Defra has published its responses to the consultation on reforms to the packaging recovery note (PRN) system it ran in March.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) say the aim of the consultation, which received 129 separate responses, was to seek views on several administrative and technical amendments to how the PRN and packaging waste export recycling note (PERN) systems operate.
As part of the response, Defra said it would implement monthly reporting of reprocessing and export data by reprocessors and exporters, monthly price and revenue data reporting by reprocessors and exporters, amendments to the reporting categories for the revenue received from the sale of PRNs by reprocessors and exporters and a competence test for reprocessors, exporters and Compliance Scheme operators.
However, the Government says it won’t implement a domestic recycling target or a compliance fee. Any responses which put forward ideas to alter the timetable that PRNs can be traded will also not progress, Defra says.
Defra will continue to work at pace to finalise these environmental targets.
As well as the Government’s response to the consultation, Defra also recently announced it will not publish updated environmental targets by its original deadline – the end of October 2022.
Defra says it took this decision in light of the volume of material and the significant public response. The Government received over 180,000 responses from a range of individuals, businesses and other organisations to the target consultation which closed on 27th June 2022.
Environment Secretary, Therese Coffey said: “I was part of the ministerial team that created the 25-Year Environment Plan and prepared the Environment Bill presented to Parliament in 2019.
“Defra will continue to work at pace to finalise these environmental targets.”