Government to ease metal export rules

The proposal was the favoured option of three put forward in a consultation that closes on 29 April, and comes after months of wrangling over the issue between metal industry associations and the government.

Until now, exporters have had to provide documentary evidence that overseas reprocessors were operating under broadly equivalent conditions before they received accreditation.

The cost of doing this deterred many from seeking accreditation, meaning that any metal waste they reprocessed did not go towards recycling targets.

However, exporters would in future receive accreditation provided certain conditions were met.

These would include the requirement to ensure that packaging waste had been segregated at source or processed to ensure it was exported within a shipment of similar material.

Defra said this option would make it more likely that sufficient PRNs or Packaging Export Recovery Notes were generated for producers and compliance schemes to meet their obligations.

If it did nothing, Defra said compliance costs for packaging producers with a steel
obligation could rise by £51m a year and up to £5.6m for those with an aluminium obligation.

Alupro executive director Rick Hindley said the proposals would ensure that “true recycling figures” were put towards targets.

‘Broadly equivalent’ consultation proposals
- Amend the Packaging Regulations to give Environment Agencies authority to accredit an exporter even when the identity of the overseas processor is not known
- Set up a database of accredited reprocessors
- Metals trade associations to write to governments of main importing countries to seek reassurance about the broadly equivalent status of reprocessors
- Divert some PRN revenue to fund inspection of overseas sites or for exporters to employ an expert witness to ascertain which countries have relevant regulatory schemes in place

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