Following a rigorous recruitment campaign, Dr Margaret Bates has been appointed to the role of Head for the UK Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) for Packaging Scheme Administrator. Dr Bates is the Managing Director of OPRL, the not-for-profit company which helps businesses to assess and access simple, consistent and UK-wide recycling and refill messages to appear on retailer and brand packaging. She will take up this role on secondment for up to two years.
The new UK pEPR scheme will move the cost of dealing with packaging waste away from the taxpayer and on to packaging producers, who will pay for the full cost of managing packaging waste from households. Through the fees they pay, producers will be incentivised to use less packaging, to use packaging that can be recycled, and to meet higher recycling targets.
In the role, Dr Bates will be responsible for the implementation and readiness of the Scheme Administrator – the cornerstone for the delivery of the pEPR scheme from 2025 – working with Defra and the Devolved Administrations and across the whole collection and packaging value chain; bringing together talented individuals who are passionate about recycling and the environment.
Commenting on her appointment, Dr Margaret Bates said:
During my time at OPRL, engagement with representatives across the value chain has shown an ever-growing appetite for collaborative working and a focus on finding solutions. I look forward to building on this spirit of cooperation in the exciting new position of Head for the UK Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging Scheme Administrator.
This role is a huge opportunity to act as a catalyst for the whole industry to continue to create an effective EPR, ensuring that the responsibility for dealing with packaging waste is moved fairly on to producers, while also protecting the environment. Most of all, I hope to listen, and channel my experience of the issues facing the many varied stakeholders, to deliver a scheme that works – within the agreed timescales, and with common purpose.
