The horticulture sector has come together to save to the Department for Environment , Food & Rural Affairs ( DEFRA ) back the principles of the recently announced Extended Producer Responsibility ( EPR ) consultation on packaging , but temper by concerns around the short timescales and want of detail . If introduced , the schema would see packaging producers liable for the full toll of managing publicity once it becomes waste material .
In a letter organise by the Horticultural Trades Association ( HTA ) , the HTA , Garden Industry Manufacturers Association ( GIMA ) and the Garden Centre Association ( GCA ) have highlight five key area where they believe the EPR proposals can be meliorate . They say that for the visual sensation of a circular economic system to be fulfilled and the EPR schema to return against its design , it demand to better realise the business impact , peculiarly on lowly and medium enterprise ( SMEs ) – which make up most of the UK horticulture industry and that there must be great clarity of monetary value obligations and reporting requirements of all businesses . A more elaborated reason of the recyclability of materials with consistent and dependable solicitation of these across the UK within a more naturalistic timeframe and a retainer for the essentiality of the packaging for safety and environmental reason is needed .
James Clark , Director of Policy & Communications at the HTA , say : “ As an industriousness in and of itself and positively linked to the environment , we agnise that we all have a part to diddle to minimize the impact of publicity . We need to ensure that the potential impact on our unique supply range is given proper consideration and to make suggestions for where government support could make a material winner of the nominate strategy . ”
Plans on importationMike Burks , Chairman of the Garden Centre Association ( GCA ) aver : “ Whilst we are entirely supportive of objective for recycling , it is of import that garden nerve centre have pellucidity around the gunpoint at which they would become responsible for for the packaging consort with plants import from overseas . authorities must provide upright , unclouded guidance to accompany the scheme and they must do this in good time , ahead of its introduction . We also involve assurances that the modulations for fees will consider if the publicity is crucial for the safety and survival of alive products throughout transportation . ”
Vicky Nuttall , Director of Garden Industry Manufacturers ’ Association ( GIMA ) , say : “ The complex nature of plastic recycling means that schemes such as this must take a join - up plan of attack to ensure that no one industry is put at a disadvantage and look to work with industries like ours to find solutions .
“ Some horticultural products , like the pliant plastic used for uprise media / compost bag , could be unfairly excluded from recycle schemes , because of business organisation about contamination , and whilst most garden dressed ore treatments are already packed in fully recyclable HDPE , these are excluded from house dissipation streams which will render then ‘ unrecyclable ’ . This contrasts with other household chemical substance , such as bleach , which can be recycle kerbside .
With government financial support , it would be possible to develop industry - led disk shape schemes to recapture whippy plastic , but the right way now we have literal concerns that with no alternatives to this packaging available and despite immense efforts made to ensure their publicity is reclaimable , our member will at a real disadvantage because of this dodging . ”
The reference closes at midnight tonight ( Friday ) and the proposed timeline from Defra register the first element of the scheme is due to be introduced , alongside requisite to commemorate data on promotion , as too soon as next twelvemonth .
