This week in Parliament, Richard Fuller MP asked a question about the costs of introducing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging on household budgets during Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs parliamentary questions.
An EPR Scheme will mean that packaging producers will pay the full cost of managing packaging once it becomes waste. The aim is to encourage producers to use less packaging and use more recyclable materials, reducing the amount of hard to recycle packaging placed on the market. The government recently held a consultation on the proposals in relation to the scheme design, the scheme governance, implementation timelines and how the scheme will be enforced. A government response to the consultation is expected to be published shortly,
Richard said:
I commended the Treasury Minister, Jo Churchill MP for moving forward with the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme as I recognise its value in leading to increased recycling rates for many products.
That said, I did highlight my concerns that this could also lead to increased costs to households and urged her to speak to industry about the pace of change so that the measures can be delivered at an affordable cost.
The question and reply from the Minister can be watched here.
