Denmark enforces packaging EPR law
Key takeaways
- Denmark launches packaging EPR, shifting waste responsibility to businesses.
- The law targets 60,000 tons more recycling and lower household fees.
- Firms must join PROs while municipalities keep collecting waste.
Denmark’s EPR regulation comes into effect today — one of the last EU countries to introduce the regulation under the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
The legislation requires companies to take full responsibility for the weight of packaging on the market and its lifecycle. This includes administrative, legal, and economic responsibility, and the practical sorting of material types.
Slashing household waste
Last October, the Danish government confirmed the law and set the start date as October 1, 2025. According to the Ministry of the Environment, Denmark produces significant amounts of household waste — such as shampoo bottles and meat trays — compared to other EU countries.
Speaking of the government’s 2024 decision to introduce EPR legislation, Magnus Heunicke, Minister for the Environment, said: “Packaging takes up far too much of our waste, and the huge amounts of packaging that we struggle to unpack, sort, and recycle must be reduced. But consumers and households cannot do this task alone.”
“Companies must take responsibility by cutting down on packaging and making recycling easier. And that is the purpose of this law, which is expected to increase high-quality recycling by approximately 60,000 tons per year.”
The legislation, whose roadmap was set out in 2022, aims to shift the responsibility of packaging waste from consumers to businesses.
All businesses must be registered with a Producer Responsibility Organization, which helps companies fulfill EPR requirements, collect fees, and organize recycling and waste management schemes.
The ministry highlights that consumers must sort waste as usual, and municipalities will still collect it before handing it to companies to dispose of properly.
The EPR is predicted to reduce consumers’ waste fees by DKK 500-600 (US$70–90) per household annually.
Global efforts
EPR legislation is increasingly being adopted worldwide as countries aim to curb packaging waste and create circular economies.
Indonesia is preparing to ensure EPR regulations this year, while Australia announced it will not proceed with introducing its proposed EPR fee model in 2027 due to stakeholder uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s EPR legislation took effect in May, and in July, the United Arab Emirates announced a pilot EPR project.
