UKssi/2025/10Enacted

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025

Jurisdiction:: United Kingdom
Type:: Deposit Return · EPR · Other
Last action:: Jan 1, 2024

Plastic PackagingOrganicsHazardous MaterialsOther

Next steps for producers

Confirm your obligations with GOV.UK — Extended producer responsibility for packaging and track its implementing rules

Obligations under this law

·Subject to potential charges for single-use items once Scottish Ministers exercise power under section 10 (in force 1 April 2025)
·Subject to fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences under section 11 (in force 1 April 2025)
·Subject to information requirements relating to fly-tipping offences under section 13 (in force 1 April 2025)

GOV.UK — Extended producer responsibility for packaging →

No designated program action is recorded for this measure yet — treat the above as the general obligation and verify against the source text.

Commencement regulations bringing the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 into force on 4 February and 1 April 2025, including deposit and return schemes (section 25), single-use item charges (section 10), fly-tipping enforcement, and waste reprocessing infrastructure—core circular economy and EPR-adjacent measures now enacted.

Covered Products

·Single-use items (subject to charge powers under section 10)
·Items or substances classified as injurious articles or substances (subject to fixed penalty notices under section 21)

Producer Obligations

·Subject to potential charges for single-use items once Scottish Ministers exercise power under section 10 (in force 1 April 2025)
·Subject to fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences under section 11 (in force 1 April 2025)
·Subject to information requirements relating to fly-tipping offences under section 13 (in force 1 April 2025)
·Subject to fixed penalty notices relating to use/supply of injurious articles or substances under section 21 (in force 4 February 2025)

Key Deadlines

Feb 4, 2025compliance: Section 21 comes into force: fixed penalty notices for offences relating to use/supply of injurious articles or substances become operative

Apr 1, 2025compliance: Section 10 comes into force: Scottish Ministers gain power to require imposition of charges for single-use items

Apr 1, 2025compliance: Section 11 comes into force: fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences become operative

Apr 1, 2025compliance: Section 13 comes into force: information requirements on fly-tipping offences become operative

Apr 1, 2025other: Section 23 comes into force: waste reprocessing infrastructure report obligation activated

Apr 1, 2025other: Section 25 comes into force: power to direct deposit and return scheme administrator becomes operative

Enforcement

Scottish Government / relevant Scottish enforcement authorities: Fixed penalty notices for: (1) offences relating to use/supply of injurious articles or substances (section 21, in force 4 February 2025); (2) fly-tipping offences (section 11, in force 1 April 2025)

Preemption Notes

This is a Scottish commencement instrument applying only in Scotland under the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 (2024 asp 13). It does not directly preempt UK-wide EPR regulations but operates in parallel; producers operating across the UK must comply with both Scottish and UK-wide obligations.

Compliance Dimensions

PenaltiesPenalties for non-compliance

“4 February 2025 is the day appointed for the coming into force of section 21 of the Act (offences relating to the use etc. of injurious articles or substances: fixed penalty notices). 1 April 2025 is the day appointed for the coming into force of the following provisions of the Act— b section 11 (fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences)”

Bans & Restrictionssingle-use items (Material Restriction), 2025

“section 10 (power to require imposition of charges for single-use items)”

PRO StructureUnspecified · Zero Waste Scotland

“section 25 (deposit and return schemes: power to direct scheme administrator), e section 24 (Zero Waste Scotland: application of public bodies legislation), f schedule (Zero Waste Scotland: application of public bodies legislation).”

Tracking dates like these across a whole portfolio of jurisdictions is what Upcoming Deadlines does.

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Full bill text

Citation, commencement, and interpretation

1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025 and come into force on 4 February 2025.

2

In these Regulations, “ the Act ” means the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024.

Appointed days

2

4 February 2025 is the day appointed for the coming into force of section 21 of the Act (offences relating to the use etc. of injurious articles or substances: fixed penalty notices).

3

1 April 2025 is the day appointed for the coming into force of the following provisions of the Act—

a

section 10 (power to require imposition of charges for single-use items),

b

section 11 (fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences),

c

section 13 (information on fly-tipping offences),

d

section 23 (waste reprocessing infrastructure report),

e

section 24 (Zero Waste Scotland: application of public bodies legislation),

f

section 25 (deposit and return schemes: power to direct scheme administrator),

g

schedule (Zero Waste Scotland: application of public bodies legislation).

GILLIAN MARTIN
A member of the Scottish Government

St Andrew’s House,
Edinburgh

21st January 2025

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations bring provisions of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 (“ the Act ”) into force. Regulation 2 brings section 21 of the Act into force on 4 February 2025. Regulation 3 brings sections 10, 11, 13, 23, 24 and 25 and the schedule of the Act into force on 1 April 2025.

The Bill for the Act received Royal Assent on 8 August 2024. Sections 26, 27 and 28 came into force on the following day.

2024 asp 13 .

Full text as ingested. Verify against the official source above.