Company waste management: what needs to be put in place

Verified 07 August 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / (Prime Minister)

Any company that produces or holds waste is responsible for their management. It must identify its waste, set up sorting at source, monitor it in a register, ensure that it will be recovered and comply with other regulatory requirements.

Company responsibility for waste

The company is responsible for the management of its waste. This applies to companies in one or more of the following situations:

  • The activity of the company produces waste.
  • The staff produces waste.
  • The company is in possession of waste.
  • The company performs processing operations waste, leading to a change in the nature or composition of such waste (grouping, recycling, etc.).

This responsibility implies that the company must ensure compliance with all regulations applicable to the management of its waste.

Failure to comply with these obligations is subject to sanctions.

Sanctions in case of waste abandonment

The fact ofabandon, deposit or cause to be deposited waste shall be punished by a maximum of 4 years imprisonment and €150,000 fine (natural person) or €750,000fine (legal person).

FYI  

The failure to comply with a formal notice in the context of an offense related to the prevention and management of waste may be severely punished when fauna, flora or water quality are directly exposed to a immediate risk of serious and lasting damage (may last at least 7 years). The penalty is then 3 years imprisonment and €250,000 of fine (natural person) or €1 250 000 of fine (legal person). That amount may be increased up to three times the advantage derived from the commission of the infringement.

In order to ensure compliance with their obligations, companies must determine the characteristics of their waste. In concrete terms, for each waste, it must be determined whether it is:

  • Waste dangerous, including if it is waste containing persistent organic pollutants
  • Product new non-food or a product food
  • Waste to be sorted at source (paper, metals, plastics, glass, wood, bio-waste, textiles, mineral fractions and plaster).

What is hazardous waste?

All waste is considered dangerous if it has one or more dangerous properties (indicated by the acronym ‘HP’ accompanied by a number).

  • Explosive (HP 1)
  • Fuel (HP 2)
  • Flammable (HP 3)
  • Skin and eye irritant (HP 4)
  • Toxic to a target organ (STOT) or toxic by aspiration (HP 5)
  • Very toxic (acute toxicity) (HP 6)
  • Carcinogenic (HP 7)
  • Corrosive (HP 8)
  • Infectious (HP 9)
  • Toxic to reproduction (HP 10)
  • Mutagen (HP 11)
  • Exuding a gas with acute toxicity (HP 12)
  • Sensitizer (HP 13)
  • Ecotoxic (HP 14)
  • Waste capable of exhibiting one of the above-mentioned hazardous properties which the original waste (HP 15) does not directly exhibit.

Any waste that does not have any of the properties that make a waste hazardous is considered non-hazardous.

Non-hazardous waste that contains hazardous waste is considered as hazardous waste (for example: a jerry can of gasoline).

FYI  

In order to determine for sure whether a waste is hazardous waste, the company must locate its number. A decision of the lists all waste categories. They are detailed in theindex of the document.

The hazardous waste is marked with an asterisk (*), after their 6-digit number.

One European Commission document provides technical recommendations for waste classification. It can help to understand how to classify waste and identify hazardous waste.

What is waste that contains persistent organic pollutants?

Persistent organic pollutants are a group of substances that slowly degrade, accumulate in living organisms, are toxic and easily transported over long distances.

They are listed in Annex IV of a European regulation, the text of which is regularly updated by the European Parliament.

FYI  

Wastes containing persistent organic pollutants, which are hazardous within the meaning of the definition of hazardous waste, are subject to the obligations relating to hazardous waste.

Aids and support

It may be interesting to find out about existing public support on the platform Ecological transition of companies :

Companies have an obligation to sort the waste they produce or hold at source.

All obligations are detailed in the sheet dedicated to sorting of waste at source.

Maintenance of a waste tracking register

Companies must be stored for at least 3 years a register in which are listed all information about their waste, namely:

  • Quantity, nature and origin of the waste that the company produces, hands over to a third party or takes over
  • Quantity of products and materials resulting from the preparation for reuse, recycling or other recovery operations of such waste
  • And, where applicable, the intended destination, frequency of collection, means of transport and method of treatment or disposal of such waste.

The detailed content of the register which should be kept is available on Legifrance.

In case of control (e.g. by the municipal police), the company will have to provide this register.

FYI  

The company is not obliged to keep this register for the waste declared on the Trackdéchets platform.

