The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has warned that “chaotic” new recycling rules will cost pubs an extra £60m a year – equivalent to 5,000 workers. It said the government’s new extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime means glass packaging sold in pubs will be classed as household waste, despite them already being charged and recycled under commercial waste.
These rules mean suppliers will therefore have little choice but to pass on these costs to pubs. New BBPA data estimates that pubs, which pay approximately £1,100 a year each for commercial recycling of their glass bottles, will now be charged an additional £1,400 a year for the same glass bottles under household waste fees.
This amounts to an extra £60m bill for the sector at a time when business rates relief is cut, employers’ national insurance rates increase and the threshold at which businesses pay national insurance decreases. BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “The new EPR regime bears no link to reality – it is a series of unfair fees and confusing rules that are being chaotically implemented. Of course we’re committed to a more circular economy, but we cannot understand how pubs paying twice is going to be more sustainable when virtually all glass sold in pubs is already collected and recycled. Government must urgently review these costs and ensure they are fair and sensibly implemented, so the sector can continue to play a critical role for the UK’s economy and employment.”
Find out pub and hospitality news first by signing up to Propel’s free email, here.
