South Africa Reviews Plastics Producer Responsibility Rules

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is reviewing its extended producer responsibility regulations for plastic packaging.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Environmental

South Africa Reviews Plastics Producer Responsibility Rules

Live Poll

Do you trust packaging companies to reduce plastic waste without stricter government rules?

South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has announced a review of its extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations, aimed at strengthening governance, transparency and accountability. The move comes as the South African Plastics Pact released its 2030 Roadmap with targets for plastic packaging.

Why it matters

Only about 10% of waste is currently diverted from landfill, making the performance of producer responsibility schemes central to how packaging waste is managed across South Africa. The review also reflects the regulations' requirement that government assess EPR schemes at five-year intervals.

Between 2022 and 2025, producer responsibility organisations received approximately ZAR 2.4 billion (USD 141 million) from members and reinvested about ZAR 1.4 billion (USD 85 million), of which roughly ZAR 915 million (USD 55 million) went toward infrastructure. How the remaining funds were used and how the proposed 40% infrastructure investment rule would change this allocation has not been detailed.

The players

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

The South African government department responsible for forestry, fisheries and environmental policy, including the country's extended producer responsibility regulations.

South African Plastics Pact

A voluntary industry initiative launched in 2020 that brings together businesses to set and track targets for plastic packaging in South Africa.

The details

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is conducting the review, and proposed changes would require producer responsibility organisations to invest 40% of the EPR fees they collect in waste infrastructure. South Africa first published its EPR regulations in November 2020, and the South African Plastics Pact, launched in 2020, reported in October 2026 a 35% reduction in problematic plastic items and an 82% reduction in poorly recyclable packaging.

November 2020: South Africa first published its EPR regulations.
2020: The South African Plastics Pact was launched.
2022 to 2025: Producer responsibility organisations received and reinvested EPR funds.
June 2026: The Plastics Pact launched four new 2030 targets.
15 October 2026: The department announced the review of the EPR regulations.

Big Picture

The review is the first formal reassessment that South Africa's November 2020 EPR regulations are designed to trigger at five-year intervals. It arrives as the Plastics Pact moves from its 2020 launch into a new set of 2030 targets, placing the regulations' performance under direct scrutiny.

For households and businesses in South Africa, the review could change how packaging waste is collected and funded, depending on whether producer responsibility organisations are required to direct 40% of EPR fees into infrastructure. Consumers may see changes in packaging recycling as the 2030 targets are pursued.

The takeaway

Tracking whether producer responsibility fees are reinvested in waste infrastructure will show whether South Africa's recycling rate can rise from its current low levels. Businesses and consumers can follow the review's outcome to understand how packaging obligations may change.