Declaration on the Trackdéchets platform

The state has put in place a online service dedicated to waste tracking slip management. This is Trackwaste.

The following waste must be declared on the Trackdéchets portal:

  • Dangerous, including those containing persistent organic pollutants
  • Asbestos
  • Refrigerants
  • Infectious Hazard Care Activity Waste (IRHW)
  • End-of-life vehicles (ELVs).

This declaration is made via waste tracking slips, in a dematerialized way, on the platform.

Information on other waste categories can be reported via Trackwaste. This is not mandatory for non-listed waste categories.

Managing the traceability of waste and asbestos (Trackwaste)

Please note

Where the information is declared by the company, it shall be kept and made available to it on the online service. They can be communicated to the authorities in charge of controls.

The declaration of all company waste exempts from the obligation to keep a waste tracking register.

Penalties foreseen

For the companies concerned by the obligation to keep a waste tracking register, 2 sanctions are provided for in the absence of a register, refusal to provide it or incorrect information. They also apply to offenses related to reporting on Trackwaste.

These are:

  • The fine for contraventions of 4e class, of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons)
  • One offense, exhibitor to 4 years' imprisonment and €150,000 of fine (natural person), or €750,000 fines (legal persons).

Penalties can be added.

Waste management with a view to recovery

The company is responsible from the management of its waste to its disposal or valuation final, even when the waste is transferred to a third party for treatment.

There are specific regulations for the management of the recovery of certain types of waste.

This is the case for the following waste typology:

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Packaging waste not ultimately held by households

Packaging waste whose final holders are not households is also called industrial and commercial packaging waste (DEIC) or professional packaging waste.

Professional packaging is defined as any packaging of products that is not considered as household packaging.

The CIEDs include:

  • wood packaging waste: pallets, crates, crates
  • scrap metal packaging: drums, metal boxes
  • packing boxes 
  • glass packaging waste
  • plastic packaging waste: bags, stretch or shrink films, vials, drums, cans, crates, pallets, etc.

The management and sorting of waste produced or held by the company is carried out with the aim of recovering this waste.

4 possibilities recovery management systems exist.

Recovering your own waste

The company can recover its own waste, provided it meets certain obligations.

The processing or storage waste as part of its recovery must take place in waste treatment facilities, which may fall within the classification of installations classified for the environment (ICPE) subject to declaration, registration or authorization. The company must then make sure to respect the legislation applicable to such installations.

The hierarchy of waste treatment methods needs to be implemented. It consists in favoring, in order:

  1. Preparation for reuse
  2. Recycling
  3. Any other valuation, in particular energy recovery
  4. Elimination

Please note

The company holding CDEIs has the prohibition on mixing them with other waste that cannot be recovered in the same way.

However, there is a derogation this prohibition if the mixture does not affect their ability to be prepared for re-use, recycling or other recovery operations, in accordance with the hierarchy of treatment methods.

Provision of information on the management of packaging waste by the waste taker

Operators of recovery facilities must make themselves available all information on the management of packaging waste produced or held by them.

This information shall specify in particular the following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of packaging waste managed
  • Modalities of this management
  • Waste that has been handed over to third parties
  • Corresponding dates
  • Identity of the latter
  • Terms of the contract
Transfer to an operator of a recovery facility

The company holding professional packaging waste may transfer it to an operator of a recovery facility under certain conditions.

Contract for the disposal of waste

Where the company transfers its waste to an operator of a recovery facility, this transfer must be formalized by a contract.

The contract must mention:

  • the nature packaging waste
  • and their quantities supported.
Obligations of the transferor company

The transferor company shall ensure the interim storage of waste and their availability in conditions conducive to their subsequent recovery.

The company holding CDEIs has the prohibition on mixing them with other waste that cannot be recovered in the same way.

However, there is a derogation this prohibition if the mixture does not affect their ability to be prepared for re-use, recycling or other recovery operations, in accordance with the hierarchy of treatment methods.

Provision of information on the management of packaging waste by the waste taker

Operators of recovery facilities must make themselves available all information on the management of packaging waste produced or held by them.

This information shall specify in particular the following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of packaging waste managed
  • Modalities of this management
  • Waste that has been handed over to third parties
  • Corresponding dates
  • Identity of the latter
  • Terms of the contract
Disposing of waste to intermediaries who collect, transport by road, trade or broker waste, and recover it for recovery

The company holding professional packing waste may transfer it to an intermediary carrying out a waste collection, transport by road, trading or brokering activity, recovery with a view to its recovery under certain conditions.

