PackUK will begin working on a fresh version of the classification rules for packaging materials caught by the extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme in the early days of next year.
The body overseeing the new waste-management tax published its latest Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) this April.
Now it has set out a five-year plan that includes working on a 2027 version from January 2026, to be published next summer.
This annual process will be repeated each year to the end of this decade and involve various reviews and meetings of a technical committee.
PackUK said in a statement: “The RAM will undergo continuous improvement over the coming years, addressing stakeholder queries, developments and issues as they are received, integrating as many reasonable changes as possible into annual RAM updates.”
In-scope producers are required to apply the methodology for household packaging placed on the market from 1 January 2025, with the first deadline for doing so passing on 1 October. 
The government this week said EPR “represents a major shift in the way that the costs of waste are handled”.
“It is right for businesses who produce packaging to pay their fair share of the recycling costs, rather than the burden falling solely on councils,” added the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
