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• PRO planning and system design:
– Investigating existing waste infrastructure and legislation
– Determining PRO license conditions and requirements
– Identifying where waste materials arise, and how the PRO will access them
– Assessing which recycling services are available, and at what price
– Agreeing how competing PROs will balance their share of waste
• Building-up PRO operations and processes:
– Appointing PRO staff, and setting-up administration and reporting
procedures
– Auditing and approval of recycling companies against required standards
– Deciding on containers and transport needed for each collection point
– Selecting and appointing recyclers and collection companies
• Running ongoing operations:
– Receiving and responding to requests for collection
– Organising day-to-day collection, treatment, and recycling
– Collating and submitting reports of quantities collected and processed
– Accounting and payment for collection, treatment, and recycling services
– Trouble-shooting operational and service problems
– Optimising activities to meet cost and key performance indicators
To comply with EPR legislation, producers must fi rstly understand specifi c regulatory requirements within each country for each type of product. Different regulations may specify different requirements relevant to each producer, for example
reporting and registration procedures. Once requirements have been checked, producers must choose which PROs are most appropriate for their products. It may be
possible to choose between several competing PRO services. Some key considerations for producers to take into account before joining a PRO include:
• Does the PRO charge a membership fee? How often and how much?
• Are recycling fees fi xed per product sold in advance, or will the amount charged
vary according to the producer’s share of treatment and recycling costs each
month?
• Does the PRO accrue any fi nancial reserves from the payments producers make?
Who owns those funds and for what purpose?
• Does the PRO have the necessary permits and authorisations to operate and fulfi l
the producer’s EPR obligations? Will it ensure the necessary environment
standards?
• How long is the contract period for? Under which conditions can the PRO terminate the contract?
• Once the contract is agreed, are fees fi xed or can they be changed by the PRO
from time to time? Under what conditions can the PRO increase or lower their
fees?
16 Practical Implications of Product-Based Environmental Legislation
• PRO planning and system design:
– Investigating existing waste infrastructure and legislation
– Determining PRO license conditions and requirements
– Identifying where waste materials arise, and how the PRO will access them
– Assessing which recycling services are available, and at what price
– Agreeing how competing PROs will balance their share of waste
• Building-up PRO operations and processes:
– Appointing PRO staff, and setting-up administration and reporting
procedures
– Auditing and approval of recycling companies against required standards
– Deciding on containers and transport needed for each collection point
– Selecting and appointing recyclers and collection companies
• Running ongoing operations:
– Receiving and responding to requests for collection
– Organising day-to-day collection, treatment, and recycling
– Collating and submitting reports of quantities collected and processed
– Accounting and payment for collection, treatment, and recycling services
– Trouble-shooting operational and service problems
– Optimising activities to meet cost and key performance indicators
To comply with EPR legislation, producers must fi rstly understand specifi c regulatory requirements within each country for each type of product. Different regulations may specify different requirements relevant to each producer, for example
reporting and registration procedures. Once requirements have been checked, producers must choose which PROs are most appropriate for their products. It may be
possible to choose between several competing PRO services. Some key considerations for producers to take into account before joining a PRO include:
• Does the PRO charge a membership fee? How often and how much?
• Are recycling fees fi xed per product sold in advance, or will the amount charged
vary according to the producer’s share of treatment and recycling costs each
month?
• Does the PRO accrue any fi nancial reserves from the payments producers make?
Who owns those funds and for what purpose?
• Does the PRO have the necessary permits and authorisations to operate and fulfi l
the producer’s EPR obligations? Will it ensure the necessary environment
standards?
• How long is the contract period for? Under which conditions can the PRO terminate the contract?
• Once the contract is agreed, are fees fi xed or can they be changed by the PRO
from time to time? Under what conditions can the PRO increase or lower their
fees?
16 Practical Implications of Product-Based Environmental Legislation