Digital Waste Tracking: the What, Why, When and Who
Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) is arguably the most significant structural change to the whole UK waste industry for a generation. It’s true that the sector is going through a wide set of reforms beyond DWT, from the Collection and Packaging reforms (Simpler Recycling, EPR and DRS) to the MRF Regs and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) there is a lot happening, but no single shift affects the entire sector like DWT.
It will replace a fragmented system of paper notes, PDFs, spreadsheets and historic reporting with a single national system capturing details of each movement of waste digitally. It will create one version of the truth for every waste movement. It raises expectations of accuracy and accountability across the chain. And it will provide regulators with a level of oversight they have been lacking, making it easier to expose fraud and illegal activity.
While the roll out is staggered, the first to feel its effects will be ‘receiving sites’ – those who operate a licensed or permitted site. This shift affects waste operators in material ways. It changes daily workflows. It changes how data is created, updated and shared. It brings new transparency for regulators and industry and exposes weaknesses in existing processes. This could change the relationship between producers and receivers.
What is Digital Waste Tracking?
DWT creates a standard digital record for every movement of waste. This standard is consistent across the UK and essentially replicates the information currently contained in a hazardous waste consignment note (HWCN) plus specific information about if the waste contains POPs (persistent organic pollutants). It also contains digital specific elements like the tracking identifier and the receiving site API code (an API is an application programming interface – it is basically the connection between 2 bits of software).
For Phase 1, the record begins when waste is presented at a permitted or licensed site, what are referred to as receiving sites. It ends when the site confirms the weight, description and correct codes. The DWT system is likely to have two submission routes. The primary method is an API so the data flows directly from one piece of software to the central reporting system. The secondary method is in development and is likely to be a spreadsheet uploader for operators without software. This is intended to be a temporary measure, in place until at least October 2027. Details of this are still unclear and we believe there will be challenges around its viability as it must flatten a nested data model that is not naturally suited to rows and columns.
Why do we need Digital Waste Tracking?
The primary driver for the introduction of mandatory digital waste tracking is to tackle waste crime. Waste crime is estimated to cost the English economy over £1billion per year and according to the Environment Agency’s waste crime survey respondents believe that 20% of waste is illegally managed and 20% of operators are engaged in illegal activity. An independent review into serious and organised crime in the waste sector published in 2018 found that “The lack of digital record keeping in the waste industry is frequently exploited by organised criminals, as it provides ample opportunity to hide evidence of the systematic mishandling of waste”.
By digitising the documentation and reporting of waste it is believed that it will make it harder for criminals to operate under the veil of legitimacy and will provide the regulators much greater visibility of waste movements in a much more timely fashion allowing easier detection of non-compliance and suspicious activity.
A secondary driver is that we must understand our waste much better, and keep it in the legitimate sector, if we wish to achieve our ambitions of a circular economy. Waste that leaks out the system is unlikely to end up being treated as a resource, getting moved up the waste hierarchy and kept in its highest value state. Furthermore it is widely acknowledged that there is a significant data gap between our current understanding of the materials flowing through our value chains and where we need to be to truly unlock and enable the circular economy we need to meet humanity’s needs within a finite planet.
Who is obligated to do what?
Defra are starting with waste receiving sites, those that are permitted or licenced to receive waste. There are around 12,000 of these sites and the logic is that this provides a discreet group to start the service with to improve engagement and the development of the service. There is also much better data about these operators, compared to those operating under carrier, broker, dealer (CBD) licences or exemptions. Registered CBD licences and waste exemptions have around 300,000 and 150,000 operators against them respectively.
There is one notable exception to the requirement for reporting of receiving sites – household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). Operators of HWRCs will not need to record the receipt of waste from householders to the DWT service, but they will need to report commercial waste received. For England and Northern Ireland that obligation aligns with the roll out of Phase 1 (October 2026), for Scotland and Wales “this will come in the future”.
The process for Phase 2, when carriers, brokers and dealers will be covered by the service, is still not entirely clear, but is not due to land until October 2027.
There is a service charge fee payable. This will become payable for any legal entity that creates or edits records in the DWT service once it is mandatory. It will be an upfront fee of £26 for 12 months access. Software providers cannot pay on their users’ behalf.
For the time being and the immediate future after DWT comes in there is no change to the current reporting obligations, so operators are still expected to keep paper/digital waste transfer notes or hazardous waste consignment notes, submit their quarterly returns and hazardous waste consignee returns and all other duty of care obligations.
It is also worth noting that Waste Data Flow is not being looked at as part of this DWT work. Defra have outlined that it is a separate system covered by a separate team, but that they expect to align again in future.
When does this come into effect?
There is a staggered approach both in terms of who is obligated and which nation they are in. Mandatory reporting for receiving sites begins in October 2026 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and January 2027 for Scotland.
The Case for Early Readiness
Early readiness offers real commercial benefit. Operators that prepare now reduce disruption when the system becomes mandatory. They reduce compliance risk and cut the cost of correcting poor data. They become more credible partners for organisations that must demonstrate high duty of care standards. They can build stronger relationships with customers.
This is the start of a series of articles we’ll be publishing to help the sector prepare. Keep an eye out as we dig into the details of operational efficiency, data quality, producer expectations, movement workflows and the broader transition for the sector.
How Dsposal’s Paperwork Supports Operators Through the Change
Dsposal have been at the forefront of Digital Waste Tracking since 2018 when we were one of 5 companies contracted by Defra to carry out feasibility studies into a national digital waste tracking system. Where were released our findings into the open.
We took all that knowledge and experience and partnered with SME waste management companies to develop a software that would be ready for DWT but also deliver a range of benefits to users from day one – greater efficiencies, increased profits, reduced risk and improved customer satisfaction.
Dsposal's Paperwork already follows the operational pattern that digital waste tracking requires, designed around the real work operators do. It provides structured job creation, controlled handoffs and clean data. We were one of the few software developers in the private beta and have secured the credentials for Paperwork to integrate with the Receipt of Waste API, so our users are ready for October already.
Paperwork creates a single internal record which then receives the official tracking identifier if a submission is made. It avoids the need for operators to bridge gaps with manual steps, increases efficiency and helps ensure data quality because the workflow guides users through the correct sequence.
Conclusion
Digital waste tracking is a significant and unavoidable shift for the industry. It brings clarity to waste movements and removes long standing weaknesses in data. It also raises expectations for accuracy, process and accountability.
Operators that prepare early will move through the transition with less disruption and greater confidence. Paperwork gives them the structure they need. It supports the creation of accurate records. It aligns with the national service. It reduces compliance drift and strengthens supply chain assurance.
Built for the digital age, Paperwork, Dsposal’s cloud waste management platform, embraces mobile, social, analytics, and the latest emerging technologies. Bringing all of these elements together allows businesses to keep innovating and driving forwards.