Written question asked by Greg Smith (Conservative) on Tuesday, 18 March 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 20 March 2025. It was answered by Mary Creagh (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 April 2025 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Glass: Recycling

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) exempt or (b) reduce extended producer responsibility fees for brewers using glass bottles containing a high proportion of recycled glass.

Answer: Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) requires producers to bear the end-of-life costs associated with packaging that they place on the market, rather than the proportion of recycled materials contained. Officials have been working with stakeholders, including representatives from the hospitality sector, to consider potential future amendments to the definition of household packaging. The use of reusable/refillable packaging is encouraged under pEPR, as producers are only required to report and pay disposal cost fees for household packaging the first time it is placed on the market.

Secondary information