Digital waste tracking is mandatory from October 2026, are you prepared?
Defra confirms timeline for Digital Waste Tracking rollout!
The UK’s mandatory Digital Waste Tracking service is rolling out to eliminate paper records, improve transparency, and combat waste crime.
Mandatory Digital Waste Tracking was first announced as part of the government’s 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy, which set out plans to “provide a comprehensive way to see what is happening to the waste produced in the UK”.
The programme aims to replace existing fragmented paper-based systems with a single, UK-wide digital service for tracking waste movements online.
Once fully implemented, it is intended to improve transparency, reduce waste crime, and provide regulators and policymakers with better data on how waste is produced, managed and treated.
Compliance happens in two primary phases across the waste supply chain:
- Phase 1 (Receiving Sites): Becomes mandatory on 1st October 2026 for all operators of permitted or licensed waste receiving sites in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, this mandate takes effect in January 2027.
- Phase 2 (Collectors & Brokers): Becomes mandatory from October 2027 for waste carriers, brokers, dealers, and waste exporters.
Operators must record the types, quantities, and destinations of waste movements electronically via either an API connection or a temporary spreadsheet.
Digital Waste Tracking Guidance:
- General requirements -> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-waste-tracking-service/digital-waste-tracking-service
- Digital waste tracking goes live -> https://environmentagency.blog.gov.uk/2026/04/30/digital-waste-tracking-goes-live-a-major-step-forward-in-stopping-waste-crime/
- Reporting waste received, using a spreadsheet and costs -> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-receipt-of-waste
- Digital waste software providers -> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-receipt-of-waste-choose-a-software-provider/report-receipt-of-waste-choose-a-software-provider
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