Digital waste tracking for carriers and brokers: what's coming

Phase 1: receiving sites go first

Digital waste tracking started with the sites that receive waste. From October 2026 (January 2027 in Northern Ireland and Scotland), all organisations that are licensed or permitted to receive waste must use the report receipt of waste service. They must submit a record for each load within 2 working days, starting the day after the waste arrives.

Defra chose to start there because it has accurate numbers for permitted sites, unlike carriers, brokers and dealers, where people may have registered but not be actively operating. The same paper puts the number of registered carriers, brokers and dealers at about 300,000.

Phase 2: who it covers and when

Defra's policy paper calls phase 2 the service for waste carriers, brokers and dealers, and uses the term "waste collectors" for this group. It lists these planned dates:

Treat these as targets. Defra introduces them as dates planned for the development of the digital service and accompanying legislation. At the time of writing (October 2026) we could find no phase 2 regulations on legislation.gov.uk for any UK nation, and the timetable has moved before: the same page notes that in February 2025 the service was announced for April 2026. Our digital waste tracking timeline keeps every date in one place, by nation, and we update it when the plan moves.

Defra's impact assessment for the phase 1 regulations describes the phase 2 group the same way. It says all other actors in the waste chain (carriers, brokers and dealers) would be onboarded and required to submit information on waste movements and treatment from October 2027. It also says exempting small or micro businesses would undermine the objectives of the scheme, so don't expect a small-firm opt-out.

What carriers and brokers may have to record

The honest answer: the detail hasn't been published. Defra's impact assessment says the specifics of the digital solution for phase 2 have not yet been confirmed. For its costings it assumed an API option plus a temporary backup for businesses without waste software, but that is an assumption, not a decision.

The best guide to the direction of travel is the 2023 government response to the UK-wide consultation. It was written when a single go-live date was planned, so some of it may change. It said:

• The service will replace the existing requirements to complete waste transfer notes and hazardous waste consignment notes, so the information on those documents will feature in the service.
• Preliminary details would be entered before the waste is moved, creating a unique reference. The person arranging the movement would enter them, and the government expected this to be a waste carrier on behalf of a waste producer in most cases.
• The carrier and the receiving site would confirm their part of the waste movement as soon as reasonably possible but in any case within 2 working days.
• There would be a simple way to record frequent regular movements of the same waste between the same parties (a "season ticket").
• Producers who let a carrier or broker create records for them would need to confirm that the details are correct.

None of this is law yet. Wait for the phase 2 regulations and guidance before changing how you work.

How phase 1 affects you today

Phase 1 doesn't put any new duty on carriers or brokers. It does mean the sites you deliver to now record your details digitally. In England, each record must include the name of the person who transported the controlled waste, their carrier registration number (or the reason there isn't one), any broker or dealer who arranged the transport, the vehicle registration number for each vehicle used, the waste codes and weights, and for hazardous waste the consignment note code. Wales has its own list, which also covers waste movement, carrier and receiver details.

Regulators intend to use this. Defra's impact assessment says it will use information about waste carriers provided by waste receivers from October 2026 to identify waste carriers that are operating without a carrier's registration.

Your paperwork stays the same. GOV.UK says the current paper-based method of tracking waste will initially continue to run alongside the new digital service, so waste transfer notes, Annex VII forms and hazardous waste consignment notes are still needed. SEPA says the same for Scotland: the new regulations will not immediately remove or change any of your existing duty of care or waste reporting requirements.

England: registrations are becoming permits

Separately from digital tracking, England is replacing carrier, broker and dealer registration. Defra will replace existing registrations with a 'standard rules' environmental permit or a registered exemption, with three permit types: waste controller, waste transporter, and combined controller-transporter. Skip companies and waste collection companies are given as examples of controller-transporters.

The law for this is The Environmental Permitting (Waste Controlling or Transporting) and Relevant Functions of Primary Authorities (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/873). It was made on 22 July 2026, and most of it comes into force at the end of 12 months starting on that date. Once the new system is live, upper-tier registrants will be required to apply for the relevant permit when their registration is due for renewal. Lower-tier registrants who need a permit or exemption must get one within 12 months of go-live.

