Digital waste tracking: who records what, from when.
Short answer
Digital waste tracking is the government’s online service for recording waste movements. Since 1 October 2026, permitted sites in England and Wales record every load they receive within two working days.
Scotland and Northern Ireland follow in January 2027; carriers, brokers and dealers record their own movements from October 2027. Waste transfer notes and consignment notes continue meanwhile.
- Received
- Thu 1 Oct 2026 · 09:14
- Waste
- EWC 17 09 04 · mixed construction and demolition
- Carrier
- Northmill Skips Ltd
- Weight
- 6.42 t · ticket 4481
- Record by
- end of Mon 5 Oct · 2 working days
evreka.ai is an evreka.co product.
- 12 years in waste operations
- 30+ countries
- 10,000+ users
UMUTCAN APPROVAL: 30+ countries (evreka.ai) vs 25+ (evreka.co); align before launch
Which dates apply to you?
England and Wales unless marked. Checked on 3 November 2026.
| When | What happens | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Apr 2026done | Public beta opens. Receiving sites can report voluntarily. | Receiving sites |
| 1 Oct 2026in force | Mandatory in England (SI 2026/729) and Wales. Each load is recorded by the end of the second working day after receipt. | Permitted receivers: tips, transfer stations, treatment sites |
| Autumn 2026 | Private beta for carriers, brokers and dealers. | Carriers, brokers, dealers |
| Jan 2027next | Receiving sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland start. | Receiving sites |
| Spring 2027 | Public beta for carriers, brokers and dealers. | Carriers, brokers, dealers |
| Oct 2027mandatory | You record your own movements, through software or a spreadsheet. | Carriers, brokers, dealers |
| Until further notice | Waste transfer notes and consignment notes continue beside the digital record. | Everyone who moves waste |
- £26service charge a year
- £1,000fixed penalty
- No upper limitvariable penalty
- Prosecutionunlimited fine
Sources are listed at the end of the page. A summary, not legal advice.
What goes into each record?
The receiving site records what arrived and who brought it. Each record carries the EWC code and the carrier’s details, with POPs or hazardous data where they apply.
Who is in scope?
The Scottish Government’s impact assessment counts 11,765 receiving sites and 117,853 carriers, brokers and dealers in scope across the UK.
Most are small. The Regulatory Policy Committee counts 71.5% of businesses in scope as micro firms and 21.5% as small.
Government estimates put software at about £158 a year per business, plus 4 to 8 hours to learn the service.
Which software can report to Defra?
Defra publishes a list, “Report receipt of waste: choose a software provider”. On 23 October 2026 it had about 238 rows, up from 25 in July. The list says it is not exhaustive.
A straight answer. evreka.ai is not on the list (23 October 2026 version).
It drafts each record from your jobs, lifts or intakes and flags loads still open on day two. You submit through the government service or your listed software. UMUTCAN APPROVAL: Defra listing; integrate with the Receipt of Waste API and apply for the list, or keep “sits on top of your listed system”
Are transfer notes going digital?
Not yet. Waste transfer notes and consignment notes continue until further notice, beside the digital record. Until Defra says otherwise, you run both.
What else changes for carriers?
Carrier, broker and dealer registration is being replaced by standard-rules permits. There are three types: controller, transporter, or both. Skip firms are named as controller-transporters.
Permits need technical competence and renew every three years. The permit number must appear in your adverts.
The policy paper of 22 August 2025 set no go-live date. Clyde & Co expect it fully in force during 2027, with a 12-month transition.
Upper-tier carriers move over at renewal, across about three years. Lower-tier carriers apply within 12 months.
What it means for your operation
- Skip hire
Your tip already records you.
Each skip you tip is recorded within two working days, with your carrier details. If your transfer station in England or Wales holds a permit, you have been a receiver since 1 October 2026.
One day in a skip yard → - Commercial collection
Every round ends in a record.
The tip records each round’s load now. From October 2027 you record every movement yourself, while transfer notes and consignment notes continue.
One round, start to finish → - ITAD and AATF
Every inbound load, recorded.
An AATF, or an ITAD site receiving waste under a permit, must record every inbound load within two working days. That sits beside your quarterly WEEE Online returns.
One client lot, end to end →
Four mistakes we see
Thinking it starts for you in 2027
Your tip has recorded your loads, with your carrier details, since 1 October 2026.
Instead: send every load with its EWC code, so the tip’s record matches yours.
Recording loads at the end of the week
A receiving site has two working days per load, and a breach can cost a £1,000 fixed penalty.
Instead: record at the weighbridge, the day the load arrives.
Dropping the transfer note
Transfer notes and consignment notes continue until further notice.
Instead: keep issuing them; the digital record runs beside them.
Leaving the permit reform until renewal
Registration becomes a three-year permit that needs technical competence.
Instead: prepare the competence evidence and fee for the permit application now.
Where these facts come from
- GOV.UK: check if you need to report the waste you receive (updated 19 October 2026)
- Environment Agency: digital waste tracking goes live (30 April 2026)
- Defra: Report receipt of waste, choose a software provider
- Regulatory Policy Committee opinion (7 May 2026) and the Scottish Government impact assessment
- GOV.UK: reforming the waste carrier, broker and dealer system (22 August 2025)
- Burges Salmon and Clyde & Co (August 2026, June 2026) briefings
As of 3 November 2026. A summary, not legal advice.
What operators ask first
I only carry waste. Do I need to report yet?
Not until October 2027. A private beta runs from autumn 2026 and a public beta from spring 2027. Until then, the sites you tip at record your loads.
How quickly must a receiving site record a load?
By the end of the second working day after receipt. That has applied in England and Wales since 1 October 2026; Scotland and Northern Ireland follow in January 2027.
What does it cost, and what are the penalties?
The service charge is £26 a year. A breach can bring a £1,000 fixed penalty, a variable penalty with no upper limit, or prosecution.
Can I report with a spreadsheet?
Yes. Records can go in through software or by spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet route stays until at least October 2027.
Is evreka.ai on Defra’s software list?
No, not on the version of 23 October 2026. evreka.ai drafts the records from your jobs; you submit through the government service or your listed software. UMUTCAN APPROVAL: same Defra listing decision as the straight answer above
Twenty minutes on your records.
What you get in 20 minutes
- Your loads, checked. Which fields your job records already carry, and which are missing.
- Your dates. Receiver since 1 October 2026, carrier from October 2027, or both.
- A straight answer on software. Where evreka.ai fits beside the government service or your listed software.
Free. No preparation needed. Google Meet, in English. UMUTCAN APPROVAL: who takes the English calls (the 20-minute Cal.com event operations-call is live)
Calendar
Umutcan’s free times open here.
Pick a time; the Google Meet link arrives by email.
Prefer email? Send Umutcan one line about your operation: umutcan@evreka.co