Circular Economy Joint Stakeholder Engagement Forum
RECOUP attended the regular online Defra Circular Economy Joint Stakeholder Engagement Forum.
There was a small collection of speakers who provided summarised updates on a variety of topics:
- Simpler Recycling Collections in England.
- Waste Crime.
- Digital Waste Tracking.
- Batteries and WEEE.
- pEPR
Simpler Recycling Collections in England Update:
DEFRA representatives outlined their position on plastic film, packaging and bags.
The implementation of plastic film collection from workplaces and households has been deferred to 1 April 2030. This was due to delivery challenges, including:
- High collection costs.
- Insufficient domestic sorting/reprocessing infrastructure.
- Limited market demand.
pEPR payments have not yet been agreed, but PackUK are considering this.
A Plastic Film Forum is to be launched October/November 2026, where key stakeholders are invited to collaborate within working groups on collections, sorting, recycling and end markets.
WRAP has launched its Recycle Week toolkit, which is available here.
Waste Crime Update
DEFRA officials spoke on the three main parts of its Waste Crime Action Plan:
- Prevent.
- Enforce.
- Remediate.
Further measures of the plan were announced by the PM in August, focusing on governance, enforcement and remediation.
The Waste Crime Action plan is available here.
For further details, contact waste.regulationandcrime@defra.gov.uk.
Digital Waste Tracking Update
From 1 October 2026, all permitted waste receiving sites in England and Wales will be required to submit the waste they receive onto the new report receipt of waste service.
From 1 January 2027, all permitted waste receiving sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be included.
For more guidance, click here.
Batteries and WEEE Update
DEFRA officials stated that a consultation should be expected in Autumn, as there are high concerns regarding battery-related fires.
pEPR Updates
DEFRA representatives shared their latest findings from its Guidance Improvement Project.
New guidance pages were shared:
- For compliance with EPR for packaging, click here.
- To check what to report for EPR for packaging as a large producer, click here.
- For registering for EPR for packaging as a large producer, click here.
- For creating your registration file for EPR for packaging, click here.
- For creating your reporting file for reporting packaging data, click here.
- For reporting packaging data, click here.
The new comprehensive guidance collection page is available here.
A second phase is planned for September-February 2026, with a focus on:
- EPR for packaging fee guidance.
- RAM 2028.
- ‘Agreed positions’.
- Analysing feedback/data from Phase 1 guidance.
PackUK
PackUK announced the addition of Simon Woods as PackUK’s Chief Operating Officer.
Their 5-year Strategy is planned to be published October 2026.
Regarding Fees & Notices of Liability, PackUK are considering bringing forward the deadline for producer data resubmission.
A route for future RAM updates was also outlined, with the UK Packaging PRO would have a key role throughout the revised process.
Future Joint Stakeholder Engagement Forums dates are on the following dates:
Attendees need to sign up to these individually, which can be accessed in done here.