Updates From DEFRA Stakeholder Forum Held on 8 July 2025

DEFRA held their regular Stakeholder Meeting on Tuesday 8 July. Here are some key areas that were discussed.

Simpler Recycling in England: Updates and Guidance

• Guidance on collections from workplaces and households is available on gov.uk, and WRAP has provided tools and good practice guidance for local authorities.
• Defra call for case studies from workplaces and local authorities to share good practice examples.

WRAP’s Tools and Guidance for Local Authorities

• Chris Mills from WRAP discussed the tools and guidance provided to support local authorities in implementing Simpler Recycling.
• The eTEEP tool helps local authorities assess their written assessments quickly and comprehensively.
• Good practice guidance for local authorities covers a range of services, with 24 topics currently available and more to be added.
• WRAP offers ongoing support to local authorities, including procurement support and webinars.

Questions and Answers on Simply Recycling Implementation

• Question asked about ensuring compliance with Simpler Recycling requirements for businesses on the high street. Answer: The Environment Agency is the regulator and will support businesses in understanding their duties. The EA will take a pragmatic approach, prioritizing education and advice before enforcement.

Updates from PackUK

Base Fees and Modulation Policy

• Margaret Bates provided updates on base fees and the publication of the RPS (Regulatory Position Statement) on RAM.
• The 2025 base fees have been released, with adjustments based on local authority disposal costs and packaging tonnages.
• Fees reduced since September due to a number of factors, including 13% increase in overall RPD tonnages, changes to the way Defra estimate tonnage from late reporters, etc. Please see RECOUP’s member update article on the base fees release from 4 July, and the article this week on the PackUK base fees webinar, for more information. Defra will also likely share more information in a Circular Economy Newsletter soon. 
• The modulation policy will be applied from the second year of the scheme, with a revenue-neutral approach to increase fees for less sustainable materials. Modulation does not apply to the final base fees published 27 June.

Strategy

• Interim PackUK Strategy launched.
• Disputes and appeals process shared.

Organisational

• CEO and CSO to be announced shortly.

Advisory Committees

• First RAM technical advisory committee held.
• New Education & Enforcement and behaviour committees to be set up soon.

Regulatory Position Statement on RAM Compliance

• Feedback from the modulation survey was discussed. As a result, the statement provides flexibility for recyclability reporting, recognising the challenges faced by producers in meeting the new requirements.
• The position statement is intended to support producers in transitioning to the new system while ensuring compliance with the regulations.

We will share more from the update when Defra release the meeting roundup in their Circular Economy Newsletter.