Regulation and sustainability
Packaging and waste in a small company
The minimum you must be able to show without setting up a department for it.
Packaging and waste obligations are almost always explained with large industry in mind, which leads a fifteen-person company to conclude either that none of it applies or that all of it does. Usually the first is partly true and the second far less than feared.
The three fronts, in a small company
| Front | What you must be able to show | How often |
|---|---|---|
| What you place on the market | How many packages and of what material | Annually, if you must declare |
| What you generate | Which wastes, how much, and to whom | Every collection |
| Who you give it to | That they are authorised and the authorisation is current | Periodic checking |
Important
The third is the only one that can become a serious problem and the easiest to solve: request the contractor's authorisation, keep it with its expiry date, and have it warn you when renewal is due. Handing waste to someone unauthorised is your responsibility, not theirs.
What to keep for each collection
With that, an inspection's three questions are answered by opening a file. Without it, they are answered by hunting for delivery notes in an invoice folder.
How to organise it without assigning anyone
- 1
One file per contractor
With their authorisation and its expiry inside.
- 2
Each collection, with its document linked
A photo of the note at collection is fine: what matters is that it does not stay in a pile of paper.
- 3
An annual reminder for anything to declare
It is the forgotten one, because it happens once a year.
- 4
And packaging figures, if applicable, as you invoice
Reconstructing a whole year in December is what makes it seem impossible.
Watch out
Do not assume "the accountants handle it". They file declarations with the data you give them; checking that the waste contractor is authorised and keeping the transfer documents are yours.
Worth knowing
If you sell packaged product to other countries, obligations vary by country and sometimes require local registration. It is where most small companies discover an obligation late.
›Does it apply if we only have an office?
Office waste has its own route; the burden is far lighter.
›How long must documents be kept?
Years. It is among the most requested in inspections.
›What if the contractor loses authorisation?
You must stop handing them waste: hence the expiry date matters.
A real case
The situation
A fifteen-person company files waste notes with its invoices.
What you do
- Opens a file per contractor with authorisation and expiry
- Links each collection to its document
What you get
Answers an inspection in minutes and catches an authorisation expiry in time.
The situation
A long procedure is set up for a company of eight people.
What you do
- Keeps what is already generated and organises it
What you get
The essentials are covered without a department.
The situation
Receipts sit in a physical folder.
What you do
- Captures and stores them in the file
What you get
They are found without going to the cabinet.
The situation
Nobody knows what was removed last year.
What you do
- Checks the history by period
What you get
The figure exists when it is asked for.
The situation
A receipt is lost and cannot be chased.
What you do
- Keeps its own copy on receipt
What you get
You do not depend on the contractor's archive.
The situation
What is missing is discovered on the day of a visit.
What you do
- Reviews the file once a quarter
What you get
Gaps are closed with time to spare.
This article answers
- packaging obligations for small companies
- small business waste documentation
- packaging declaration what to keep
- waste contractor paperwork