The Government has changed UK government packaging waste fees so glass drinks containers sold directly from producers to pubs, restaurants and other licensed hospitality venues will no longer be liable for Extended Producer Responsibility fees from April 2027. For affected businesses, the change is meant to cut double charging on the same packaging and lower costs now built into bottle sales.
The Government said the move could save up to 6p per beer bottle and 10p per wine bottle. On its own example, a pub selling 10,000 beer bottles and 3,700 wine bottles could save up to £870 a year.
Government and hospitality venues
The change applies only where glass drinks containers are sold directly from producers to pubs, restaurants and other licensed hospitality venues. Those containers will drop out of the Extended Producer Responsibility fee liability from April 2027, giving the hospitality side a clear date to plan around.
The Government said the measures are part of its commitment to back the British glass industry. It also said the changes are meant to make packaging fees fairer and better targeted, rather than charging the same packaging twice in the supply chain.
Extended Producer Responsibility fees
Extended Producer Responsibility was introduced to incentivize businesses to switch to more sustainable packaging. Under the planned approach, easy-to-recycle packaging such as glass and paper could cost less, while hard-to-recycle packaging such as some plastics could cost more.
The Government said the shifts could reduce fees for the most recyclable packaging by up to 40% per year. That points to a wider fee system that rewards simpler recycling routes and pushes more of the cost onto packaging that is harder to process.
Trade Remedies Authority investigations
The packaging fee change sits alongside separate action from the Trade Remedies Authority, which is undertaking two investigations on imports of glass containers. One is a dumping investigation on Chinese-origin imports, and the other is a subsidy investigation on Turkish-origin imports.
For pubs and restaurants buying glass drinks containers directly from producers, the immediate practical change is the April 2027 exemption. For other packaging, the Government has signaled that the next step is consultation, and the final fee structure will decide which materials pay less and which pay more.