Contract for the disposal of waste

Where the company transfers its waste to an operator of a recovery facility, this transfer must be formalized by a contract.

The contract must mention:

  • the nature packaging waste
  • and their quantities supported.
Obligations of the transferor company

In addition, the transferor company must ensure the interim storage of waste and their availability in conditions conducive to their subsequent recovery.

The company holding CDEIs has the prohibition on mixing them with other waste that cannot be recovered in the same way.

However, there is a derogation this prohibition if the mixture does not affect their ability to be prepared for re-use, recycling or other recovery operations, in accordance with the hierarchy of treatment methods.

Provision of information on the management of packaging waste by the waste taker

Intermediaries engaged in the collection, transport by road, trading or brokering of waste, recovery must be available all information on the packaging waste management that they produce or own.

This information shall specify in particular the following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of packaging waste managed
  • Modalities of this management
  • Waste that has been handed over to third parties
  • Corresponding dates
  • Identity of the latter
  • Terms of the contract
Hand over waste to an approved eco-organization or waste management operator with a contract with an approved eco-organization

Warning  

Originally planned to deploy on 1er July 2026, the Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition, Mathieu Lefèvre, press release the date of postponement of the launch of the sector. Indeed, from the 1er January 2027, all professional packages will be covered by an EPR system and companies will be able to transmit them to approved eco-organizations.

The company holding professional packaging waste may hand it over:

  • or to one approved eco-organization
  • or to one waste management operator having a contract with an approved eco-body for the management of professional packaging waste.

Some professional packaging does not apply to this sector:

  • Packaging and packaging waste of mineral or synthetic oils, lubricants or industrial oils
  • Packaging and packaging waste of chemicals that may pose a significant risk to health and the environment
  • Packaging and packaging waste of construction products or materials in the building sector
  • Packaging and packaging waste from the agro-supply sector.

Biowaste

It is mandatory to set up a sorting at source and value the bio-waste for companies that produce or own:

  • 150 liters/year waste of edible oils
  • 20 tons/year other bio-waste

If a company owns or produces bio-waste on more than one site or in more than one establishment, the quantities produced or held must be assessed on each site or by each establishment.

The bio-waste include:

  • Biodegradable non-hazardous garden or park waste
  • Food or kitchen waste from households, offices, restaurants, wholesale, canteens, caterers or retail stores
  • Comparable waste from food processing plants.

On the other hand, those obligations do not apply to waste from pruning or pruning plants when they are subject to energy recovery.

3 possibilities recovery management systems exist.

Recovering your own waste

The company can recover its own waste, provided it meets certain obligations.

Waste treatment or storage as part of their recovery must take place in waste treatment facilities, which may fall within the classification of installations classified for the environment (ICPE) subject to declaration, registration or authorization. The company must then make sure to respect the legislation applicable to such installations.

The hierarchy of processing modes waste must be implemented. It consists in favoring, in order:

  1. Preparation for reuse
  2. Recycling
  3. Any other valuation, in particular energy recovery
  4. Elimination
Transfer to an operator of a recovery facility

The company holding waste from bio-waste may transfer it to an operator of a recovery facility under certain conditions.

Operators of recovery facilities shall issue a attestation producers or holders of waste who have transferred bio-waste to them.

It must be transmitted 1 time/year and before 31 March of the following year.

The certificate must include the mentions following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of waste expressed in tons
  • Destinations for final recovery.

The certificate may be issued by electronic means.

The intermediary not issuing the certificate shall incur a fine of an amount of €750 (natural person) or €3,750 (legal persons).

Warning  

The company handing over waste must ensure that the person to whom the waste is handed over is authorized to take them over, including when they have been mixed with other waste or entrusted to an operator for treatment outside France. The penalty provided for if they are handed over to an unauthorized person is fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

Transfer waste to intermediaries for collection, transport by road, trading or brokering of waste, recovery for recovery

The company holding bio-waste waste may transfer it to an intermediary carrying out waste collection, transport by road, trading or brokering activities, recovery with a view to recovery, subject to certain conditions.

Intermediaries must issue a attestation producers or holders of waste who have transferred bio-waste to them.

