PackUK, formerly the Scheme Administrator, has officially published the final base fees for packaging producers under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for 2025. These fees, anticipated since the provisional figures in December 2024, will be invoiced in October and are payable in four instalments.

The newly released figures show notable reductions across most material categories:

• Glass sees the largest cut, dropping by 20%
• Aluminium is down 38.9%
• Steel is down 15.1%
• Fibre-based Composite is the only category to rise, increasing by 1.3%

This comes as welcome news, particularly for those impacted by the previously high glass charges.

The fee calculation is based on household packaging tonnages (excluding some DRS-covered drinks packaging), combined with “binned” packaging data. For glass, a separate estimate of 2.05 million tonnes was used, due to inconsistencies in DRS implementation across the UK. Based on this, it is expected that the EPR scheme will raise £1.46 billion in 2025, with glass’s share decreasing slightly and plastic’s increasing.

In addition to the base fees, a Regulatory Position Statement confirmed that producers will not face enforcement if they omit the Recyclability Assessment Methodology from their first-half 2025 data, although they must still distinguish between rigid and flexible plastics.

Defra is also reviewing the definition of household packaging, particularly the controversial “dual-use” category, which has disproportionately affected the hospitality sector. Furthermore, the government acknowledged systemic issues in PRN/PERN and waste export systems, especially for glass and plastic.

A government spokesperson reaffirmed the importance of EPR in driving recycling reforms, with over £1 billion expected annually, supporting both environmental goals and economic growth.