The government has agreed to explore an alternative approach to the extended producer responsibility scheme, in a move welcomed by the hospitality sector.
EPR makes producers financially responsible for the full lifecycle of the packaging they create. However, the scheme currently includes rules that classify some packaging sold in hospitality, like bottles of beer and wine or cardboard packaging in QSR, as household waste.
UKHospitality, which has been campaigning on the issue for over a year, is calling for closed loop hospitality businesses to be exempt from the scheme.
The trade body has claimed that many venues are being "forced to pay twice" for their recycling as EPR fees passed on by suppliers means they must pay to recycle waste commercially.
While the alternative approach to EPR has not yet been confirmed, a roundtable with Defra minister Mary Creagh saw the department agree to work with the hospitality sector to explore a solution, in line with proposals UKHospitality put to it last year.
The association is hoping that the current timeline means a solution can be brought forward for the second year of the scheme.
"I'm pleased that Defra is finally properly engaging with this issue and acting on our concerns," said UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls.
As well as asking that the direct supply of packaging to hospitality businesses and exclusive hospitality wholesalers, including pub companies, is exempt from EPR, the trade body is also urging that where a premise sells packaged products for consumption both on- and off-premises, there is a mechanism that allows for EPR to be paid on only the volume taken off-premises.
"In light of the government acknowledging that there is a problem that needs solving, I urge hospitality sectors to recognise this and not pass additional EPR costs through to operators," Nicholls added.
UKHospitality is not alone in its criticism of the scheme. Writing in The Grocer in April, Polytag CEO Alice Rackley described the policy as "ill-conceived".
"The Treasury’s own spending watchdog admits it [EPR] will burden businesses without delivering the environmental improvements it was designed to achieve – something many in the industry feared from the outset," she said.
No comments yet