Extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies aim to improve the environmental and social impacts of products by holding producers and brand owners accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products.
There have been delays to the UK government introducing EPR legislation. We were initially told that it would be fully rolled out by January 2025. This date has been put back until October 2027. Initial legislation was introduced on the 1st April 2025. Rather than incentivise reduction in plastic use, it seems to have done the opposite by heavily taxing the recycling of glass and aluminium.
We wrote to South Swindon MP Heidi Alexander to find out about the progress of EPR and receieved a response from DEFRA.
4th October 2024
Dear Heidi,
Thank you for your email of 21 August on behalf of your constituent, Councillor Jane Milner-Barry of [address withheld], Swindon, about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). I am replying as the Minister responsible for this policy area and I apologise for the delay in doing so.
In our manifesto, the government committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy. The Secretary of State has set this as on of DEFRA’s top five priorities. To take this forward, DEFRA will establish a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising members from industry, academia, and civil society, to lead the development of a Circular Economy Strategy. The Strategy will be underpinned by a series of roadmaps, detailing the interventions that government will make on a sector-by-sector basis.
The strategy and roadmaps will create a future where we keep our resource in use for longer, reduce waste, accelerate the path to net zero, see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs and see our economy prosper and nature thrive.
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which reform the UK’s producer responsibility system for packaging, are due to be brought before parliament in autumn this year, with the aim of these regulations coming into force by 1 January 2025.
Regarding the proposed DRS for drinks containers, the DRS is industry led and UK wide. It introduces a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers which can be claimed back by customers when returned. This will reduce litter, increase recycling rates, create high quality recyclate for producers and promote a circular economy.
The government is committed to delivering the DRS in October 2027, as agreed with the devolved governments of the UK, and in accordance with the Joint Policy Statement published in April 2024.
Between April-June 2024, the regulations cleared the necessary processes with no challenge raised. The next step is for it to be laid in Parliament, as soon as parliamentary time allows. We are on track to deliver the DRS in October 2027.
The Joint Policy Statement sets out the terms for policy, scope and timings for the DRS. The DRS in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland will not include glass. Instead, glass will be included in the EPR reforms. Wales intend to include glass in its DRS and Welsh Government are developing their approach to materials in scope and the implications for EPR.
We are working closely with the devolved governments, and we agree on the importance of a shared timeline to the DRS.
Thank you one again for taking the time to contact us about this important issue.
Very best wishes,
Mary Creagh CBE MP
DEFRA