The government has revised the preliminary costs to packaging producers of controversial incoming waste laws.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published fresh ‘illustrative base fees’ for 2025/26 under the extended producer responsibility scheme.
Fees were initially set out in August but received a major backlash from certain sectors including glass and metal producers.
Now the department has revised its figures, trimming the proposed upper limit for aluminium packaging placed on the market from £655 to £605 per tonne.
Fibre-based composites would be charged at a maximum of £565 per tonne, down from £655, according to the latest table.
The highest charge for plastic packaging has been cut from £610 to £520, while steel’s upper limit has dropped from £420 to £330.
Glass producers see a major change with the material now set to be charged at £215 per tonne maximum, down from £330 in the previous table.
Board or paper packaging was due to cost up to £350 per tonne but this has been reduced to £250.
Defra said the reductions were due to “using new data sources” but stressed that the latest figures were “still estimates, based on the best available evidence”.
