This accessibility statement applies to the National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD) website at https://npwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/.

This website is run by the Environment Agency. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

Screen reader users

• Screen reader users may find in-page navigation difficult because there are no landmark elements, and some heading levels are incorrect.
• Screen reader users may have difficulty reading data tables because the row and column headers are not identified correctly.
• Screen reader users may experience excessive “noise” due to the table-based layout.
• Screen reader users may find some pages difficult to understand because lists are not identified, so the list items cannot be differentiated from the surrounding paragraphs.
• Screen reader users may have difficulty filling in forms because the textboxes, checkboxes and radio buttons are not explicitly labelled.
• Screen reader users are not automatically notified if errors occur when submitting forms.
• The Annex VII form is a scanned image, so screen reader users cannot fill it in.
• Screen reader users may have difficulty reading some PDFs because headings and lists have not been identified.
• Screen reader users may have difficulty reading some Excel files because there are no instructions to explain the complex layout or the relationship between the worksheets.

Low vision

• People with low vision or colour perception impairment may have difficulty reading some combinations of text colour and background colour.
• People with low vision or colour perception impairment may have difficulty seeing some textbox borders.
• People with low vision or colour perception impairment may have difficulty seeing some focus indicators when using keyboard navigation.
• The text will not reflow in a single column when you reduce the size of the browser window or increase the browser zoom level above 175%, so it is necessary to scroll both vertically and horizontally.

Keyboard navigation

• Forms that contain date fields cannot be navigated using just a keyboard.
• Keyboard navigation is slow because there are no “skip to content” links to bypass the menus.

Voice recognition software

• Voice recognition software users may have difficulty filling in forms because the textboxes, checkboxes and radio buttons are not explicitly labelled. It is necessary to use generic commands such as “click edit box”, then choose the appropriate numbered field.

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, email packaging@environment-agency.gov.uk. We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.

It is possible to visit our offices in person. Our offices have audio induction loops, or we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. Find out how to contact us to arrange a visit.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email packaging@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Environment Agency is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• One PDF contains a scanned image of a form (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1)
• Most pages do not contain any landmarks (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1)
• Some headings are the wrong level (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1)
• Row and column headers are not marked-up in data tables (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1)
• In many cases, tables have been used to control the layout, but they do not have the attribute role=”presentation”, so they are incorrectly treated as data tables (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1)
• In most cases, lists are not marked-up correctly (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1)
• Some PDFs are not tagged, so semantic structure (such as headings, lists and data tables) is not conveyed programmatically (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1)
• Date pickers are not keyboard accessible because they do not receive focus (WCAG 2.1 SC 2.1.1)
• The textboxes associated with the date pickers are keyboard traps (WCAG 2.1 SC 2.1.2)
• There are no “skip to content” links to bypass the blocks of repeated content on every page (WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1)
• The default human language is not set on any page (WCAG 2.1 SC 3.1.1)
• There are HTML validation errors on most pages (WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.1)
• Most form controls do not have accessible names (WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2)
• Many combinations of text and background colour do not have sufficient colour contrast (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.4.3)
• A horizontal scrollbar is displayed on all pages at zoom levels of 175% or above in a window of 1280px width (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.4.10)
• Most focus indicators and some textbox borders do not have sufficient colour contrast against the background (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.4.11)
• The error messages on some pages cannot be programmatically determined through role or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without receiving focus (WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.3)

Disproportionate burden

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues and we believe that doing so would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations because the service will be retired soon.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Not applicable.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 20 January 2022.

GOV.UK guidance was followed on deciding how to check the website and it was tested as follows:

1. An automated website mapping tool was used to identify all the pages and documents on the website that can be accessed without submitting forms.
2. All these pages were manually assessed to determine the minimum representative subset of pages that needed to be tested.
3. A demonstration of the service was conducted, covering the pages that the automated mapping tool was not able to cover. We jointly agreed which additional pages needed to be tested.
4. A manual WCAG audit was conducted on the representative subset of pages.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will review what audit recommendations we can fix, and we will update this page when issues are fixed.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 11 May 2022. It was last reviewed on 11 May 2022.