J&B Recycling Knowledge

Since October 2024, The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 have introduced a more stringent sampling, testing, and reporting regime for material facilities (MFs) including Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs) across England and Wales. These changes aim to increase the amount and scope of data to be submitted to the Environment Agency to measure the effectiveness of recycling especially for waste packaging.

The implementation of these regulations required significant operational adjustments, and at J&B Recycling, we have adapted to meet these new requirements, ensuring compliance while continuing to deliver high-quality recycling services.

What Does This Mean for J&B Recycling?

At J&B Recycling, we’ve always conducted waste audits, but the new regulations have raised the bar for reporting volume. We now classify materials in greater detail - for instance, distinguishing specific types of plastics, whether a material is packaging or not, and separating drink containers from non-drinks containers. This enhanced categorisation not only ensures compliance but also provides data for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and packaging producers.

Key Changes Under the New Regulations

The updated regulations have increased the frequency of waste sampling and added complexity to categorisation and reporting. Here’s how these changes impact our operations:

Kerbside Input Sampling:

• Sampling frequency has increased from a 60kg sample per 100 tonnes to a 60kg sample per 75 tonnes of incoming waste, resulting in over 25% more samples being taken.
• Materials must now be categorised with greater specificity. For instance, plastic bottles are separated into PET drinks bottles (part of the Deposit Return Scheme, or DRS) and non-DRS bottles. Similarly, aluminium is separated into drinks cans (DRS) and non-DRS materials like foil and aerosols.
• Additional layers of categorisation, such as distinguishing between packaging and non-packaging materials, have substantially increased the time required for analysis.

Output Sampling:

• While the frequency of output sampling remains unchanged, the level of detail required has significantly increased. Each material must now be assessed for DRS, non-DRS, and packaging content, adding complexity to the process.

Data Entry and Reporting:

• The volume of data required for submission to the Environment Agency has skyrocketed. For instance, a single input sample now involves 92 data points, compared to far fewer previously. In the quarter before October 2024, J&B Recycling’s waste returns involved 689 data points over 13 weeks; in an 8-week period under the new regulations, this has increased to 12,852 data points.

Why Are These Changes Important?

The new regulations deliver significant benefits, with improved recycling data accuracy at their core:

Better Resource Management: Detailed reporting helps industries and policymakers understand material flows, enabling the development of more sustainable practices.

Improved Industry Standards: By standardising sampling and reporting, the regulations ensure consistency in reporting across MRFs in England and Wales, raising the bar for data quality.

Greater Accountability: Clear data on material quality builds trust with customers and stakeholders, demonstrating the industry’s commitment to transparency and high standards.

These regulations also bring greater transparency to the recycling industry. The detailed information collected helps identify contamination issues within recycling streams, enabling targeted solutions, such as educating the public on proper recycling practices.

By addressing contamination more effectively, the industry can improve the quality of recycled materials, reduce waste, and support the UK’s climate change and circular economy goals. For J&B Recycling, this is an opportunity to enhance our processes, and improve communication with Local Authorities to deliver higher-quality recyclables from households and contribute to a greener future.

Operational Adjustments at J&B Recycling

To manage these changes, J&B Recycling has:

• Recruited the equivalent of two additional full-time staff members to handle the increased workload in sampling and data entry.
• Redesigned reporting mechanisms to align with the new regulatory requirements, ensuring our partners receive accurate and actionable data.

Craig Flounders, a Quality Controller who led the operational rollout, explains, “The new regulations have added a significant amount of work to our audits. While this is manageable, the extra complexity and increased sampling frequency have required considerable time and resources.”

Clare Bradley, a Material Sales & Compliance Administrator, adds, “The added detail in reporting ensures greater transparency and helps our partners better understand the impact of their recycling efforts. However, the additional workload has come at a cost, and we trust the data collected will be used effectively to drive meaningful improvements.”

Mark Penny, Commercial Manager, highlights the broader implications: “These changes have resulted in an unavoidable increase to our charges, and this cost will ultimately be passed on to businesses, Local Authorities, and households. Part of these increased costs will be covered by additional funding to Local Authorities from packaging producers through the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme (EPR). While we support the overall goals of the regulations, there is a real risk that these significant additional costs may not yield the environmental benefits expected if the he data collected is not used effectively to inform better practices across the waste and packaging industries.”

Looking Ahead

While we fully support the goals of reducing contamination and improving recycling efficiency, the increased workload and costs associated with these regulations are a challenge for the entire industry. There is a risk of more work and cost without proportional environmental gains, but J&B Recycling is committed to adapting to these changes and doing our part to support the ultimate objectives.