Practical guide · England and Wales
Digital waste tracking: a checklist for waste receiving sites
If your site is permitted or licensed to receive controlled waste, prepare a repeatable process for recording each load and reporting it to the government’s Report receipt of waste service.
Guidance checked 17 September 2026. Check the latest DEFRA requirements before relying on a deadline or exception.
The essentials
- Who: permitted or licensed receivers of controlled waste in England and Wales, subject to the exceptions in DEFRA’s guidance.
- When: reporting starts on 1 October 2026. Submit each receipt within two working days, starting the day after receipt.
- Keep doing: complete waste transfer notes, hazardous waste consignment notes and relevant returns where required. Digital reporting initially runs alongside them.
Check whether the rules apply to your site
Start with your permit or licence and the types of waste you receive. DEFRA says the service applies to permitted operations, installations and mobile plants that receive controlled waste. Its guidance also lists exceptions for certain household waste recycling centre receipts and a separate process for people who qualify as digitally excluded.
Action: record which sites, permits and receipt types your team will report. If your position is unclear, check the official eligibility guidance or ask your regulator.
Prepare the information for each load
Bring the movement, carrier and receiving site details together before submission. You will also need the appropriate waste classification code, commonly called a List of Waste or EWC code. Depending on the load, further details may include recovery or disposal codes, hazardous properties and persistent organic pollutants.
Action: make a field-by-field checklist from DEFRA’s data requirements. Use the Environment Agency classification guidance to determine the correct code; do not guess one from a similar load.
Check the carrier and destination
Waste duty of care remains relevant. Check that the next waste holder is authorised and that the destination can accept the waste. Keep the carrier’s registration and the receiving site’s permit or exemption details with the movement record.
Action: verify registrations and permits against the relevant public register and note when you checked them. The waste duty of care code explains the checks and the information to pass on.
Set a reporting workflow with an owner and deadline
Decide who records a delivery, who reviews the data and who submits it. DEFRA’s two-working-day clock starts the day after receipt and excludes weekends and bank holidays. For example, a Monday receipt normally needs a submission and unique reference by 11:59pm Wednesday.
Action: set a daily review for missing information and failed submissions. DEFRA says submission errors must be corrected within the same two-working-day window. Save the resulting tracking reference against the movement.
Practise with a real-world sample
Choose one ordinary load and one more complex load, such as hazardous waste if your site accepts it. Follow each from arrival through classification, party checks, review and submission. Make sure the team can find the source documents and tracking reference later.
Action: test your chosen reporting method, document who handles errors and retain your existing notes and returns. The new service does not initially replace those records.
A simple receipt-day checklist
- Confirm the load matches its description and your site can accept it.
- Record the date, waste details, classification and movement parties.
- Check any hazardous or POPs information that applies.
- Review and submit within the two-working-day window.
- Keep the tracking reference with the existing movement paperwork.