Pubs and restaurants win £870-a-year packaging tax victory after Mirror campaign

Detailed summary

In a Mirror triumph, glass drinks containers supplied directly by producers to pubs, restaurants and other licensed hospitality venues will become exempt from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees

Pubs could save up to £870 a year under government plans to cut packaging costs and tackle what ministers describe as unfair double charging for recycling glass bottles.

The changes, a win for the Mirror after a recent campaign on the issue, will see glass drinks containers supplied directly by producers to pubs, restaurants and other licensed hospitality venues exempt from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees from April 2027.

The move, announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is expected to save businesses up to 6p on every beer bottle and 10p on each wine bottle. A pub selling 10,000 beer bottles and 3,700 wine bottles a year could save as much as £870, according to the Government.

The changes follow concerns that hospitality businesses have effectively been paying twice to recycle the same packaging — through charges passed on by suppliers and payments to commercial waste contractors.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: "We've listened to industry and hospitality businesses and are stepping in to reduce the fees for the most recyclable packaging — including tackling double charging on glass bought by pubs.

"This government is committed to supporting British business and these changes back the glass industry and pubs while making sure we're all doing our bit to reduce waste."

Ministers are also planning a wider overhaul of packaging waste charges, with businesses set to be consulted on a system that rewards the use of easily recyclable materials.

Under the proposals, packaging such as glass and paper could attract lower fees, while harder-to-recycle materials, including some plastics, would cost more.

The Government said the changes could reduce fees for the most recyclable packaging by up to 40 per cent a year.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Mirror. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.