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Accredited reprocessors and exporters

Accredited reprocessors or exporters recycle or recover waste packaging discarded by United Kingdom (UK) businesses and households. They sell electronic packaging recovery notes (ePRNs) and electronic packaging export recovery notes (ePERNs) and reinvest the income into the recycling of packaging.

Packaging producers, or their compliance schemes, buy ePRNs and ePERNs as evidence that waste packaging was recovered. These notes are evidence of meeting their waste packaging recycling and recovery obligation.

A register of accredited exporters and reprocessors is available on the National Waste Packaging Database (NPWD) public register.

Applying for accreditation

Accreditation is voluntary and is available to any UK based site that is carrying out a valid recovery activity on packaging waste provided that an adequate documentation system is in place to record activities.

You can apply for an accreditation if you are a UK business which:

• Recovers or recycles UK waste packaging
• Exports UK waste packaging for recovery or recycling

Online applications

To acquire either reprocessor or exporter accredited status, you will need to

1. Login to the National Packaging Waste Database and specify which accreditation you are applying for. If you don’t already have a login, request a user name and password by contacting us using our online contact form below.
2. Start your application - We accredit each reprocessing site and each waste material separately which may require submission of multiple applications. Online applications can be saved, reopen and complete another time.
3. Upload your documents - Both reprocessors and exporters will need to upload a business plan and a sampling and inspection plan. In addition to these documents:
   • Repocessors will need to upload details of the recovery and recycling processes you use.
   • Exporters will need to provide evidence that the site to which you are exporting the waste meets the same environmental standards as those in the EU (known as ‘broadly equivalent standards’). You can apply as an exporter with no overseas sites and add them later once you are accredited.
4. Pay your accreditation fee to SEPA by using the SEPA contact form below to request our payment details. You will be given the option to pay via BACS transfer. If you wish to make a payment call 07388 371 621 for our bank account details or queries.

We have a statutory 12 week determination period for all applications. To ensure your application is determined by 1 January, we must receive it by 30 September. Applications received after 30 September may not be determined until after 1 January. Accreditation will not be back dated and you will not be permitted to issue evidence during a period of non-accreditation.

Transfrontier Shipment of Waste

If you are operating as an accredited exporter of packaging waste then you must comply with the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007. These regulations control the import and export of all waste streams into and out of the United Kingdom and subsequently apply to all exports of packaging waste.

See our Transfrontier shipment of waste page for more information.

Contact us

To request login details for NPWD, SEPA payment details, or if you have any questions regarding any aspect of packaging waste, please contact us.