Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to (a) review and (b) adjust extended producer responsibility fees to ensure they do not (i) adversely impact particular sectors and (ii) lead to unintended consequences in the supply chain.

Base fees for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are designed to reflect the net waste management costs incurred by local authorities, with future fee modulation intended to encourage the recyclability of materials. This policy approach, established in March 2022, has been informed by two public consultations under the previous administration. Producer fees for packaging are calculated per tonne of household packaging placed on the market. This ensures a fair distribution of costs in line with the regulations. From Year 2 of the EPR scheme (2026-2027), fees will be modulated to reflect the recyclability of packaging materials, with less recyclable packaging incurring higher fees. The types of packaging subject to higher or lower fees will be determined by assessments based on the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM).