Current EPR Fee Rates (2025-2026)

The confirmed EPR base fee rates for Year 1 (2025-2026) are charged per tonne of packaging, varying by material type:

Material	Fee per Tonne	Typical Uses
Glass	£192	Bottles, jars
Paper and card	£196	Cardboard boxes, cartons, labels
Steel	£259	Food tins, metal closures
Other	£259	Mixed or unclassified materials
Aluminium	£266	Drinks cans, foil trays
Wood	£280	Pallets, crates
Plastic	£423	Polybags, bottles, trays, film
Fibre-based composite	£461	Tetrapak-style cartons, coffee cups

These fees cover the full net cost of managing each packaging material, including collection from households, sorting at materials recovery facilities, recycling, and disposal of non-recyclable fractions.

For a detailed breakdown of what each rate covers, read our EPR fees by material type guide.

How to Calculate Your EPR Fees

The calculation is straightforward in principle:

Total EPR fees = Sum of (weight in tonnes x fee rate per tonne) for each material type

Here is a step-by-step process:

Inventory all packaging your business handles, supplies, or imports
Weigh each packaging type — use supplier spec sheets, sample weighing, or batch averages (see our weighing guide)
Classify by material — assign each item to one of DEFRA’s eight material categories
Calculate total tonnage per material type across the reporting period
Multiply by the fee rate for each material
Sum all materials for your total annual EPR fee obligation

Worked Examples by Business Type

Example 1: Small E-commerce Business

An online fashion retailer (small producer) handling:

Packaging	Material	Annual Weight	Fee Rate	Annual Fee
Cardboard shipping boxes	Paper/card	15 tonnes	£196	£2,940
Poly mailer bags	Plastic	3 tonnes	£423	£1,269
Tissue paper	Paper/card	1 tonne	£196	£196
Packing tape	Plastic	0.2 tonnes	£423	£85

Total estimated annual EPR fees: £4,490

Example 2: Mid-Size Food Manufacturer

A food producer (large producer) handling:

Packaging	Material	Annual Weight	Fee Rate	Annual Fee
Glass jars	Glass	40 tonnes	£192	£7,680
Cardboard cases	Paper/card	25 tonnes	£196	£4,900
Plastic trays	Plastic	12 tonnes	£423	£5,076
Steel cans	Steel	8 tonnes	£259	£2,072
Film lids	Plastic	2 tonnes	£423	£846

Total estimated annual EPR fees: £20,574

Example 3: Beauty Brand Importing Products

A cosmetics company (large producer) importing from overseas:

Packaging	Material	Annual Weight	Fee Rate	Annual Fee
Glass perfume bottles	Glass	25 tonnes	£192	£4,800
Plastic tubes and pumps	Plastic	8 tonnes	£423	£3,384
Outer cartons	Paper/card	10 tonnes	£196	£1,960
Cellophane wrapping	Plastic	1.5 tonnes	£423	£635
Aluminium components	Aluminium	2 tonnes	£266	£532

Total estimated annual EPR fees: £11,311

What Changes in 2026-2027?

The 2025-2026 fees are base rates — flat charges per tonne regardless of how recyclable your specific packaging is. From Year 2 (2026-2027) onwards, fees will be modulated based on the recyclability of each packaging item.

DEFRA’s Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) will assess every packaging format against criteria including:

Whether collection infrastructure exists in the UK
Whether sorting technology can identify and separate the material
Whether recycling processes exist to handle the material
Whether viable end markets exist for the recycled output

Packaging that scores well on the RAM assessment will receive lower fees. Packaging that is hard to recycle will attract significantly higher charges.

The exact modulated rates for 2026-2027 have not yet been confirmed, but DEFRA has indicated that the gap between easily recyclable and hard-to-recycle packaging could be substantial.

Fee Modulation and Recyclability

Understanding fee modulation is critical for future cost planning. Here are some packaging types likely to be affected:

Likely Lower Fees (Easily Recyclable)

Clear PET bottles and trays
Standard corrugated cardboard
Glass bottles and jars
Steel and aluminium cans
Mono-material paper packaging

Likely Higher Fees (Hard to Recycle)

Black plastic trays (undetectable by sorting equipment)
Multi-layer flexible films (crisp packets, pouches)
Fibre-based composite packaging (coffee cups, Tetrapak)
Multi-material packaging with non-separable components
PVC packaging

For more detail on modulated fees, read our EPR modulated fees guide.

Practical Ways to Reduce Your EPR Fees

There are concrete steps you can take to reduce your packaging EPR costs:

1. Switch Materials Where Possible

Plastic packaging costs more than double the rate of paper/card (£423 vs £196 per tonne). Where product protection and shelf life allow, switching from plastic to paper-based alternatives can cut EPR costs significantly.

2. Reduce Overall Packaging Weight

Lightweighting your packaging — using thinner materials, smaller boxes, or less void fill — directly reduces your reported tonnage and fees. An e-commerce business that right-sizes its boxes could cut void fill requirements by 30-50%.

3. Move to Mono-Materials

Multi-material packaging will attract higher modulated fees from 2026-2027. Transitioning to mono-material alternatives (e.g., all-paper mailer bags instead of plastic-lined ones) will position you for lower fees when modulation kicks in.

4. Optimise Your Supply Chain

Work with suppliers to reduce unnecessary transit packaging. If products arrive over-packaged from manufacturers, negotiate packaging specifications that meet protection requirements without excess.

5. Track Data Accurately

Under-reporting is a compliance risk, but over-reporting costs you money. Accurate weighing and data entry ensures you pay exactly what you owe — not more. Our platform’s guided data entry helps prevent both over and under-reporting.

Using Our Platform to Track Fees

Our built-in obligation calculator uses the confirmed 2025-2026 fee rates to give you real-time fee estimates as you enter your packaging data. You can:

See your estimated fees update live as you add packaging entries
Compare materials to understand which packaging types cost the most
Model scenarios — what if you switched 5 tonnes of plastic to paper?
Export reports with fee calculations included for budget planning

The calculator shows both your current fees and highlights where you could save by adjusting packaging choices. Pair it with our compliance deadline tracker to stay on top of submission dates.

Check your obligation status with our free compliance checker, or browse our pricing plans to find the right plan for your business.

Start your free trial and get an instant estimate of your EPR fees.

EPR Fees Calculator UK 2026: Estimate Your Packaging Costs

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