As a consequence of the Government's adoption of the Producer Responsibility for Packaging Regulation (2022:1274), extended producer responsibility for waste management of packaging will enter into force on 1 January 2023. The aim of the regulation is to reduce the amount of packaging, limit the harmful environmental impact of packaging, reduce litter, and achieve recycling targets. The regulation is aimed at ensuring that packaging waste is handled acceptably from health and environmental perspectives, and that the producers assume operational or financial responsibility for collecting and treating packaging waste.
As part of a recently issued preliminary ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union clarified that the prohibitions regarding the impact of measures or activities on animal species as laid out in the Habitats Directive apply not only to the species as a whole but also on an individual level.
During the summer of 2020, several new rules regarding waste were enacted. These changes in waste legislation were part of the implementation of the Waste Framework Directive and the ongoing work towards a more circular economy. One of the changes is that commencing on 1 November 2020, waste producers must report hazardous waste to a national waste register. Below is an overview of what rules applies with respect to the reporting of hazardous waste.