BDO Waste Register in Foodservice 2026: Duties for Restaurants, Food Trucks and Takeaways (+ Fines)

"We've got the BDO thing sorted somehow" - I hear this from venue owners all the time. The problem is that "somehow" isn't enough when an inspector from the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection (WIOŚ) shows up at the door asking for your registration number, your waste transfer notes and your SUP report. Fines reach one million złoty, and not knowing the rules is not a mitigating circumstance.

This article breaks BDO in foodservice down into three concrete duties and explains what you face for failing each one separately.

Key takeaways

• The BDO obligation in foodservice does not depend on scale - it applies to every restaurant, food truck, takeaway point, catering business and ghost kitchen.

• The three core duties are: entry in the register, ongoing waste records with Waste Transfer Notes (KPO), and an annual report by 15 March.

• The SUP Directive is a separate obligation for anyone handing out single-use cups and containers containing plastic - a fee charged to the customer plus a SUP report.

• Fines are administrative - up to PLN 1,000,000 for failing to register, imposed by WIOŚ without any court proceedings.

What BDO is and who it covers in foodservice

BDO is the Database on Products, Packaging and Waste Management (Baza Danych o Produktach i Opakowaniach oraz o Gospodarce Odpadami) - a government records system in which every business generating waste as part of its economic activity must be registered.

In foodservice there are no exemptions based on size. The registration obligation applies to:

• restaurants, bars and cafés (of any format and size)

• food trucks and seasonal stands

• venues operating solely on a delivery or takeaway model

• catering businesses and ghost kitchens

• staff canteens run by an external operator

If you run a foodservice business and generate waste (and every venue does), you should be in the register. The question is not "do I have to", but "what exactly do I have to do".

The three BDO duties for foodservice

1. Entry in the BDO register

Registration in BDO is done through the bdo.mos.gov.pl portal. You submit the application electronically, indicating the types of waste you generate by code. In foodservice, typical waste codes include:

• 20 01 08 - biodegradable kitchen waste (food scraps)

• 15 01 01 - paper and cardboard packaging

• 15 01 02 - plastic packaging

• 20 01 01 - paper and cardboard

Once your application is approved you receive a BDO registration number (9 digits). You must display this number on commercial documents - receipts and invoices - if you sell packaging covered by the SUP Directive (more on that below).

When to register: before starting your business. Running a venue without a BDO entry, where registration is required, is a breach from day one.

2. Ongoing waste records and Waste Transfer Notes (KPO)

Every transfer of waste to a collection company must be confirmed with a Waste Transfer Note (KPO) issued in the BDO system. Since 2022, records must be kept exclusively electronically - paper notes are no longer accepted.

In practice it works like this: the company collecting your waste (used frying oil, bio-waste, packaging) must hold a permit to collect the given waste type and generate the KPO in BDO. Your duty is to confirm the note on the transferring party's side.

If your collection company issues you paper receipts instead of a KPO in the system - that's a problem. Responsibility for the lack of proper documentation falls partly on the waste producer, meaning you.

3. Annual report

By 15 March each year you submit a report in BDO for the previous calendar year. It covers a breakdown of the types and masses of waste transferred. You take the data from issued and confirmed KPOs - if you kept records as you went, the report comes down to a few clicks.

If in a given year your venue was closed or generated no waste within the meaning of the act - you still have to file a zero report.

The SUP Directive - a separate duty for anyone handing out takeaway packaging

Since 2024, foodservice has had an additional duty under the SUP Directive (Single Use Plastics). It applies to anyone giving customers single-use drink cups or food containers that contain plastic.

Fee rates in 2026:

Type of packaging	Fee
Single-use drink cup (with a plastic element)	PLN 0.20
Single-use food container (with a plastic element)	PLN 0.25

You charge the fee to the customer at the point of sale. If the customer brings their own cup or container - you don't charge it.

When the fee does not apply: packaging made 100% of paper, with no plastic liner, lid or plastic coating. In practice this covers few products - many "paper" cups have a plastic lining and are subject to the fee.

Record-keeping: each day you count (or pull from your POS system) how many SUP cups and containers you handed out. That data goes into the annual SUP report filed in BDO by 15 March.

BDO registration number on documents: if you sell packaging covered by SUP, your BDO number must appear on receipts and invoices.

Table of fines - what each breach costs

Breach	Enforcing authority	Fine
No entry in the BDO register	WIOŚ	administrative fine of PLN 1,000 - 1,000,000
No waste records or no KPO	WIOŚ	administrative fine of PLN 500 - 1,000,000
Failure to file the annual report	WIOŚ	administrative fine of PLN 500 - 500,000
Failure to charge the SUP fee to customers	Trade Inspection	administrative fine of PLN 500 - 20,000
No SUP report	WIOŚ	administrative fine of PLN 500 - 500,000

The fines are administrative - they require no court proceedings; the authority issues the decision automatically once a breach is established.

How to get started - the minimum for a new venue

If you're just opening, or already trading but your BDO isn't in order, here's the sequence:

1. Register at bdo.mos.gov.pl and file the entry application (free of charge).
2. Verify that the company collecting your waste generates the KPO in the BDO system (ask them directly - they are obliged to).
3. Set up a counter for the SUP packaging you hand out (a simple Excel table or a POS report if you have SUP items as a separate line in the till).
4. Watch the 15 March deadline for both reports (annual + SUP).

BDO is one of several duties waiting for a new venue owner. If you're just starting out, see our guide on opening a venue step by step - Sanepid, premises inspection and documents, and if you operate on the move - the requirements for food trucks at festivals and events. In parallel, Sanepid requires ready HACCP documentation before it will sign off the premises.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small foodservice venue need a BDO entry?

Yes. In foodservice the obligation to register in BDO does not depend on the scale of the business. Every restaurant, bar, café, food truck or takeaway generates waste as part of its economic activity, which means an entry in the register is required before starting operations.

How much does BDO registration cost?

The application for entry in the BDO register is free and submitted through the bdo.mos.gov.pl portal. Registered entities may be subject to an annual registration fee, but many micro-businesses are exempt. What matters is the fact of registering and keeping records.

By when must the BDO report be filed?

The annual report on generated waste and the SUP report are filed in the BDO system by 15 March for the previous calendar year. If the venue generated no waste, a zero report must still be filed.

What is the SUP fee and when do I charge it?

The SUP (Single Use Plastics) fee is a charge for single-use plastic packaging: PLN 0.20 for a drink cup and PLN 0.25 for a food container in 2026. You charge it to the customer on takeaway sales. You don't charge it when the customer brings their own cup or container, or when the packaging is 100% paper with no plastic coating.

What are the penalties for not registering in BDO?

Failing to enter the BDO register when required carries an administrative fine of PLN 1,000 to 1,000,000, imposed by the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection (WIOŚ). The fine is administrative - it requires no court proceedings and can be imposed automatically once a breach is found during an inspection.