(GUF) WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Over the next three years, Britain will be implementing four significant pieces of legislation pertaining to the waste and recycling industry. Will they work?

1. Simpler Recycling (April 2025)

Impact Level: Moderate

This policy aims to standardise recycling rules across councils, making it (in theory) easier for households and businesses to recycle. While this will likely increase recycling rates, the impact may be limited unless processing infrastructure improves and public engagement is strong. The biggest challenge will be ensuring there’s enough capacity to handle the additional materials collected and it doesn't turn into one big wishcycling nightmare.

2. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) (October 2025)

Impact Level: High

EPR forces packaging producers to cover the full costs of collecting, sorting, and recycling their materials. This financial burden could lead to:

• Packaging redesign (moving away from hard-to-recycle materials).
• Higher costs passed to consumers if businesses don’t absorb them.
• Improved waste management infrastructure due to increased funding.

The challenge here is whether businesses just pass the costs on rather than changing packaging, in which case the impact could be diluted.

3. Deposit Return Scheme (2027)

Impact Level: High (If done right)

DRS schemes work well in countries like Germany and Norway, pushing recycling rates above 90%. If designed correctly (covering plastic, glass, and metal), it could be a game-changer for drinks packaging waste.

However, if the deposit is too low, participation may be weak; if infrastructure is poorly rolled out, it could frustrate consumers and if retailers push back, delays could continue.

4. Waste Incineration & the Emissions Trading Scheme (2028)

Impact Level: Potentially the Highest

This could be the most transformative policy because it hits waste incineration financially, similar to how landfill taxes reshaped UK waste disposal. If incineration becomes as expensive as landfill, waste management strategies will have to change; likely forcing:

• More recycling and composting to avoid high disposal costs.
• Investment in waste prevention (reusable packaging, repair initiatives).
• Energy-from-waste plants needing to find cost-effective solutions (like carbon capture).

Which Will Have the Most Impact?

• EPR – Will reshape packaging decisions at the source, affecting the whole supply chain.
• Incineration ETS – Could make high-carbon waste disposal financially unviable, forcing change.
• DRS – If done well, could massively increase bottle/can recycling.
• Simpler Recycling – Will help but relies on good infrastructure.

The biggest unknown is how aggressively the government enforces these rules - a Dunning-Kruger effect-fuelled disaster could easily derail their success! More like this (GUF) - link - more like this (waste) - link