Producer responsibility regulations
Producer responsibility laws in the UK cover packaging, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), batteries and end of life vehicles (ELVs).
Producer responsibility is about making sure businesses that manufacture, import and sell these products are responsible for their end of life environmental impact.
The regulations require businesses to:
- minimise waste arising from these products and promote their re-use
- ensure the waste products are treated and meet recovery and recycling targets for the waste materials
- design products by reducing material use and enhancing reusability and recyclability
Enforcing compliance: the regulators
The UK environmental regulators for producers, producer compliance schemes and treatment facilities are:
- Environment Agency (England)
- Natural Resources Wales (Wales)
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency (Northern Ireland)
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Scotland)
- Department for Business and Trade for the ELV regulations
- Office for Product Safety and Standards for placed on the market regulations for WEEE and batteries, for distributors of WEEE and batteries, producers of industrial and automotive batteries and restrictions on heavy metals in vehicles
Packaging
Guidance for businesses that handle and supply packaging, packaging compliance schemes, reprocessors and exporters of UK sourced waste packaging for recovery.
The way UK organisations responsible for packaging must carry out their recycling responsibilities has changed. Check if you’re affected by the extended producer responsibility for packaging. You may need to meet both sets of regulations depending on your situation.
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
For manufacturers, importers, re-branders and distributors of EEE, WEEE producer compliance schemes, treatment facilities and exporters of WEEE.
Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)
Batteries
For manufacturers, importers and distributors of batteries, battery compliance schemes, treatment operators and exporters of waste batteries.
End of life vehicles (ELVs)
For vehicle producers, vehicle owners and waste treatment facilities of end of life vehicles.
Public registers
Use the WEEE public registers to find information about:
- EEE producers
- WEEE approved producer compliance schemes
- WEEE approved authorised treatment facilities and approved exporters
Use the National Packaging Waste Database to find public registers of:
- battery or packaging producers
- compliance schemes
- battery treatment operators or exporters
- packaging reprocessors
Last updated 7 June 2022 + show all updates
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Added new guidance on 'Packaging waste: prepare for extended producer responsibility' to the packaging section.
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Added Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, Environment Agency and Office for Product Safety & Standards 'classifying portable and industrial batteries' guidance to the collection.
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Added 'Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) exemptions: how to apply' and a link to the exemption form.
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Link added to the Environment Agency's 'Packaging producer responsibility monitoring plan 2019'.
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'Packaging producer responsibility monitoring plan 2018' added under the 'Packaging' heading.
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Added 'Collecting used and waste electrical and electronic equipment' document to the collection
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First published.