How to comply with packaging recycling obligations as a large producer

If you’re a large producer of packaging, you have a recycling obligation for each packaging material that you supply or import. As part of your recycling obligations, you must acquire PRNs or PERNs, or both, and submit a certificate of compliance.

If you’re a member of a compliance scheme, the scheme must submit a statement of compliance to confirm that it has met its recycling obligations for its members.

You must also pay a packaging waste disposal fee each year, based on the material, tonnage and recyclability of the household packaging you supply or import. A compliance scheme cannot pay your waste disposal fees for you.

Small producers do not have to meet recycling obligations or pay waste disposal fees under EPR for packaging.

Your recycling obligations are calculated as a percentage of the weight of packaging you reported in the previous calendar year.

You acquire PRNs or PERNs, or both, to match the weight of your recycling obligation for each packaging material. You use the PRNs and PERNs to show that you’ve met your recycling obligations.

For example, if you supply plastic packaging, you must acquire enough PRNs and PERNs for plastic to meet your recycling obligation for plastic.

You cannot use a PRN or PERN for plastic to meet your recycling obligation for glass packaging.

31 January each year is the deadline for meeting your recycling obligations that are issued during the previous calendar year.

You can find your recycling obligations in your account on the Report packaging data (RPD) service. They’re displayed after you’ve reported your packaging data for the full calendar year and your environmental regulator has accepted that data.

Recycling targets for each packaging material category