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Packaging: Recycling

Asked by Andrew CooperLabourDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 4 June 2026UIN 5815

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration she has given to amending the Extended Producer Responsibility base fees to introduce a sub-category for fibre-based composites containing between 5% and 15% non-fibre content.

Answered by Mary Creagh

Under pEPR, a fibre-based composite material is paper or card which has a plastic content, usually in the form of laminated layers which cannot be separated by hand, of more than 5%. This category distinguishes packaging with layers of plastic from paper and card packaging, supporting clearer producer reporting and fee calculations. The 5% plastic layer threshold was introduced to improve clarity, support alignment with reporting in Northern Ireland, and encourage continued progress towards reducing non-fibre content in the paper and card waste stream. PackUK reviews all categories and sub-categories on an annual basis, against the environmental outcomes of the scheme.

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