Digital Waste Tracking
What is digital waste tracking?
Digital Waste Tracking comes out of the UK Government’s 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy. It is a digital replacement for collection notes, annual waste transfer notes, and consignment notes, eliminating the need for paper records and improving traceability. It will form a centralised system for tracking waste movements, creating a clearer, digital record of what waste has been moved, handled, received, treated, recovered and disposed of.
Digital Waste Tracking is being rolled out in the UK in two phases
Private testing for Phase 1 began in Autumn 2025 with wider public testing already underway. This phase goes live in October 2026 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Scotland coming in scope from January 2027. Phase 1 applies to permitted and licensed waste receiving sites such as recycling centres, landfills and treatment facilities.
Reconomy has been working with Defra on Phase 2 scenarios with system testing due to commence in Autumn 2026. It will be mandatory for anyone who collects, transports, controls or arranges the movement of waste to submit data via the Digital Waste Tracking portal from October 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
There will be no exemptions based on company size, sector, or industry. By including both receivers and collectors, a clear picture of waste management across the UK is created, allowing regulators to better identify poor practice, support legitimate operators and reduce opportunities for waste crime. Receiver sites operating with an exemption permit are not currently included in either phase 1 or phase 2 of Digital Waste Tracking. Household waste received at HWRCs (civic amenity sites) does not have to be recorded in Phase 1 of the DWT service. Commercial waste accepted at HWRCs is expected to be in scope in some nations. For England and Northern Ireland, policy updates indicate operators may need to record commercial waste received at permitted HWRCs.
Digital waste tracking is expected to cover most household, commercial, industrial, construction and demolition waste, including both hazardous and non-hazardous waste. It will replace existing paper-based records such as Waste Transfer Notes and Hazardous Waste Consignment Notes, creating a clearer digital record of how waste moves through the waste chain.
Digital waste tracking will record key information about each waste movement, creating a clearer digital trail from the point the waste is produced through to its final treatment or disposal.
This is expected to include details such as the type of waste, the relevant waste code, the quantity of waste, where it was produced, who produced it, who collected or transported it, the sites it was moved between, and how it was treated or disposed of. It may also include details about any brokers, dealers or intermediaries involved in arranging the movement.
By capturing this information digitally, businesses will have a more consistent record of where their waste goes, who handles it and whether it has been managed in line with duty of care requirements.