1. The On-Pack Recycling
Label Scheme
Jane Milne, Director, On-Pack Recycling Limited

2. Who is OPRL Ltd?
• A not-for-profit company wholly owned by
the British Retail Consortium
• Supported by technical advice and
research by the independent Waste and
Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
• WRAP also provides monitoring,
compliance and technical advice to
members under a service agreement with
OPRL

3. Why yet another label?
• Consumers are frustrated and confused
about what packaging can and cannot be
recycled
• Consumers are looking for much clearer
on-pack guidance to improve their
understanding
• The On-Pack Recycling Label scheme
aims to deliver simple, UK-wide, consistent
recycling message on packaging to help
consumers recycle more material, more
often

4. Why yet another label?
• UK household
Insert chart on latest
recycling rates have UK recycling rates
improved
• But the UK is still
lagging behind other
EU states
• Landfill charges will
cost local authorities
£4bn pa by 2013 if
no significant
improvement

5. Who should join?
• Anyone placing consumer packaging on the
UK market, including manufacturers and
producers of:
– Food and drinks
– Consumer products
– Cleaning and laundry products
– Beauty products
– Toys and games
– DVDs and electronic games
• Retailers with own brand lines

6. Why join the OPRL?
• Many retailers and manufacturers
committed to greening operations,
including increasing own recycling and
recycled content of packaging
• UK businesses could save up to £6.4
billion each year through greater resource
efficiency
• Participation demonstrates commitment to
increasing UK recycling rates through clear
recycling messaging

7. Services to scheme
members
(i) six-monthly reports including statistics
(ii) point of contact for dealing with
general queries and complaints
(iii) bespoke technical advice on any new
and complex packaging components
and formats
(iv) implementation and design advice on
the Guidelines for Use

8. Widely recycled
• Materials that can be
Insert
commonly recycled iconography
• At least 65% of local
authorities offer
relevant recycling
facilities at kerbside
and/or Household
Waste Recycling
Centres or Bring
Banks

9. Check local recycling
• For materials that can be
recycled but for which Insert
iconography
facilities vary
• Recycling offered by 15%
to 65% of local
authorities
• Consumers encouraged
to check local services
before attempting to
recycle

10. Not currently recycled
• For materials not yet
readily recyclable Insert
iconography
• Facilities offered by
fewer than 15% of
local authorities
• Consumers may
spontaneously raise
queries but no prompt
to do so

11. Updating LA recycling
information
• Local Authorities can update their
recycling information by logging onto:
www.recycle-more.co.uk/la/rms_login.aspx
• Editing your recycling data will
automatically update the Recycle Now
website
• Changes to kerbside schemes should also
be emailed to LGS@wrap.org.uk

12. Northern Ireland, Scotland and
Wales
• On-pack Recycling Label is a UK-wide scheme
• Data is representative of the whole UK
• Consumers outside England visiting
www.recyclenow.com automatically redirected
to:
• Scotland - www.sort-it.org.uk
• Wales - www.recyclenow.com with a link to
www.wasteawarenesswales.org.uk
• Northern Ireland - www.recyclenow.com

13. Political Reactions
• An Early Day Motion has been
signed by 37 MPs of all parties
welcoming the launch
• UK Environment Ministers support
the scheme
• LGA broadly support the scheme

14. www.onpackrecyclinglabel.org.uk