Clarity needed on proposed disposable cup take-back scheme, ACS says

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has urged the government to provide clarity on the impact on small stores of a take-back scheme for disposable cups.

Responding to the government’s proposals on reform of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, the trade body has raised concerns about the time, space and resource pressures on retailers, especially those running the smallest stores.

The new proposal for a take-back scheme for disposable cups would add to the constraints that would already be in place with the introduction of a deposit return scheme for other containers, the ACS noted, urging the government to provide additional clarity on how such a take-back scheme would work in practice, including detail on which stores would be included in the scheme.

“We support the government’s intention to increase rates of packaging recycling, and are in favour of brand owners being the single point of compliance for fees associated with the revised Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme,” James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said.

“We are however concerned about the potential impact of a take-back system for disposable cups, which could have a significant impact on small stores that are already dealing with the implementation of the upcoming deposit return scheme. We have called on the government to provide clarity on which stores will be required to take back disposable cups, and to make a full assessment of the impact that it would have on convenience retailers.”

The government is consulting on reforming the UK’s extended producer responsibility scheme to drive up the rates of packaging waste recycling. Through the introduction of the proposals set out in their EPR consultation and other environmental measures like DRS, the government is aiming to reach a total UK packaging recycling rate of 78 per cent by 2030, with the estimated recycling rates for each material exceeding those set in the European Union, and a minimum recycling rate for packaging that falls within the EPR scheme of 73 per cent by 2030.

As part of the wider proposals for EPR reform, packaging producers (brand owners) will be made responsible for the full cost of managing the packaging that they place on the market – this is expected to be around £2.7 billion in the first year. The cost of managing packaging waste includes:

• The collecting, sorting and recycling of packaging waste from households and businesses
• The collecting and disposing of packaging in the residual waste stream from households only
• Litter and refuse management costs, including bin and ground litter

ACS has also urged the government to minimise reporting requirements for retailers, and to exempt small businesses from any such requirements.

Lowman continued: “For small stores, the existing packaging waste regulations have been characterised more by bureaucracy than by active recycling. For the new system to work, we need to minimise the administration and calculations required from these businesses, and focus efforts on reducing the impact of packaging on the environment.”