Compliance schemes provide a service for packaging producers. The producers join a scheme as members. For a charge, the compliance scheme takes on their packaging producer legal obligations.

Applying for compliance scheme approval

You need to contact your environmental regulator to apply for approval of a compliance scheme.

If your business is in:

• England, e-mail the Environment Agency at packagingproducers@environment-agency.gov.uk
• Wales, e-mail Natural Resources Wales at packaging@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
• Scotland, e-mail Scottish Environment Protection Agency at producer.responsibility@sepa.org.uk
• Northern Ireland, e-mail Northern Ireland Environment Agency at packaging@daera-ni.gov.uk

Your regulator will send you an application form that you must complete.

You must also send in the following supporting documents and fee:

• the constitution of the scheme
• the rules with which a member of the scheme is obliged to comply
• the procedures under which the scheme operator enforces the rules against a member of the scheme
• an operational plan for the next 3 years
• an application fee of £8,174£8,691

Approved person

You must be an approved person to:

• sign applications for compliance scheme registration
• submit data and declaration of compliance statements

The approved person must be one of these legal entities:

• a director or company secretary of a company registered in the UK
• a partner in a partnership
• an individual operating as a sole trader
• a person who has control or management of the business

Conditions of the approval

To get your compliance scheme approved and to maintain your approval, you must:

• be considered a ‘fit and proper person’ by the regulators – read guidance about how regulators will determine this
• comply with your obligations
• ensure all members’ data and information provided to the regulators is as accurate as reasonable possible
• ensure you purchase packaging recoveryrecycling notes (PRNs) or packaging export recoveryrecycling notes (PERNs) in a way which does not hinder others from doing so
• provide any information as requested by the regulators when monitoring compliance with the scheme obligations and conditions of approval
• ensure you comply with the conditions of registration in relation to any year in which you are registered
• get approval from the regulator for any proposed material changes to your operational plan before any changes are implemented
• provide records and returns to the regulator as per regulation 55 in The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024

Compliance scheme registration

Once approved you need to set up an account on the RPD service so you can register your compliance scheme.

You must:

• register your compliance scheme on or before 1 April 2025 for the 2025 registration year and on or before 1 October each year thereafter for subsequent years (starting 1 October 2025 for the 2026 registration year)
• provide full details of the agreement for the constitution of the compliance scheme including any rules or regulations the members must follow
• provide details of each producer who is a member of the scheme
• provide a copy of your approved operational plan, updated to the date on which your application for registration is submitted
• have your application signed by an approved person of the scheme operator
• ensure any information you provide to the regulator is as accurate as reasonably possible
• pay an application fee of £13,804£14,702

When you submit your registration, the relevant environmental regulator will assess your application. They may ask you for more information. Once a decision has been made you will be notified within 28 days.

Conditions of the registration

To get your compliance scheme registered and to maintain your registration, you must:

• comply with your obligations and conditions of approval
• provide any information as requested by the regulators when monitoring compliance with the scheme obligations and conditions of approval
• notify the regulator of any change in membership within 28 days of the change
• inform the appropriate agency of any material change in the information provided at the time of registration, within 28 days of any such change
• keep records of the total number of tonnes of packaging waste in each packaging category in relation to which the scheme operator is responsible for carrying out recycling obligations
• keep records of the amount in tonnes of packaging waste in each packaging category received for recycling at a reprocessing site, or at an overseas reprocessing site as set out in the PRNs or PERNs acquired by the scheme operator
• submit a yearly statement of compliance confirming whether or not you have met your obligations
• keep records for 7 years

Penalties for non-compliance

You must comply with the conditions of approval and registration.

If you don’t, your environmental regulator may withdraw your approval and cancel your registration.

See the Environment Agency monitoring plan which sets out how they’ll check businesses are complying each year.

If you fail to comply you may face prosecution under criminal law. For some offences there are also civil penalties available. These include:

• fixed penalty fines for minor offences
• higher fines for a more serious offence
• an enforcement undertaking – an offer, formally accepted by your environmental regulator that addresses the impact of your non-compliance

Contact the environmental regulators

England

Telephone: 03708 506 506

Email: packagingproducers@environment-agency.gov.uk

Wales

Telephone: 0300 065 3000

Email: packaging@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Scotland

Email: producer.responsibility@sepa.org.uk

Telephone: 0300 099 6699

Northern Ireland

Telephone: 028 9056 9338

Email: packaging@daera-ni.gov.uk

Legislation and regulations

See packaging and packaging waste legislation and regulations:

• The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024