DEFRA
Current portfolioCollections, Packaging And Reforms Programme
Government Transformation and Service Delivery
Record date: 31 March 2026
- Whole-life cost
- £5.2bn
- Published schedule
- 02/04/2018 – 01/06/2028
- NISTA delivery confidence
- AMBER
- Senior responsible owner
- Simon James
What the project is for
The CPR Programme, part of the Circular Economy Portfolio, aims to develop a world-class system for collection and disposal of packaging materials that emphasises reduction, reuse, and recycling. This initiative represents a significant shift in packaging management to support a responsible and resource-efficient economy while minimising the environmental impact of packaging and contributing to Net Zero goals across the four nations. The Programme is being delivered through four interlinking projects: Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR), Simpler Recycling Collections (SRC), Deposit Return Scheme for Drinks Containers (DRS) and Digital Waste Tracking (DWT).
Departmental delivery commentary
Compared to financial year 24/25 Q4, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating at 25/26 Q4 remained at Amber. The programme was also rated Amber in the annual NISTA Review in May 2025. The report concluded that while the CPR programme improved and is broadly feasible (Amber), delivery remained highly complex and time-critical, requiring urgent action on commercial capability, contingency planning, stakeholder engagement, and benefits realisation to mitigate risks and ensure intended outcomes are achieved. All recommendations were actioned withing the given timescale. This rating is primarily due to the following factors: progress continued across legislation, funding and business readiness, with delivery increasingly focused on mobilisation and transition to live operations; however, outcomes remained sensitive to partner readiness, capacity constraints and reliance on digital delivery. For Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR), the Amending SI was laid on 3 November and tracked to come into force on 1 January 2026, with Notices of Liabilities issued to producers on 14 October (4,305 invoices totalling £1.465bn) and delivery of some digital functionality pivoted to alternative plans to protect critical delivery. For Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), a Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) candidate for England and Northern Ireland was appointed on 2 May, progressed recruitment and financial modelling, split the IT programme into five phases (phase 1 analysis/design) and launched scheme branding (“Exchange for Change”), while highlighting the need for greater certainty before entering key contractual commitments. For Simpler Recycling Collections (SRC), delivery remained challenged by Local Authority funding and readiness risks (including Spending Review 25 Phase 1 decisions), mitigated through enhanced engagement (including a ‘Change Network’) and infrastructure planning; by Q3 over £258.3m had been paid to LAs for upfront costs and mobilisation continued toward household go live on 31 March 2026. For Digital Waste Tracking (DWT), Alpha was passed on 25 June 2025 (rated Amber), Private Beta commenced (from 16 July subject to approvals) and began testing on 7 November 2025, with Phase 1 legislation and the Impact Assessment progressing and public beta planned for April 2026. Delivery remains dependent on external partners (including Local Authorities, producers and waste management companies) being ready and able to adopt reforms, and continues to be constrained by infrastructure and processing capacity (notably for flexible plastics), supply chain constraints for physical assets (bins/vehicles), variability in local resourcing, and ongoing reliance on digital systems and data outputs across projects. The focus moving into the next quarter is on stabilising live delivery, intensifying readiness and engagement activity, and protecting delivery-critical milestones to prevent slippage and avoid risk escalation.
Schedule
Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date at 25/26-Q4 increased from 1 May 2028 to 1 June 2028. This is due to aligning with the DRS closure date captured within the milestones.
Cost
The figure differs from the previous year’s annual report as the GRIP was completed using a different methodology. When compared to the previous version of the PBC in December 2024, the project's Whole Life Cost decreased from £19,792m to £13,643m. The reductions are in part due to changes in assumptions for funding allocation for Simpler Recycling since previous projections.
Benefits
Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the programme’s benefits at 25/26-Q4 increased from £11,611m to £15,971m. This is primarily due to an update to bring the assessment in line with updated analysis used in the programme business case. The updated estimate uses yearly net economic benefit figures (total benefits minus total costs). All figures are undiscounted, and in 2024 price base year. These figures have been quality assured and project level analysis has passed clearance processes.