WasteCare Group, the owner of BatteryBack plc, PackCare Ltd and WeeeCare plc has announced the consolidation of its producer compliance schemes under one roof - WasteCare Compliance plc.
In conjunction, the company has also launched a revolutionary new approach to producer compliance which means obligated businesses will no longer have to commit to buying evidence without first knowing the cost.
As WasteCare Group is primarily a recycling business, it produces over 95% of the evidence needed by its members, selling the surplus to other compliance schemes. This unique position of knowing the associated costs means WasteCare can fix the recoverable value in advance, thereby enabling it to underwrite its members’ obligations and avoid exposing them to the vagaries of what have proven to be volatile markets.
“This is not simply a tidying up exercise” explains WasteCare’s Chairman, Peter Hunt. “Producer compliance costs are seen by many businesses as a tax and to make it worse they are expected to commit to a scheme without being told the likely costs at the outset. Auto renewing contracts also mean businesses can become trapped in a scheme where there is little or no accountability or visibility in relation to the underlying costs.”
“If one trawls the websites of the UK producer compliance schemes, you will struggle to find any costs or prices. In fact, as many as 4,000 registered producers of packaging, electrical equipment and batteries each year contract to buy packaging PRNs, battery and WEEE evidence to meet their legal obligation without knowing the final cost.”
The consolidation of Wastecare’s three compliance schemes has realised several unique benefits to its 1,100 members. These include:
• Publication of membership and evidence costs in advance
• Guaranteed fixed evidence prices
• Offset and rebates for internally generated waste
• Reduced fees for multiple membership
• A guarantee that the markup on evidence never exceeds 5% of the cost
Many schemes require their members to give notice by the 30th June to avoid being trapped until the end of 2022. This is despite the fact that the regulations give businesses until October to join a scheme for the following year. It therefore makes sense for obligated businesses to give notice, while at the same time requesting prices for the coming year. They then have until October to decide which scheme best suits their needs.