Registration fees
What a small producer pays to register, and where GOV.UK guidance and the amended regulations disagree.
Small producers pay an annual registration fee. They do not pay household packaging waste disposal fees and do not need to buy recycling notes (PRNs).
The figures
| Route | GOV.UK small-producer guidance (updated 19 Feb 2026) | Regulations as amended from 1 Jan 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Register directly with the regulator | £1,216 | £1,303 |
| Registered by a compliance scheme on your behalf | £631 | £696 |
Compliance scheme fees are extra
If you use a compliance scheme, you pay the scheme's own service fee on top of the (lower) scheme-route registration fee. Compare total cost, not just the regulator fee.
Online marketplace operators
The regulations add a separate, additional charge for producers that are online marketplace operators (£2,885 in the amended Schedule 1). Check the regulations if this applies to you.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026. We summarise official material in our own words. The originals take precedence.
- EPR for packaging: what you must do as a 'small producer' (GOV.UK, Defra; last updated 19 Feb 2026)
- The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, Schedule 1 (charges), as amended (legislation.gov.uk)
- The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/1369 (in force 1 Jan 2026)
- Deadlines for registration and packaging data reporting (GOV.UK, Defra; last updated 19 Aug 2026)