Glossary

Accredited Exporter

An exporter of post-use UK packaging waste destined for reprocessing abroad that has been given accredited status by the Regulator to issue PERNs.

Accredited Reprocessor

A reprocessor that has been given accredited status by the Regulator, enabling them to issue PRNs.

Animal By-Products (ABP)

Entire bodies or parts of animals or products of animal origin.  Also other by-products not intended for human consumption.

Compliance Scheme

A company that takes over the statutory obligations of obligated producers pursuant to The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (as amended).

Consumer Information Obligations (CIO)

Any producer defined as a seller must provide information to their customers on how to recycle the packaging sold and explanations of any markings or symbols on the packaging.

Convertor

The individual, firm or legal entity that takes raw material and converts it into a packaging product.

DEFRA

Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

BIS

Department of Business, Innovation and Skills

Duty of Care

Duty of Care in the waste industry is a process, with the authority of the law, which defines how waste will be managed.  It encompases a cradle to grave approach with responsibility from the time waste is produced to the time it is recycled, landfilled, incinerated or treated by another method.

Facility Management (FM) service 

The outsourcing of non-core, site-related activities to a specialist company.

Hazardous Waste

Solid waste that exhibits one of the four characteristics of a hazardous waste (reactivity, corrosivity, ignitability, and/or toxicity), or is specifically designated as such by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Importer

The individual, firm or legal entity that, in the course of trade, brings articles of trade from a foreign source into a domestic market.

ISO 14001

Internationally recognised standard relating to good environmental practices.

ISO 9001

A series of quality standards established by the International Organization of Standardisation, that outline the requirements for quality management systems.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

A means for measuring the performance of any given service to ensure that optimum results are achieved.

Landfill

A disposal facility or part of a facility where non-hazardous waste is placed in/on the land, carefully lined and monitored, for containment.

Landfill Tax

A levy imposed on producers for the waste they send to landfill.

Obligated Producer

A business with an annual turnover of >£2m and who owns and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year by performing one or more of the following activities: Import, raw material manufacture, conversion, packing/filling and selling.

Packaging

All products made of any materials of any nature to be used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods from raw materials to processed goods form the producer to the user or the consumer.

Packaging (Waste) Recovery Note (PRN), Packaging (Waste) Export Recovery Note (PERN)

Document issued by an accredited reprocessor or accredited exporter as proof that a quantity of packaging waste has been received for reprocessing.

Packaging Chain

The obligated producers who perform the functions of importer, raw material manufacturer, convertor, packer/filler and seller.

Packaging Compliance

The act or process of fulfilling requirements of the The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended).

Packer / Filler

The individual, firm or legal entity that takes a packaging product and adds it to a product.

Producer Responsibility

The principle that businesses should take responsibility for their practices that may have an impact on the environment.

Raw Material Manufacturer

The individual, firm or legal entity that extracts raw material from its source for the onward manufacture of products.

Recovery

Material that has been reused, recycled or processed to release energy and has not been disposed of.

Recyclate

Any material that can be recycled.

Recycling

The series of activities by which discarded materials are collected, sorted, processed and converted into raw materials and used in the production of new products.

Regulator/ Environmental Agencies

The Environment Agency (EA), Scottish Environment and Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS).

Reprocessor

An individual or company that receives recyclable materials and processes and converts them into new products.

Seller

The individual, firm or legal entity that sells a packaging product to the final user or consumer of the packaging.

Special Waste

Defined by the Environmental Protection (Special Waste) Regulations 1996 (as amended) and is broadly any waste on the European Hazardous Waste List that has one or more of fourteen hazardous properties.

The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations
1998

Legislation that requires that businesses use minimal packaging.  The packaging must comply with hygiene and toxicity standards and be recoverable through recycling, incineration or composting. This piece of legislation is enforced by the DTI.

The Producer
Responsibility Obligations
(Packaging Waste)
Regulations 1997
(as amended)

Legislation that requires obligated producers to register with the Regulatory body either directly or through a compliance scheme, to report packaging usage and provide evidence of compliance.

Waste

Refuse or by-products which are perceived as useless, but may be reused, recycled and processed to release energy, or be disposed of.