News

A government investigation has found that packaging waste exporters have been misleading the Environment Agency and Defra through “inappropriate practices” issuing Packaging Waste Export Recovery Notes (PERN).

Although no evidence of fraud was found, investigators found numerous examples of “incorrect administrative practices”, which “tended to suggest that the tonnages of packaging waste reported to have been exported in recent years were higher than they should have been”.

The investigation found that freight-forwarding firms, acting as agents for packaging waste exporters, were using incorrect Customs codes on paperwork accompanying package waste exports. The report stated that this “could account for a large proportion of the discrepancies in the two data sets”.

The investigation also found that all of the 17 exporters investigated had “from time to time” acknowledged overseas customers’ claims that the moisture content of some loads was too high and credited them accordingly. However, all but one of the 17 exporters investigated made no adjustment to their PERN records.


Fact-finding mission report: recommendations include
- Reprocessors and exporters must clearly state on their paperwork what is and is not packaging waste

- Exporters must ensure that their freight forwarding agents use the correct code for the type of paper packaging waste exported

- Where moisture content in exported waste exceeds agreed levels and a customer makes a claim, any adjustment in price must be reflected in the number of PERNS issued by the exporter

- UK exporters should ensure they only send UK paper packaging waste to reprocessors with standards broadly equivalent to those in the UK