Waste & material traceability solution for sustainable facilities
For decades, local authorities have been the quiet backbone of the waste management ecosystem, delivering essential services under constant financial pressure while household packaging volumes continued to rise. That era is ending with EPR funding.
Municipal waste management is entering its most profound transformation since the industrial age. With the full implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the polluter pays principle is no longer theoretical. It is becoming a financial reality. The cost burden is shifting decisively, from public budgets to producer balance sheets.
This is not simply a new funding mechanism. It is a structural reset of who pays, how services are delivered, and how performance is measured. At Evreka, we see waste management for EPR as a defining opportunity for local authorities to modernize operations and position themselves at the center of smart waste management for the circular economy.
Between 2025 and 2026, full-scale EPR schemes, including pEPR in the UK and updated EU packaging waste directives, will channel billions in producer fees directly to local authorities. These funds are intended to cover the full net cost of packaging waste collection, sorting, and recycling.
But this funding comes with a non-negotiable condition: accountability through data.
Regulators and Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) are no longer issuing blank checks. Payments will be tied to demonstrable performance. If local authorities cannot provide granular, auditable, and verifiable data, they risk delayed reimbursements or losing access to funding altogether. In the EPR era, measurement is the gateway to financial sustainability.
Under EPR, funding follows a performance-based reimbursement model built on verified operational data. In practice, EPR funding works through four interconnected steps
Producers place packaging on the market and pay EPR fees that are increasingly:
These fees are managed through PROs.
Local authorities continue to manage:
Collection
However, services must now meet efficiency and effectiveness benchmarks defined under EPR regulations.
To claim EPR funding, local authorities must prove:
This requires digital traceability, automated reporting, and auditable data trails.
Once performance is validated:
In short, EPR funding flows to authorities that can measure, verify, and optimize their operations.
To succeed under EPR funding, local authorities must move beyond legacy systems, manual reporting, and fragmented spreadsheets. Modern waste management requires a digital-first operating model. Data transparency is now the baseline for compliance, efficiency, and funding eligibility with EPR reporting and data transparency.
Accurate material visibility into waste composition is essential for aligning with modulated EPR fees, eco-modulation rules, and recyclability targets.
Authorities must prove that collection routes, fleet usage, and service frequencies are optimized for minimum cost and carbon impact.
Identifying where and why contamination occurs enables targeted citizen engagement, protecting material value, and improving recycling outcomes.
In short, what cannot be measured cannot be funded.
Evreka360 is not a standalone tracking tool. It is a comprehensive digital waste management platform, a single source of truth connecting local authorities, PROs, contractors, and regulators.
By bridging the gap between the kerbside and the boardroom, Evreka360 enables data-driven decision-making across the entire waste value chain.
IoT-enabled smart bins and sensors provide real-time visibility into bin fill levels, enabling a shift from static schedules to on-demand waste collection.
How does AI route optimization for waste collection work? Advanced algorithms calculate the most efficient collection routes, reducing fuel consumption, operational costs, and CO₂ emissions, a critical requirement under EPR efficiency benchmarks.
Generate auditable reports suitable for EPR reporting requirements for councils,
regulators, and PROs in minutes. Performance, cost, and service data are always ready, accurate, transparent, and defensible.
Engagement software and integrated communication tools help local authorities influence behavior at the source, improving recycling quality and material recovery rates.
The future of local government is about becoming a strategic resource management authority. As EPR fee structures increasingly reflect material recyclability, often through RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating systems, data captured at every stage of the waste journey becomes a strategic asset.
Digitalized operations allow local authorities to:
With Evreka360, authorities are not reacting to regulation; they are future-proofing their infrastructure. Digitalization allows you to turn a cost center into a value-driven resource stream, ensuring that your community remains clean, sustainable, and financially resilient.
EPR funding represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for municipal waste digitalization. But success depends on one principle: you cannot manage, or fund, what you do not measure.
In a regulatory environment where every kilogram of packaging and every liter of fuel is scrutinized, digital capability is no longer a nice-to-have.
At Evreka, we help local authorities handle complexity through digital tools for EPR compliance with confidence. Our global experience in waste digitalization, EPR compliance for municipalities and companies, and circular economy systems ensures you stay ahead of regulation while delivering world-class service to your communities.
Ready to secure your EPR funding and digitalize your future?
Book a demo today and discover how data-driven waste management systems unlock efficiency, compliance, and long-term resilience.
