Is the PRN system fit for purpose? An evidence review
Thirty years on, packaging recovery notes have had their worst year. An evidence review of what broke in 2026, what the enforcement record actually shows, and what should change.
Industrial waste & recycling consultancy · UK & Norway
Most manufacturers pay to remove material someone else would buy.
We audit what leaves your site: every stream, every gate fee, every contract, and rebuild it so the material that used to be a disposal cost starts paying its way. Ten years in industrial waste and recycling, working with brokers, reprocessors and multinationals.
- Plastic PRN, Jan 2026
- £245–370/t
- Compliance cost at the start of the year
- Plastic PRN, Aug 2026
- £475–625/t
- Same obligation, eight months later. Source: letsrecycle.com
- Recycled vs virgin resin
- 30–70% lower
- Carbon footprint against virgin material
- Audit fee
- £0
- You keep the findings whether you appoint us or not
The problem
Waste is priced once and then never looked at again
A waste contract gets signed, a skip arrives, an invoice goes out monthly, and nobody reopens the file for years. Meanwhile the material inside those skips has a market, and that market has moved a long way.
The people who know what your production waste is worth are the people you are paying to take it away. That is not a conspiracy; it is just where the information sits. An audit puts it back on your side of the table.
What we typically find
- 01CostSegregable material going out as mixed general waste, at general-waste rates.
- 02RevenueClean production scrap (off-cuts, purgings, start-up waste) being paid for rather than sold.
- 03ContractRebates and uplifts written into an agreement that nobody has claimed against.
- 04ComplianceStreams that are PRN-eligible, with the value captured further down the chain.
- 05LogisticsHalf-empty vehicles, wrong container sizes, collections billed on schedule rather than fill.
The audit
Four steps, no fee, no obligation
Half a day on site, twelve months of paperwork, and a written position you keep whether you appoint us or not.
- 01
Walk the site
We go where the material is (production, warehouse, yard, compound) and see what is actually being thrown away, not what the transfer notes say.
- 02
Read the paperwork
Contracts, invoices, transfer notes and tonnages for the last twelve months. This is where most of the money is hiding.
- 03
Price the streams
Each stream tested against live market prices and our own outlets, so you see what the material is worth today rather than when the contract was signed.
- 04
Report and options
A written breakdown: current cost, achievable cost, and what the recoverable streams are worth. Yours to act on with us or without us.
Capabilities
What we do once the audit is done
Materials
Streams we hold live outlets for
An audit is only worth the outlets behind it. These are the polymers we move day to day, in all colours and melt flow indices unless stated.
- HDPEPellet / regrind / baleAll colours and MFIs→
- LDPE / LLDPEPellet / regrind / baleAll colours and MFIs, film and rigid→
- PPPellet / regrindAll colours and MFIs→
- PVCPellet / regrindWhite and jazz, including post-industrial window profile→
- PSPellet / regrindAll colours and MFIs→
- OtherEngineering grades and mixed streams considered. Ask
Technical data sheets and samples supplied before any trial.
Clients
Who we work with
“Eco Loop's specialist knowledge within the industry and the markets has enabled us to expand our service offerings.”
Their level of knowledge, service and transparency are second to none.
The team's expertise allowed us to increase our supplier-base and sales outlets worldwide.
Eco Loop had the flexibility and time to ensure our project got off the ground.
Insights
What we are watching
We read the UK and EU trade press daily so our clients do not have to. Where something changes that affects what your waste costs or earns, we write about it here.
Read →
PRNs and PERNs explained: what they are, who pays, and what they cost in 2026
A plain guide to packaging recovery notes and packaging export recovery notes: who has to buy them, why plastic PRN prices nearly doubled in 2026 before the market turned in September, and the four places producers lose money without noticing.
Your compliance bill just went up 69%
Plastic PRNs opened the year at £245–370 a tonne and closed August at £475–625. If you are an obligated producer that is next year's budget, not a market wobble.
Nowhere for it to go
Defra has pushed mandatory kerbside collection of films and flexibles from March 2027 to April 2030, citing a lack of end markets and domestic reprocessing capacity.
Pre-consumer waste stops counting in 2027
From 2027 factory scrap, off-cuts and start-up waste no longer count toward the 30% recycled content threshold under the Plastic Packaging Tax.
Questions
Before you get in touch
What does the waste audit cost?+
Nothing. There is no fee and no obligation, and you keep the written findings whether you appoint us or not. We would rather show you the number than describe it.
Do we have to change waste contractor to work with you?+
Often not. A good share of what an audit finds sits inside the contract you already hold: unclaimed rebates, wrong container sizes, collections billed on schedule rather than fill.
Which industries do you work with?+
Manufacturers with a consistent production waste stream: plastics processors, packaging converters, window and profile fabricators, automotive and appliance suppliers, and FMCG production sites. If material leaves your site every week, there is usually something to look at.
Where do you operate?+
Sites and offices across the UK and Norway, working with clients across Europe and further afield. Audits are conducted on site.
08 / Next step
Find out what your waste is actually worth
Tell us what you make and roughly what leaves site. We will tell you whether an audit is worth your time before either of us spends any, and if it isn’t, we will say so.
- Telephone
- 0333 366 0217
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00