It must be transmitted 1 time/year and before 31 March of the following year.

The certificate must include the mentions following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of waste expressed in tons
  • Destinations for final recovery.

The certificate may be issued by electronic means.

The intermediary not issuing the certificate shall incur a fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

Warning  

The company handing over waste must ensure that the person to whom the waste is handed over is authorized to take them over, including when they have been mixed with other waste or entrusted to an operator for treatment outside France. The penalty provided for if they are handed over to an unauthorized person is fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

Waste paper, metal, plastic, glass, textiles, wood, mineral fraction and plaster

Any company producing or holding waste hasobligation to sort at the source the following « 9 streams » of waste: paper, metal, plastic, glass, textile, wood, mineral fraction and plaster, and to organize a separate collection if this waste is not treated on site.

However, waste may be stored together as a mixture, provided that:

  • this does not affect their ability to be reused, recycled or recovered
  • and provided that their recovery is comparable in efficiency to that obtained with separate collection.

These obligations apply to any company producing or holding waste which has recourse to collection at the service of a private provider or the service provided by local authorities if the company produces or takes possession of less than 1,100 liters of waste per week.

Producers of construction and demolition waste are exempted if the available storage area on the site is less than 40 m² or if the total volume of waste on the site is less than 10 m³.

3 possibilities recovery management systems exist.

Recovering your own waste

The company can recover its own waste, provided it meets certain obligations.

Waste treatment or storage as part of their recovery must take place in waste treatment facilities, which may fall within the classification of installations classified for the environment (ICPE) subject to declaration, registration or authorization. The company must then make sure to respect the legislation applicable to such installations.

The hierarchy of processing modes waste must be implemented. It consists in favoring, in order:

  1. Preparation for reuse
  2. Recycling
  3. Any other valuation, in particular energy recovery
  4. Elimination
Transfer to an operator of a recovery facility

The company holding waste paper, metal, plastic, glass, textile, timber, mineral fraction and plaster may transfer it to an operator of a recovery facility under certain conditions.

Operators of recovery facilities shall issue a attestation producers or holders of waste who have transferred bio-waste to them.

It must be transmitted 1 time/year and before 31 March of the following year.

The certificate must include the mentions following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of waste expressed in tons
  • Destinations for final recovery.

The certificate may be issued by electronic means.

The intermediary not issuing the certificate shall incur a fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

The model certificate to be completed is available in Annex I-B:

Template for attesting the disposal of company waste

Warning  

The company handing over waste must ensure that the person to whom the waste is handed over is authorized to take them over, including when they have been mixed with other waste or entrusted to an operator for treatment outside France. The penalty provided for if they are handed over to an unauthorized person is fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

Transfer waste to intermediaries for collection, transport by road, trading or brokering of waste, recovery for recovery

The company holding waste paper, metal, plastic, glass, textile, timber, mineral fraction and plaster may transfer it to an intermediary carrying out activities such as collecting, transporting by road, trading or brokering waste and recovering it for recovery under certain conditions.

Intermediaries must issue a attestation producers or holders of waste who have transferred bio-waste to them.

It must be transmitted 1 time/year and before 31 March of the following year.

The certificate must include the mentions following:

  • Nature of waste
  • Quantities of waste expressed in tons
  • Destinations for final recovery.

The certificate may be issued by electronic means.

The intermediary not issuing the certificate shall incur a fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

The specimen certificate to be completed is available (Annex I-B):

Template for attesting the disposal of company waste

To find where and to whom to dispose of company waste, SINOE Waste maintains directories dedicated to waste from economic activities:

Find where to deposit waste from economic activities (Directory)

Warning  

The company handing over waste must ensure that the person to whom the waste is handed over is authorized to take them over, including when they have been mixed with other waste or entrusted to an operator for treatment outside France. The penalty provided for if they are handed over to an unauthorized person is fine of an amount of €750 (natural person), or €3,750 (legal persons).

