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SEPA Registers Wastepack Compliance Scheme
Issued on 28 August - Ref 28/97

SEPA (The Scottish Environment Protection Agency ) has registered the Wastepack Collective Compliance Scheme under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997.

‘SEPA welcomes the registration of Wastepack. It also hopes that its work with Wastepack and other compliance schemes will lead to investment in recycling collection systems and reprocessing infrastructure in Scotland to the long-term benefit of all Scottish business’ said SEPA’s John Ferguson.

‘The competitive companies of the future will be those evolving waste minimisation, clean technologies and resource efficient processes and those capable of taking advantage of recovered materials in preference to virgin materials. Industrial ecology is the only sustainable future for industry and commerce,’ he continued, ‘ Producer Responsibility is something we will see a lot more of in the coming years.’

Companies who are obligated under the Regulations must register by 31 August 1997 or be members of a registered compliance scheme. Companies missing this deadline could be guilty of an offence under the regulations.

Based on an EC Directive, the new laws to reduce the disposal of waste packaging materials aim to recover value from waste packaging, either through recycling or energy recovery of over 50% of all UK packaging.

The materials affected are:

paper and board, glass, plastics, steel and aluminium

Other packaging materials such as wood will be affected from 2000.

The regulations will affect:

companies who handle packaging; companies producing the raw materials; companies manufacturing the packaging; packer fillers and retailers

The regulations are initially restricted to companies with a turnover over £5 million and who handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year. In the first three years some 300-400 companies in Scotland will be affected.

The regulations are based on self-assessment. Companies fulfilling the necessary criteria are required to calculate the amount of packaging they handle for each of the packaging materials. A series of formula then allow the company to calculate the obligations they have to recycle and recover specific volumes of material.

Once a company has done this it can join a collective compliance scheme - such as Wastepack - which takes on the legal obligation for the company and for a fee organises the necessary recovery of materials. There will be a number of national compliance schemes. Alternately, companies can choose to organise their own recovery in negotiation with waste companies or local authorities.

ENDS

SEPA Press Office contacts

Press Officer: Maggie Hamilton. Tel: 01786 457724
Head of Public Affairs: Monica Straughan. Tel: 01786 457723 Mobile 0421 942498

SEPA Head Office, Erskine Court, The Castle Business Park, STIRLING FK9 4TR
Tel: 01786 457700 Fax: 01786 448040

Contact SEPA Public Affairs at publicrelations@sepa.org.uk

© SEPA 1997