Since the 1 April 2016, the Environmental Regulations team at Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has now transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The team has responsibility for a range of waste mandates and policies, which will now be run from within Defra, including:
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
- End of Life Vehicles (ELVs)
- Waste batteries and accumulators
- Packaging (Essential Requirements)
- Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
Greater coordination
In a statement from the government prior to the transfer, it stated that “with much of the legislation and related work split between the two departments, transferring the team and resource from BIS to Defra will enable, and ensure, greater coordination of government policy and the combined regulatory responsibilities”.
The change comes soon after cuts were made within BIS, which included the plan to close the department’s office in Sheffield by 2018, resulting in probable job losses, some of which could possibly affect the Environmental Regulations team.
Business as usual
These changes will have little to no impact on members and the step to move the six-person team at BIS into Defra will reinforce collaborative thinking between the two bodies and ensure any policy changes will reflect both the UK’s environmental and business requirements.
If you would like to discuss your compliance needs please contact our team of specialists on 0845 094 2228 or email info@ecosurety.com.
Robbie Staniforth
Head of policy
As head of policy, Robbie is responsible for liaising with government, regulators and industry organisations to represent our members’ views and interests. In previous roles, he helped to instigate market-based change and he brings that dynamism to his current role of influencing regulatory change. With years of experience working across a number of departments at Ecosurety, it’s fair to say he has an excellent understanding of producer compliance and recycling, which enables him to provide high-level policy expertise, industry insight and market analysis to our members.
Useful links
The Environment Agency has released the final quarterly figures for the 2018 packaging compliance year.
Read More >>Just before Christmas, the government published its strategy for waste and resources with extended producer responsibility (EPR) a cornerstone of public policy over the next few years.
Read More >>Defra have committed to new EPR regulations including bulky waste, tyres and building materials.
Read More >>
