Packaging recycling targets for the next two years will remain unchanged, with exceptions only for plastics and steel, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced today.

The Department has published targets for 2011 and 2012 which are the same as those set for 2010 - with only plastics and steel rising, rising by 3% and 2% respectively.

Targets for overall packaging recovery for businesses will be 74% across both 2011 and 2012. This differs from the consultation, which initially proposed a 75% obligated recovery target for 2011 and a 76% target for 2012.

The long-awaited targets only show the obligated targets for businesses over the next two years due to the new Government taking power. Targets beyond 2012 are to be set following the Government’s Waste Review, which will be published in Spring 2011.

Included in the DEFRA statement are technical changes which are intended to clarify and update the Packaging Waste Regulations. They include two deregulatory changes, one to remove the requirement for independent audit, the other which allows smaller businesses to use a more simple mechanism to calculate their obligation, which will save industry an estimated £285,000-£371,000 annually.