Packaging EPR and Plastic Packaging Tax checker for importers
If you import packaged goods from China, you can be the UK producer for packaging EPR and the importer liable for Plastic Packaging Tax. EPR applies when turnover is more than £1 million and packaging more than 25 tonnes a year; Plastic Packaging Tax registration starts at 10 tonnes of plastic packaging in 12 months, and the tax is £228.82 a tonne from 1 April 2026.
Packaging EPR: are you an obligated producer?
Importing goods in packaging is one of the packaging activities that make a business a producer. When the overseas supplier is not established in the UK, the importer is the person responsible for importing the packaging, or the first UK-established person to take ownership of it. Both tests below must be passed; the regulations use "more than" for turnover and for tonnes, and count packaging to the nearest tonne.
| Packaging weight | £1 million or less turnover | More than £1 million up to £2 million | More than £2 million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 tonnes or less | No obligation | No obligation | No obligation |
| More than 25 up to 50 tonnes | No obligation | Small producer | Small producer |
| More than 50 tonnes | No obligation | Small producer | Large producer |
Which years count: for 2026, the packaging supplied or imported from 1 January to 31 December 2025, and turnover from the last accounts available before 7 April 2026.
What each producer must do
Small producer
- Register with the environmental regulator
- Report packaging data every year
- Keep the required data for 7 years
Large producer
- Register with the environmental regulator each year
- Report packaging data every 6 months
- Obtain enough packaging waste recycling notes (PRNs or PERNs) to meet the recycling obligation each year
- Submit a certificate of compliance each year
- Pay a waste disposal fee to PackUK for any household packaging each year
- Keep the required data for 7 years
If a UK brand owner arranges the import of its own branded packaging, the brand owner can be the obligated producer instead. The fees for large producers depend on material and recyclability, so this page states which obligations apply rather than a fee.
Plastic Packaging Tax
The tax applies to finished plastic packaging components you import, including the packaging around imported goods. A component counts as plastic if it has more plastic by weight than any other single material.
| Rule | GOV.UK position |
|---|---|
| Registration threshold | 10 tonnes or more of finished plastic packaging components imported or manufactured in the last 12 months, or expected in the next 30 days |
| Recycled content | Components with 30% or more recycled plastic are not chargeable, but still count towards the 10 tonnes |
| Transport packaging on imports | Pallets, pallet wrap, retaining straps, crates and containers used to import goods are not taxed and do not count towards the 10 tonnes |
| Rate | £228.82 per tonne from 1 April 2026 |
| From | Rate per tonne |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2022 | £200.00 |
| 1 April 2023 | £210.82 |
| 1 April 2024 | £217.85 |
| 1 April 2025 | £223.69 |
| 1 April 2026 | £228.82 |
Read more
- Does packaging EPR apply to importers in the UK?
- UK Plastic Packaging Tax: what importers from China owe
We collect packaging weights by material, and recycled-content evidence from the factory, when we specify an order, so your EPR and Plastic Packaging Tax data exists before the goods ship. Container programmes from China
Sources
Checked on 27 September 2026
- GOV.UK — Check if you must comply with EPR for packaging
- legislation.gov.uk — SI 2024/1332, regulation 24: threshold criteria, large and small producers
- legislation.gov.uk — SI 2024/1332, regulation 18: importers and first UK owners
- GOV.UK — Plastic Packaging Tax: steps to take (threshold and rates)
- GOV.UK — Work out which packaging is subject to Plastic Packaging Tax
- GOV.UK — Check which packaging is not subject to Plastic Packaging Tax
A guide to the thresholds, not legal or tax advice. Group companies, brand-owner arrangements and exempt packaging change the answer; check the GOV.UK guidance or your environmental regulator for your case.
Questions about this tool
Does packaging EPR apply to importers of goods from China?
Yes. Importing goods in packaging is a producer activity. You are obligated if your turnover is more than £1 million and you supplied or imported more than 25 tonnes of packaging in the previous year; above £2 million and 50 tonnes you are a large producer.
What is the Plastic Packaging Tax threshold?
You must register if you imported or manufactured 10 tonnes or more of finished plastic packaging components in the last 12 months, or expect to in the next 30 days. Transport packaging used to import goods does not count.
How much is Plastic Packaging Tax in 2026–27?
£228.82 per tonne from 1 April 2026, on plastic packaging components with less than 30% recycled plastic.
Does packaging with 30% recycled plastic still count?
It is not chargeable, but it still counts towards the 10-tonne registration threshold, and you must keep records of it.
Can I be inside EPR and outside Plastic Packaging Tax?
Yes. They are separate schemes with separate tests: EPR covers all packaging materials and uses turnover and tonnes; Plastic Packaging Tax covers plastic only and uses a 10-tonne test.
Get packaging weights and recycled-content evidence with your order
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