Defra has written to stakeholders regarding the upcoming Circular Economy Package (CEP) and how changes brought in by its implementation might affect them.
The CEP will transpose the vast majority of the EU’s CEP into UK law, including a 2035 municipal recycling rate target of 65 per cent.
Defra has published the UK Plans for transposing the 2020 CEP measures, and the changes required, which include:
- Waste separately collected for re-use/recycling may not be incinerated or landfilled
New requirements to ensure that separately collected waste materials are not incinerated or landfilled, except for waste resulting from subsequent treatment operations of the separately collected waste for which incineration or landfill deliver the best environmental outcome. - Separation of illegally mixed hazardous waste
Consideration of economic feasibility removed when deciding if illegally mixed hazardous waste must be separated. As a result, all illegally mixed hazardous waste will be required to be separated if it is technically feasible. - Record keeping of products from hazardous waste
New requirements for record keeping relating to the treatment of hazardous waste. These include the requirement to keep details of products and materials resulting from the treatment of hazardous waste.
Stakeholders will need to comply with the new requirements from the date that the new legislation comes into force in the autumn. Proposed guidance updates to annex II of the packaging and packaging waste directive have also been published on gov.uk. Further information will be emailed to stakeholders and any necessary changes to other guidance will be published in due course.