Digital Service Launched for Local Authority EPR Packaging Grants

PackUK has launched a new Local Authority Payments (LAPs) digital service to help local authorities securely access and manage information related to their Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) grant payments. The service was announced on 17 August 2026 and is designed to provide local authorities with a dedicated digital platform for managing important grant-related information. The new service has been developed by PackUK, the scheme administrator responsible for administering the UK’s pEPR programme.

Through the LAPs service, local authorities can access and download important documents, including notices of assessment, grant determination letters and remittance documents. Users can also review and confirm grant payment details, request changes, raise queries, request support, and enroll or manage authorised users within their authority. Each local authority CEO will initially be invited to access the platform on behalf of their organisation, after which relevant users can be given access. A Head of Finance must also be registered to confirm the details used for EPR packaging grant payments.

PackUK has clarified that LAPs is an information and administration service rather than a payment-processing platform. The system does not calculate, process or transmit payments and does not change the way EPR packaging grants are distributed. Before the launch, a group of authorities from across the UK tested the service during June and July. PackUK said the feedback highlighted the platform’s ease of use and the benefit of being able to access grant documents in one place.

Impact on Packaging Industry

The launch of LAPs represents another step in the digital implementation of the UK’s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility framework. Under the pEPR system, obligated producers that supply or import packaging into the UK are responsible for contributing toward the costs of managing household packaging waste. The funds collected by PackUK are used in part to provide payments to local authorities.

A more structured digital system for local authority grant information can improve visibility around the administrative side of packaging EPR. By giving authorities direct access to assessment notices, determination letters and remittance documents, LAPs provides a single point for information that previously could require management across different administrative processes. This could support clearer communication between local authorities and the wider packaging EPR system.

The development is also taking place as the UK moves through the second year of the pEPR programme. PackUK’s 2026–2027 payment methodology assesses local authority payments using factors including efficient disposal costs and income expected from the sale of household packaging waste. The calculated net efficient disposal costs form the basis of chargeable disposal costs for the assessment year. The new LAPs platform therefore provides an administrative layer for accessing information generated through this broader payment framework rather than changing the underlying calculation methodology.

The impact on packaging producers is primarily indirect. LAPs does not introduce a new producer fee or alter the amount producers are required to pay. However, improved administration of local authority grants can contribute to a more transparent and organised pEPR ecosystem. This is important for packaging companies as the scheme continues to evolve, particularly with producer fees increasingly connected to the recyclability of packaging materials.

From 2026, PackUK is applying fee modulation based on recyclability. Packaging classified as red under the Recyclability Assessment Methodology faces a higher household packaging waste disposal fee, while **green** packaging can receive a lower fee. The policy is intended to create financial incentives for producers to improve packaging recyclability.
Consequently, the LAPs launch should be viewed as part of the broader infrastructure supporting the UK’s packaging EPR transition. While the service itself is administrative, a reliable system for managing local authority payment information can help support the wider framework through which packaging producers contribute financially to the management of packaging waste.

Impact on Waste Management Market

The waste management market is one of the sectors most directly connected to the implementation of packaging EPR because local authority payments are intended to contribute toward the efficient costs of managing household packaging waste. Under the 2026–2027 payment methodology, eligible costs include expenses associated with proper disposal, recycling and treatment of packaging waste, as well as certain public information activities.

The LAPs platform can simplify the administrative management of this funding by allowing local authorities to access grant documents and payment information digitally. Authorities can review their grant information, confirm payment details, raise queries and request changes through the platform. This could reduce the administrative burden associated with managing EPR-related information and give local authority teams a more organised way to monitor their grant documentation.

The platform does not itself increase or decrease the amount of funding available to waste management services. Instead, its value lies in improving access to information. This distinction is important because PackUK has explicitly stated that LAPs does not calculate, process or transmit payments. The existing EPR payment methodology and distribution arrangements therefore remain unchanged.

The wider pEPR framework nevertheless has implications for waste management companies and recycling operators. Producer-funded payments are designed to support the management of household packaging waste, creating a financial mechanism connecting packaging placed on the market with the costs of managing it after use. Government guidance states that the money paid to local authorities comes from fees paid by producers that supply or import packaging into the UK market.

For the 2026–2027 year, PackUK has already published local authority payment calculations and values. The methodology considers the efficient costs of waste management and expected income from household packaging waste. This approach is intended to establish the net efficient disposal costs that form the basis of local authority payments

The introduction of LAPs can therefore support the operational side of this funding structure. Easier access to grant information may help authorities better manage documentation connected with waste collection, recycling and treatment activities. Over time, a more digital and transparent administration process could contribute to smoother interaction between local authorities, PackUK and organisations operating within the waste management and recycling value chain.

Impact on Recycling Market

The recycling market is another area indirectly affected by the development because pEPR payments are linked to the costs of managing household packaging waste. Government guidance states that local authority payments can cover efficient disposal costs associated with the management of packaging waste, including recycling and treatment activities.
By centralising grant-related information, LAPs could make it easier for local authorities to manage the financial documentation associated with packaging recycling programmes. The ability to download assessment notices, grant determination letters and remittance documents from one platform can provide authorities with a clearer record of their EPR funding information.

However, the direct effect of LAPs on recycling capacity should not be overstated. The service does not itself provide additional recycling infrastructure, calculate payments or change how money is distributed. Its immediate function is administrative. Any potential impact on recycling services would therefore come through the broader pEPR funding system rather than from the digital platform itself.

The wider EPR programme is designed to shift more responsibility for packaging waste management costs toward producers. PackUK collects disposal fees from obligated producers and uses the scheme’s financial framework to support local authority payments. This creates a link between packaging placed on the market and the costs associated with managing that packaging once it becomes waste.

The introduction of fee modulation from 2026 also adds an environmental dimension to the recycling market. PackUK’s policy applies different fees according to packaging recyclability, with less recyclable red-rated packaging subject to higher fees and more recyclable green-rated packaging receiving a discount. The policy is intended to encourage producers to design and use packaging that is easier to recycle.

Together, these measures are intended to strengthen the economics of packaging recycling while encouraging better packaging design. LAPs supports this broader system by improving the digital administration of local authority grant information. Although it is not a recycling technology or funding mechanism itself, its role in organising EPR payment information can support the smoother operation of the wider packaging waste management framework.

About PackUK

PackUK is the scheme administrator for the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging programme. It is responsible for administering the pEPR system, including setting relevant producer disposal fees and making payments to local authorities under the scheme. Government guidance identifies PackUK as the administrator responsible for EPR for packaging.

The organisation has developed the **Local Authority Payments (LAPs)** service to provide local authorities with secure access to information about their pEPR grant payments. The service enables authorities to access notices of assessment, grant determination letters and remittance documents, as well as review payment details, request changes and raise queries.

The launch of LAPs comes during the second operational year of the UK’s packaging EPR programme. PackUK’s 2026–2027 operational plan includes the delivery of local authority payments as part of the ongoing operation of the scheme. The organisation has also issued year-two notices of assessment to local authorities, setting out anticipated payments and information on how those figures were calculated.

The development of LAPs reflects PackUK’s focus on building administrative infrastructure around the pEPR system as it moves into a more established phase. Testing with local authorities across the UK during June and July provided feedback before the service was launched, with ease of use and centralised access to grant documents identified as key benefits. The new service does not replace the underlying EPR payment methodology. Instead, it provides local authorities with a digital interface for managing information associate