Datapack

Funded by Biffaward, the DataPack project was instigated in early 2003 to scope out the requirements for a data management system for obligated parties under the UK's Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations.

The overall aim of this project was defined as: “to scope out what is required to provide the UK with an on-line system for the registration of obligated parties, including packaging data submission, and the submission of reprocessor data and any other data that it is considered should be delivered to the environmental agencies under the Waste Packaging Regulations”.

The project was split into three phases.
• Phase 1 - identification of the type of system required and how it could be operated
• Phase 2 - identification of the technical interfaces and structure
• Phase 3 - production of a pilot system for small scale trials.

A tender was put out for the Phase 1 work in June 2003 and AEAT was appointed as the contractor.  Following the submission of the Database Scoping Study by AEAT in February 2004, further work was commissioned to clarify the costs related to the development and maintenance of a system that would satisfy the user specification. This was delivered in July 2004 to provide additional information requested in discussions with the environmental agencies on the costs associated with applying the system under their control.

CIWM (EB) went on to part-fund project management of the IT development of the National Packaging Waste Database which was introduced at the end of January 2007.  Developed by the Packaging Federation in conjunction with the Advisory Group on Waste Packaging, this internet-based system has replaced the original paper-based packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) and their export equivalent (PERNs) and introduced tighter auditing of the issue and trading of recycling and recovery evidence.