Home / Business and Economy / UK Producers Can Now Appeal PackUK Packaging Fees
UK Producers Can Now Appeal PackUK Packaging Fees
25 Nov
Summary
- Producers can appeal PackUK decisions on fees, penalties, and cost recoveries.
- An internal complaints procedure must be exhausted before formal appeal.
- pEPR aims for producers, not taxpayers, to fund packaging waste management.
The UK government has introduced a clear appeals framework for decisions issued by PackUK, the administrator of the country's Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme for packaging. This framework provides a structured process for producers and local authorities to challenge PackUK's rulings on fees, penalties, and cost recoveries, ensuring fairness in the new regime.
Producers can dispute liability notices, revised fee assessments, and monetary penalties if they believe there are incorrect calculations, misjudged facts, or legal errors. Local authorities may also appeal determinations concerning the assessment or redistribution of disposal costs based on similar grounds. A crucial step before formal appeal is exhausting PackUK's internal complaints procedure, with specific exceptions.
The pEPR scheme, activated in early 2025, mandates that producers, rather than taxpayers, fund the management of household packaging waste. Expected to generate over £1 billion annually for recycling services, it aims to bolster the UK's circular economy. PackUK's recent issuance of base fees and its upcoming fee modulation policy, based on recyclability, further underscore the scheme's importance and its evolving nature.
