£1.1 billion generated by packaging reforms to be invested in recycling services, Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh has announced.
The UK Government says the investment will unlock regional growth, create new green jobs across the country, and boost household recycling rates.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “This government is cleaning up Britain and ending the throwaway society. Under the Plan for Change, we are pumping more than £1 billion into local recycling services.
“This will revolutionise how we deal with our waste and ensure more of today’s rubbish is recycled into tomorrow’s packaging.”
The Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR) scheme works by charging fees to businesses that produce packaging to cover the costs of collecting and recycling it.
The costs are higher for hard-to-recycle materials and lower where packaging can be reused or refilled.
For the coming year, councils in England will receive £1.1 billion to improve recycling services for residents.
Under the Plan for Change, we are pumping more than £1 billion into local recycling services.
The UK Government says the funding could be spent on offering local residents more streamlined recycling collections, which can ensure more household waste is recycled.
The funds can also be used to build new infrastructure or cover the costs of upgrading facilities where councils send household waste.
This includes Veolia’s Integrated Waste Management Facility in Southwark, which handles and processes materials collected from homes and then sends them to be turned into new products.
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, commented: “Clean and tidy streets are something everyone wants to see, and these common-sense reforms will help councils achieve that.
“Whether it’s channelling more money into recycling or reforming the outdated funding system, we are fixing the foundations of local government so that it can focus on what matters most to people across the country.”
The government estimates the pEPR scheme will support 25,000 new jobs and underpin £10 billion of investment in new sorting and processing facilities over the next decade.
