow you to meet your obligations.

Please remember the definition of packaging is wide ranging and includes pallets, boxes, bags, trays, (plastic/foil etc.), pallet wrap, i.e. basically anything used to transport a product to market which eventually ends up in the skip!

The first step is to find out if you are obligated. Further information can be obtained from: -

• The Environment and Heritage Service
• Dept. of Environment
• Calvert House
• 23 Castle Place
• Belfast
• BT1 1FY

Phone 028 9025 4926

• Valpack Ltd.
• Stratford Business Park
• Banbury Road
• Stratford-upon-avon
• CV37 7GW

  Phone: 084506 825725
  Fax: 084506 82539

• e-mail: info@valpak.co.uk

• www.valpak.co.uk