Penal sanctions provided for

In the event of non-compliance with the company’s waste management obligations, the following procedure shall apply:

  1. The company shall be notified the facts alleged, the sanctions incurred and the measures prescribed to regularize his situation. It may submit its observations.
  2. After 10 days, if the situation is not regularized, she may be forced to pay a fine of up to €15,000 (natural person) or €75,000 (legal person), and be formal notice to carry out the necessary operations within a specified period of time.
  3. If the period prescribed by the formal notice has elapsed and the company has not complied, it shall be punished by one or more of the following measures:
    • Record an amount corresponding to the cost of carrying out the prescribed measureswhich will be returned as they are implemented
    • Immediately pay the necessary fees the execution of the prescribed measures
    • Suspend, at its own expense, the installations and structures, the carrying out of works and operations, or the carrying out of activities which are at the origin of the infringements found
    • Pour a on-call duty daily maximum of €1,500 until the prescribed operations are carried out
    • Pay a fine of up to €150,000 (natural person) or €750,000 (legal person).

FYI  

The failure to comply with a formal notice in the context of an offense related to the prevention and management of waste may be severely punished when fauna, flora or water quality are directly exposed to a immediate risk of serious and lasting damage (may last at least 7 years). The penalty is then 3 years imprisonment and €250,000 of fine (natural person) or €1 250 000 of fine (legal person). This amount may be increased up to three times the benefit derived from the commission of the infringement.

It is possible to transport waste freely when the quantity transported is less than:

  • 0.1 ton per load of hazardous waste
  • And 0.5 tons per load of non-hazardous waste.

The following persons shall also be allowed to transport waste freely, including beyond the specified thresholds:

In other cases, it is mandatory to declare the waste collection or transport activity to the prefect the department in which their head office is located, if legal person, or their domicile, in the case of a natural person.

Who shall I contact

The information to be transmitted to the prefect in the context of the declaration of the waste collection or transport activity is as follows:

  • Name or company name of the company:
  • Address, telephone, fax:
  • Siret NO:
  • Specify the nature of the waste handled:
    • Hazardous waste
    • Non-hazardous waste
  • Specify the name and contact details of the person to contact in the event of an accident or incident
  • Name:
  • Telephone:
  • Fax:
  • « I pledge to:
    • To transport waste only to treatment facilities in accordance with the amended Act of 19 July 1976 on installations classified for environmental protection;
    • Take back and dispose of the waste transported by me and that, if necessary, I would abandon, dump or direct to a destination that does not comply with the regulations on waste treatment;
    • Inform without delay, in the event of an accident or accidental dumping of waste, the prefect of the department with territorial jurisdiction.’
  • Name of the company’s legal head or representative:
  • Date:
  • Signature:

Please note

The activity of collecting or transporting by road waste classified in the category dangerous goods is subject to authorization. Authorizations issued for the transport of dangerous goods allow the transport and collection of other waste without declaration to the prefecture. The regulations governing the transportation of dangerous goods are set out in an order accessible on Legifrance.

Companies are sometimes subject to other waste management obligations.

In case of doubt, the company can inquire from its professional organization.

Tableau - Obligations of companies relating to the management of certain waste

The company is concerned if...

Does the company have obligations?

What are the obligations?

The company produces, imports or distributes new non-food products for sale (clothing, household products, furniture...))

The company is subject to specific obligations relating to the management of new non-food unsold items

Find the information to know in the sheet dedicated to unsold.

The company produces, imports or distributes food products

The company is subject to specific obligations relating to the management of unsold food

Find the information to know in the sheet dedicated to unsold.

The company manages inert waste

The company is subject to specific obligations relating to the management of inert waste

To learn more, the company can inquire from its professional organization and to the next link.

The company manages hazardous waste

The company is subject to specific obligations relating to the management of hazardous waste

Find the information to know in the sheet dedicated to hazardous waste.

The company manages products extended producer responsibility (EPR)

The company is subject to specific obligations relating to the management of waste subject to extended producer responsibility.

Find the information to know in the sheet dedicated to Extended producer responsibility (EPR) sectors.

The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) companies are those who manage at least one of the following product categories or elements and materials used in their manufacture:

Companies subject to PWR are not not just those who make these products. Those concerned shall carry out on products subject to PWR at least one of the following actions:

  • Elaboration
  • Manufacture
  • Manipulation
  • Treatment
  • Sale
  • Import.

Example :

A company may be submitted to PWR for several different sectors. For example, a company selling sporting goods, DIY, electronic equipment and batteries may be subject to PWR under the following channels:

  • Sports and leisure items
  • DIY and garden items
  • Electrical and electronic equipment
  • Batteries
  • Household packaging (for packaging in which it sells some of its items).

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