Deadline Approaching…Are You Compliant?

Check, Check and Check Again – The Packaging Waste Regulations

Hi All,

As the rain continues to pour you may have forgotten that spring is just around the corner and for everyone here at KES that means one thing – deadlines for registering and submitting data with accordance to the ‘Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 and Amendments) – or Packagaing Regs for short!

First and foremost, you need to understand as soon as possible if your business meets the thresholds for compliance. Remember, if you’ve experienced significant expansion or sales growth you may now be affected so it is always worth checking if your business meets/exceeds the thresholds year on year.

You are required to register with the Environment Agency, and submit an annual ‘packaging tax return’ regarding how much packaging you have introduced to the UK if you:

-       Have a UK ‘presence’ (site, office, companies house registration or similar)

-       Have a turnover above £2 million

-       Handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per year (excluding exports)

Compliance with these Regulations is not optional for UK businesses, as we’ve seen recently more and more companies are being caught by the Environment Agency – and unfortunately this tends to be because they are unaware of the rules in place. The Regulations are nothing to do with waste removal or recycling, they are a legal obligation which requires businesses that meet the thresholds to pay a tax on packaging introduced to the UK (which involves packaging around imported raw materials, components, finished goods and packaging brought to add to goods for dispatch). These funds are then used to fund recycling projects in Britain. Non-compliance can be incredibly costly as you will be fined and could even face prosecution.

So What’s Next?

If you are obligated as per the thresholds above there is still time to register, however the deadline is end of March so you need to be quick! Most companies choose to do this via a compliance scheme, and KES (Kite Environmental Solutions) works hard to take businesses through each step of the procedure. We are currently in the process of assessing data for our current members, but also offer a quick registration service if required for you last-minuters!

KES provides a complete service, so if you have any questions or are still unsure whether you are eligible feel free to get in touch or head over to our brand new website www.packagingregs.co.uk and take a look at our 60 second overview slide show.

KES have a breadth of experience with each and every aspect of the Packaging Regulations so if you are already registered but are struggling to find the right information, collect your data or understand the Regulations you can visit our dedicated page for already registered customers. Here you can find out how KES can save you money and ensure your data passes the Environmental Agency audit.

KES prides itself on understanding its customers as individuals, and therefore we can tailor data collection and account management in the best way possible according to how your business operates and when your busiest periods are. We plan and prepare you for your annual data collection which means we can efficiently resolve any issues during the process and answer any queries.

KES works independently from Kite; however having in-depth experience within the packaging industry provides us with superior expertise and in-house dedication that you often cannot get from sub-contractors or third parties. If you prefer to speak to a real person you can call the team on 02476 420088, you can also Tweet us @packagingregs

Online Customers

A while back we created a video to show Kite customers, who order stock through the Kite website, how to use our interactive Packaging Regulations tool. Great for giving you an idea of the kind of volumes you are purchasing to add to goods and how much packaging you have used throughout the year – a good start for registering with the Regulations (but remember other packaging is also obligated!) Take a look below to see just how easy it is and give the KES team a call if you need any further help.

And remember…

Deadline is end of March 2014! If you haven’t done so yet assess your packaging waste and the thresholds for registration now.