The Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) has called for all taxes set in place to tackle the environmental impact of plastic and packaging should be directed into increasing recycling and reducing litter.
Executive director of the FPA, Martin Kersh said the FPA has been leading the drive for PRN reform and said other organisations are now embracing this as the channel for increasing recovery of use packaging, increasing recycling and impacting on litter.
With this reform, all taxes and charges can be channelled indirectly, without the need for a cup tax, DRS or a tax on single use plastic, the FPA said.
“We are also calling for national standardisation of recovery and recycling materials to make things simpler and easier for the consumer to understand,” said Mr Kersh.
Lord Deben – “The PRN system has worked well but is overdue for reform. We can use this opportunity to great effectiveness and use the money collected to create a fund to do two things.”
At the FPA’s annual environment seminar, speakers from Greenpeace, the Green Alliance and WRAP all referenced producer reform and acknowledged reforming this system should play a significant role in the Government’s review of packaging taxes or charges.
CIWM’s past President, Professor Margaret Bates, from the University of Northampton, also referenced consumer behaviour and that packaging, its use and disposal, is everyone’s responsibility and that in this debate, we should not lose sight of the positive role that packaging plays in our society.
PRN Reform
Lord Deben, who closed the Seminar, emphasised that reform through the PRN systems would be fast, effective and cost less than levying new taxes or charges.
He said: “The PRN system has worked well but is overdue for reform. We can use this opportunity to great effectiveness and use the money collected to create a fund to do two things.
“Firstly, to create a resource for local authorities to bid for, so that they can create infrastructure for on-the-go collection and recycling, particularly in town centres, leisure facilities and places of natural beauty.
“Secondly, to kick start recycling facilities, because we are going to need more facilities to cope with increased recycling and we need consistent infrastructure and labelling.”
Mr Kersh said: “With packaging high on the political and media agendas, it was no surprise that we had more than 200 members attend the seminar, a record attendance.
“It is a reflection of the seriousness with which the industry takes this subject that we attracted such high level speakers including, in addition to those above, Coca-Cola, RECOUP, WRAP, the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) and Organics Recycling Group.”
