The exact sums depend on the compliance scheme chosen. Competition between schemes, while not being the best deal for recycling in the UK, does mean that would-be members can shop around. Biffpack claims to be the scheme with the lowest charges, but even these are up on last year. The scheme estimates that last year's £9.60 per tonne PRN rate will go up to between £15 and £20 per tonne because of the government's higher recovery targets. On top of these fees, which are levied quarterly in arrears, complying retailers must pay yearly membership fees. In the case of Biffpack, this is £2,300 (including the Environment Agency fee) for the year. Nor does it end there. An initial assessment of liability will require the services of a consultant. Data collection could take up to five days, depending on the size of the job, paid at between £500 and £600 a day. An estimated absolute minimum cost for a retailer handling just 50 tonnes of waste is: Consultancy £2,500 Membership £2,300 PRNs £750 Total £5,550 {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}