Packaging rule · United Kingdom · EPR
PackUK year 2 (2026-27) modulated packaging EPR fees
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) rule covering all packaging in the United Kingdom, set by PackUK (Defra). Applies since 1 April 2026.
The rule
Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.
- Jurisdiction
- United Kingdom
- Authority
- PackUK (Defra)
- Rule type
- EPR
- Materials
- All packaging
- Status
- In force Enacted
- Rate or target
- 455 GBP/tonneIllustrative year 2 plastic fee, amber rate; green £415, red £545. Not confirmed: the June 2026 date for confirmed fees is out of date; PackUK's plan (10 Aug 2026) gives November 2026. Effective date = start of 2026-27 year.
- Adopted or published
- 16 December 2025
- Applies from
- 1 April 2026
From the source“| Plastic | 423 | 415 | 455 | 545 |”
Official source GOV.UK: Year 2 illustrative waste disposal fees, EPR for packagingOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026
Key dates
Adopted or published 9 months ago
Applies from 6 months ago
Source consulted by the SPI team today
What it means
SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
SPI summary
PackUK, the scheme administrator for UK packaging EPR, issued its first notices of liability in October 2025. For 2026-27 fees are eco-modulated (green, amber, red by recyclability); illustrative plastic fees from December 2025 are £415, £455 and £545 per tonne. PackUK plans to calculate year 2 fees in November 2026 and issue the year 2 notice of liability by the end of November 2026.
In practice
For 2026-27, PackUK's disposal fees for large producers are modulated by recyclability: red-rated packaging pays about 20% above the amber base rate and green-rated packaging gets a provisional discount of about 9%. The figures on the record (plastic £415 green, £455 amber, £545 red per tonne) are illustrative estimates published in December 2025, not confirmed fees. Brand owners and their converters should expect the confirmed fees and the year 2 notice of liability later in 2026, based on data resubmitted by 1 September 2026.
Who is in scope
- Large producers liable for household packaging disposal fees under the UK packaging EPR regulations
- All packaging materials: plastic, paper and board, glass, aluminium, steel, fibre-based composite, wood and other, each with green, amber and red illustrative rates
- Packaging rated using the recyclability assessment methodology (RAM)
Who is not
- Small producers, which do not pay disposal fees
- Registration charges paid to the environment agencies and the cost of meeting recycling obligations (for example buying PRNs), which the illustrative fees exclude
What to do and by when
- NowTreat the £415, £455 and £545 per tonne plastic figures as planning estimates only, as PackUK says they may change.
- NowCheck that RAM ratings are recorded for each packaging item, since unrated or red items attract the highest fee.
- End of November 2026Watch for the year 2 notice of liability, which PackUK's operational plan targets by the end of November 2026.
- NowModel design changes that move packaging from red to amber or green and compare against the fee gap.
Related rules
- PR-GB-002 UK packaging EPR regulations (pEPR) 2024
The 2024 regulations under which these disposal fees are charged. - PR-GB-001 UK Plastic Packaging Tax
Same jurisdiction: Plastic Packaging Tax adds a separate per-tonne charge on low recycled content plastic. - PR-DE-001 Germany Packaging Law Implementation Act (VerpackDG) replaces VerpackG
Same type elsewhere: German packaging EPR financed through system participation fees. - PR-EU-010 PPWR: all packaging recyclable by 2030
EU recyclability requirements from 2030 use design-for-recycling grades, a comparable logic to RAM ratings.
Where the record is unclear
- Confirmed 2026-27 fees were not published on GOV.UK pages consulted on 13 October 2026; the record's £455 value is illustrative only.
- The illustrative fee page still says confirmed fees were expected in June 2026; PackUK's later news (6 July 2026) and operational plan (updated 10 August 2026) point to calculation in November 2026.
- The green discount is provisional and depends on full-year 2025 RAM data.
Sources for this note
- GOV.UK (PackUK): Year 2 illustrative waste disposal fees, EPR for packaging Consulted 13 October 2026
- GOV.UK news: New resubmission deadline for 2025 packaging data Consulted 13 October 2026
- GOV.UK: PackUK operational plan 2026 to 2027 Consulted 13 October 2026
- GOV.UK news: Year 1 Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging fees update Consulted 13 October 2026
Note written by the SPI team on 13 October 2026.
Where it sits in the tracker
- One of 7 packaging rules we track in the United Kingdom, of which 2 are EPR rules.
- In all, 25 EPR rules are tracked across 15 jurisdictions. Compare them below
Company profiles that map to this rule
Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.
Change history
Sourced: an SPI analyst recorded the facts above from the official source. A second SPI team member has not re-checked it yet. Every change is logged here.
Changed: SPI summary, rate note
Verified by a second SPI team member
Added to the tracker
Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-GB-003 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.
EPR rules elsewhere
The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.
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