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Written question asked by Patrick Hurley (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 June 2026. It was answered by Mary Creagh (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Packaging: Recycling

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging charges on social enterprises; and whether she has considered extending exemptions from those charges to social enterprises.

Answer

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) shifts the cost of managing household packaging waste from taxpayers to the producers who place packaging on the market. It funds local authorities and incentivises producers to reduce packaging and use packaging that is easier to recycle.

Producer obligations are determined by turnover and packaging tonnage, rather than business model. Producers are exempt from disposal fee and recycling obligations where they have annual turnover below £2 million and place less than 50 tonnes of packaging on the market.

Defra keeps the thresholds and wider impacts of the scheme under review as it is implemented.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
12585
Session
2026-27
Related items
Packaging: Recycling
Tuesday, 7 July 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Fees and charges Recycling Packaging Social enterprises
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk