Poland's one-stop producer register
One entry, eight waste streams. BDO is the Polish EPR producer register every business joins before placing products or packaging on the market, and it gives you a 9-digit number for your invoices.
Registration runs through the regional authorities, the voivodeship marshals, on a central system run by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
What BDO covers
Each stream sits under its own Polish law.
- Packaging, under the 2013 packaging act, now alongside a deposit-return system that went live on 1 October 2025.
- Electronics, under the 2015 WEEE act, in force since 2016.
- Batteries, under the 2009 batteries act and the directly applicable EU Battery Regulation.
- End-of-life vehicles, under the 2005 ELV act.
- Tyres and waste oils, under the 2001 product-fee act.
- Single-use plastics and fishing gear, with obligations running since 1 January 2024.
Who must register
Any entity that first places in-scope products, packaged goods or waste products on the Polish market, importers and distance sellers included.
If you introduce the product to Poland, the duty is yours rather than your customer's or your carrier's.
How registration works
You apply for a BDO entry with the voivodeship marshal for your region, which normally decides within about 30 days. You then receive your 9-digit BDO registration number (the numer rejestrowy BDO) and show it on invoices and waste documents.
From there you join a recovery organisation or comply on your own, and file your BDO reports. A recovery organisation, an organizacja odzysku, is the collective body that meets your recovery and recycling targets for you.
Registering from abroad
Foreign distance sellers do not all face the same rule. A foreign distance seller of electronics must appoint a Polish authorised representative, who registers in BDO and takes on the WEEE-act duties.
There is no general representative route for the packaging stream, so packaging-only sellers should take Polish advice on how to be covered.
What it costs
There is no charge to hold the BDO entry itself. Your cost is the stream-by-stream compliance behind it.
That means recovery-organisation fees or, where you fall short of a recovery or recycling target, a product fee (opłata produktowa) on the gap.
Frequently asked questions about BDO
Short answers to what producers ask before they register.
Who has to register in BDO?
Any business that first places products, packaged goods or in-scope waste products on the Polish market, including importers and foreign distance sellers. Eight streams share the one register.
What is the BDO number for?
It is your 9-digit proof of registration (numer rejestrowy BDO), and Polish rules require it on your invoices and waste documents so customers and authorities can see you are registered.
Do I need a Polish representative?
For electronics, a foreign distance seller must appoint a Polish authorised representative who registers and reports for it. There is no general representative route for packaging, so packaging-only sellers should confirm how they will be covered.
How long does BDO registration take?
The voivodeship marshal normally issues the entry within about 30 days of a complete application.