… Progress. Simpler Recycling is on the horizon, with household food waste collections being introduced by English authorities, packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) payments being released, and discussions around waste in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and how a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will be rolled out across the four nations all ongoing.
Also, it’s nearly Christmas and the end of another year!
November has been a productive month, with a bit of legislative ebb and flow for good measure. Animal By-Product (ABP) regulations and bookable collections have been key topics of discussion for food waste collections, and hopefully there will be clear guidance and clarity for local authorities on these from the regulators, shortly. Meanwhile, consultations in Wales (on its proposed DRS) and Scotland (on its draft Circular Economy Strategy) continued to develop.
Also in mid-November, I had the opportunity to both chair a session on Simpler Recycling, and present on the challenges of pEPR at the 2025 Collections Conference at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull. A really positive day of networking, presentations and case studies, demonstrating the real progress being made across the waste and recycling sector, from local authorities to waste management companies, as Simpler Recycling legislation is rolled out across the country.
Earlier in the month, we held our final webinar of the year. Teams from the Environment Agency (EA) provided updates on Simpler Recycling enforcement, waste crime prevention, and upcoming Carriers, Brokers and Dealers (CRB) changes. A positive and informative session, and surely the first, and quite possibly last time Al Capone has been mentioned on a webinar in this sector! LARAC Members can watch a recording of the webinar, and access the slides on the website, here.
For LARAC, events and webinars are complete for 2025. DEFRA, meanwhile, has hosted its first set of webinars and sessions relating to the Change Networks, focusing on challenges that may delay the rollout of Simpler Recycling requirements. I would encourage all local authorities to keep an eye out for the next set of updates on this!
All this said, and for all the progress made, most exciting for me is that I’ll be off on a short break in the run up to Christmas Day, something I’ll likely cover in January (and possibly on LinkedIn too, if I see some European bins I like and can’t wait to share!)
As my last blog of 2025, I will wish you all a happy holiday and new year – and look forward to doing it all again in 2026!
