The EPR Scheme Administrator and Defra published the final version of the packaging Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) on 23 December 2024.
All packaging reported as 'household waste' that is placed on the market by liable producers in 2025 will need to be assessed via the methodology, in order to modulate fees from 2026 onwards. This means the first set of data that will be reported with the additional recyclability assessments will be in October 2025.
The criteria set out in the methodology means packaging formats will be given either a green, amber, or red status. Green implies the packaging is both recyclable and there is adequate collection and recycling infrastructure in the UK, and will therefore attract a lower fee than amber or red types.
The methodology outlines that some packaging types, such as those with electrical components or that contain polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), must automatically be classed as red. The guidance takes users through each broad material category, and how packaging formats should be classed given their material composition, UK sortation capacity and reprocessing and application. There is also guidance that explains the methodology and how producers, or their compliance schemes, need to report the recyclability results under the main EPR reporting framework.
Head of Advisory Services, Jess Barton, says:
The release of the RAM is a critical step towards ecomodulation of waste management fees that reflect the recyclability of packaging. Producers will now need to work hard in 2025 to truly understand their packaging in order to apply the RAM and pay the correct fees. We'll be working with our members to support them as they work through the RAM for the first time this year.
This publication comes shortly after Defra's third iteration of the illustrative base fees, that will be modulated in line with producer’s reported RAM output. We will keep our members updated on how we will help them navigate the new reporting requirements.
You can read the final version of the RAM here.