So English carriers face two changes close together: a new permit regime and, on Defra's plan, digital tracking from October 2027. The policy paper on the reforms says the duty of care code of practice will be amended in due course to reflect these reforms and the introduction of a digital waste tracking service. This reform applies to England only.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Digital waste tracking is a UK-wide service, but each nation makes its own rules and has its own regulator.

• England: the Environment Agency. Phase 2 is planned for October 2027, as above.
• Scotland: SEPA. Phase 1 starts on 1 January 2027, and phase 2 regulations are currently under development and are expected to come into force in October 2027.
• Wales: Natural Resources Wales, which will be enforcing the Regulations. The Welsh Government's page covers phase 1 only and says nothing yet about phase 2. Defra's UK-wide timeline does not give separate dates for Wales.
• Northern Ireland: DAERA. Phase 2 public beta, for the rest of the waste industry, is expected in Spring 2027 with a mandatory date planned for October 2027.

Exempt sites, producers and exports

Registered waste exemptions are not part of phase 1. Defra says waste exemptions will be included in a later phase, with no date given. Tracking for green list waste exports and imports will be built into a future phase.

No date has been published for when producers come in. The 2023 response expected producers to confirm records that carriers or brokers create for them, as above.

What to do now

None of these steps is a legal requirement for phase 2 yet. They are sensible preparation, based on what receivers already record and what Defra has said so far.

1. Keep your registration current. Receiving sites record your registration number on every load. In England, plan for the move to a permit when your registration next comes up for renewal.
2. Keep doing your notes. Waste transfer notes and consignment notes are still required, so keep completing and keeping them.
3. Get your records digital. Defra's approach is built around software that sends data through an API. If you still work on paper, start looking at your options now rather than in 2027.
4. Record vehicle registrations for every load. Receivers in England must record the registration of each vehicle used.
5. Get waste codes and weights right. Receivers record a waste code and weight for each load, so give accurate EWC codes and say whether a weight is estimated or actual.
6. Talk to the sites you tip at. Find out what details they need from your drivers now that they report every load.
7. Watch for the phase 2 rules. Check Defra's policy paper and your regulator's pages (Environment Agency, SEPA, Natural Resources Wales or DAERA) for the regulations and guidance.

Common questions

When will digital waste tracking be mandatory for waste carriers and brokers?

Defra has planned mandatory use from October 2027, after a private beta from autumn 2026 and a public beta from spring 2027. These are planned dates, not law: at the time of writing no phase 2 regulations had been published for any UK nation.

Do waste carriers have to report anything to digital waste tracking now?

No, phase 1 puts no new duty on carriers or brokers. But receiving sites now record your details on every load, and in England that includes your name, your carrier registration number and the registration of each vehicle used.

Will digital waste tracking replace waste transfer notes?

Not yet. GOV.UK says the paper-based method will initially continue to run alongside the new digital service, so waste transfer notes and hazardous waste consignment notes are still needed. The 2023 government response planned for the service to replace waste transfer notes and hazardous waste consignment notes, but that is not law yet.

What will carriers have to record under phase 2?

The detail hasn't been published: Defra says the specifics of the digital solution for phase 2 have not yet been confirmed. The 2023 government response planned for details to be entered before the waste is moved, with the carrier and receiving site confirming their part within 2 working days.

Will small waste carriers be exempt from digital waste tracking?

Don't expect a small-firm opt-out. Defra's impact assessment says exempting small or micro businesses would undermine the objectives of the scheme.

Check the official guidance

This guide is based on these pages. Rules change, so check them for the latest position.

• Developing the digital waste tracking service (Defra and Welsh Government, GOV.UK)
• Report receipt of waste (Defra, GOV.UK)
• Digital waste tracking: check if you need to report the waste you receive (Defra and Welsh Government, GOV.UK)
• Implementation of mandatory digital waste tracking: government response (Defra, GOV.UK)
• Introduction of mandatory Digital Waste Tracking: impact assessment (Defra, legislation.gov.uk)
• The Digital Waste Tracking (England) Regulations 2026, Schedule 1 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Reforming the waste carrier broker and dealer system (Defra, GOV.UK)
• The Environmental Permitting (Waste Controlling or Transporting) and Relevant Functions of Primary Authorities (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Digital waste tracking (SEPA)
• Mandatory digital waste tracking system (Welsh Government)
• Digital Waste Tracking (DAERA)