EU rules and regulations
PPWR: The EP and the Council have adopted their positions on exempting small companies from having to appoint authorised representatives in other member states. The EP has also published an EPR guide for SMEs. The EC has opened a consultation on bio-based feedstock in plastic packaging. According to the EC, the adoption of the implementing rules on harmonised labels is now planned for the second quarter of 2027. Other: The EC has published Q&A on Directive (EU) 2024/825 that entered into force on 27 September 2026 on empowering consumers for the green transition, including protection against greenwashing. The EC has published a report (544 kB) on plastic waste exported from the EU to Türkiye, under the Waste Shipment Regulation. Data (9.25 MB) from the European Paper Recycling Council show a paper recycling rate of 76.4% in 2025, with a rate of 86.6% for packaging.
Rules and regulations in the different EU countries
Bulgaria: Draft legislation introducing a DRS has been sent to the EC. Italy: Legislation exempting biodegradable and compostable packaging from the PPWR’s ban on certain SUPs has been published (in Italian). Luxembourg: Draft legislation amending the legislation on waste and on plastics has been sent to the EC. NL all info is in Dutch unless stated otherwise: The new rates (in English) for 2027 announced by Verpact show an increase for plastic bottles without a deposit and for beverage cartons and aluminum. McDonald’s will introduce reusable cups in 2027 following a charge under penalty issued by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate ILT. The Circular Materials Plan has been updated. Poland: Draft legislation abolishing the DRS has been sent to the EC.
Rules and regulations outside the EU
Australia: The government has agreed to the Circular Economy Roadmap. India: A CSE study that you can download after filling in your details, finds that the cost of managing plastic waste is higher than the EPR income. Monaco: The government reports that SUP containers in the takeaway food sector are banned as of 1 September. Philippines: The government is stepping up the enforcement of the plastic recovery obligations of large companies. UK: The government has published guidance on PRNs and PERNs and guidance on using a mass balance approach to account for chemically recycled plastic for the plastic tax. The plastic tax revenue totalled £250 million in 2025-2026, decreasing by 4% compared to 2024-2025. US: Draft legislation (Pack Act) from 2025 to put an end to misleading “green” labels has taken a further step forward. The Recycling Partnership has released the second part of its 2026 State of Recycling Report. You can download both parts after filling in your details. California: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires plastic beverage containers to contain a specified percentage of postconsumer recycled content (PCR) per year. Recently, SB 633 was published requiring third party validation of this PCR content. New Jersey: The government has extended (159 kB) the temporary PCR exemption for certain food packaging to 2030.
Research
Delterra and Eunomia have published a report (2.5 MB) on end-use applications for recycled household flexible plastics. IOM3 discusses a study published in Nature finding that the quality of recycled plastic tends to be higher when the waste is pre-sorted by households. A report (summary, 2.3 MB) by EA shows that Plastic Overshoot Day 2026 was on 6 September, one day later than in 2025. UAveiro researchers have found that microplastics can affect the reproductive capacity of organisms that are essential to freshwater ecosystems.
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