Retail & Consumer Goods Retail and consumer services

Environmental obligations for retailers

Environmental compliance for retail businesses. Covers WEEE registration, packaging waste, EPR, carrier bag charge, single-use plastics ban, Simpler Recycling, and DRS preparation.

UK-wide
Guide summary

Check which environmental rules apply to your retail business. You may need to register for waste electricals, packaging waste, or the carrier bag charge. Separate your waste and stop selling banned plastic items.

  • Register for WEEE if you import or make electrical goods
  • Check if packaging waste rules apply (50 tonnes, £2M turnover)
  • Register for EPR if you supply packaged goods (£1M turnover, 25 tonnes)
  • Charge 10p for single-use carrier bags in England
  • Stop selling banned plastic plates, cutlery and cups
  • Separate waste into dry, food and residual by 2025 (large) or 2027 (small)
  • Prepare to accept returns for drinks containers from 2027
  • Keep records of carrier bags if you have 250+ employees
  • Join the Distributor Take-back Scheme for small electricals
  • Report packaging data by 1 April each year
On this page
UK-wide

Related guides in Environmental Permits

Retailers face a growing number of environmental obligations, from long-established packaging waste rules to new requirements under the Environment Act 2021. Which obligations apply to you depends on your business size, what you sell, and where you operate. This guide walks through each obligation so you can identify what applies and take the right steps.

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    1. Check if WEEE registration applies to you

    If you import or manufacture electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and place it on the UK market, you must register with the Environment Agency and join an approved compliance scheme. Retailers that only sell products already placed on the market by someone else are not producers under WEEE, but you must offer free in-store take-back of small WEEE items or join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS).

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    2. Work out your packaging EPR tier

    Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) applies under the 2024 Regulations (the old 2007 PRN-only regime was revoked on 1 January 2026). Small producers (turnover £1m-£2m and over 25 tonnes, or over £1m and 25-50 tonnes) register and report data only. Large producers (£2m or more AND over 50 tonnes) also pay disposal fees — first invoiced by PackUK from October 2025 — and meet recycling obligations through PRNs, which continue under the 2024 Regulations.

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    3. Register and report on time

    If you are in scope, register with the Environment Agency via the online system and report your packaging data on the statutory timetable (large producers report twice yearly). Fees are modulated by recyclability under the Recyclability Assessment Methodology.

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    4. Comply with the carrier bag charge

    All retailers in England must charge a minimum of 10p for single-use carrier bags. If you have 250 or more employees, you must keep records of bags supplied and report to Defra annually. Certain bags are exempt, including transit packaging and bags for uncooked fish or meat.

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    5. Stop supplying banned single-use plastic items

    Since October 2023 in England, it is an offence to supply single-use plastic plates, cutlery, polystyrene cups and food containers to end users. Check your stock and supply chain for any banned items. Enforcement is by local authority Trading Standards.

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    6. Set up Simpler Recycling waste streams

    Workplaces in England with 10 or more full-time-equivalent employees (counted across the whole business) must comply from 31 March 2025; micro-firms with fewer than 10 must comply by 31 March 2027. Separate your waste into dry recyclables (paper/card, plastics/metals, glass), food waste, and residual waste.

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    7. Prepare for the Deposit Return Scheme (2027)

    The DRS launches on 1 October 2027 across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, covering PET plastic and metal drinks containers (150ml-3L — glass is excluded) with a flat 20p deposit confirmed by the scheme administrator. Wales has withdrawn from the joint scheme. If you sell in-scope drinks, you must act as a return point unless exempt. Start planning now for return point logistics, storage space and deposit handling.

WEEE obligations for retailers

Your WEEE obligations depend on your role in the supply chain. Producers (those who first place EEE on the UK market) have the heaviest duties. Distributors (retailers selling EEE placed on the market by others) must offer customers free take-back of an equivalent old item, like-for-like, when selling new EEE — whatever its size and however the sale is made — or join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS). Since 12 August 2025 online marketplaces are responsible for producer obligations on EEE supplied through them by non-UK sellers.

Packaging waste and EPR

Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) shifts the full cost of packaging waste collection onto producers through disposal fees, while recycling obligations met through PRNs continue for large producers under the 2024 Regulations. Check which producer tier you fall into.

Carrier bag charge

The single-use carrier bag charge applies differently across the UK nations. Make sure you are applying the correct charge for your location.

Single-use plastics ban

England banned specified single-use plastic items from 1 October 2023. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate bans and timelines.

Simpler Recycling

The Simpler Recycling regulations apply to England only and are being phased in by business size. Check your compliance deadline based on employee numbers.

Deposit Return Scheme

The DRS launches in October 2027 as an interoperable scheme across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wales has not yet confirmed its participation timeline. Retailers selling in-scope drinks will need to act as return points.

Official environmental compliance guidance