Next year, UK businesses will see one of the biggest waste management regulation changes that has occurred in decades.
DEFRA’s Digital Waste Tracking Service is set to come into effect in October 2026. This pioneering new legislation will make it mandatory for Waste receivers to provide reports for all of the waste that they receive.
Waste receivers will be required to report all waste received – and all of its following movements – in a digital reporting system.
This new legislation has been introduced with the aim of making the waste management sector more compliant and eco-conscious, with more transparent and carefully managed processes across the board.
In this article, our waste management experts have outlined everything you need to know about the DEFRA waste tracking system. This includes what businesses need to comply with the legislation, and the requirements that it will introduce.
What is mandatory waste tracking? (DEFRA)
The Digital Waste Tracking Service (DWTS) has been developed and introduced by The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The DWTS is a new digital platform, which will be rolled out nationwide.
With the platform, recording and reporting waste movements will become standardised and centralised across all waste management businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Until now, waste data is typically disordered and unregulated, with approaches varying significantly from business to business. Furthermore, this data is often recorded in a mix of paper-based and digital systems, making this key information very difficult to access, and often leading to data gaps and other inconsistencies.
The aim of the DWTS is to create a real-time digital record, which is centralised across the entire waste management sector. With this technology, comprehensive details can easily be accessed about waste’s origins, its movements, and its treatments.
This will help the sector to:
- Improve traceability across all waste types
- Operate in a more sustainable fashion
- Make businesses more accountable for proper waste management
- Minimise misreporting and illegal dumping
- Ensure more informed decision-making about the disposal, recovery and recycling of waste
When does this come into force?
DEFRA has stated that these new regulations are due to come into force in October 2026.
At that point, it will be a legal requirement for all UK waste receivers to record and report all waste that they receive, using the new DWTS system.
Will this affect my business?
DEFRA’s new requirements will apply to most waste management businesses operating in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This includes almost all businesses that are involved in waste production, transportation, management, treatment, handling and/or disposal.
Examples include landfills and treatment plants, recycling facilities, private waste contractors, waste transfer stations and local authorities. It will also apply to businesses that generate high volumes of waste.
Any businesses that fall into these categories will need to upgrade their systems, so that they can be integrated with the new DWTS software.
What do I need to do to become DEFRA compliant?
Once the law has come into force, all UK waste receivers must record and report the waste they receive through the DWTS system.
To keep your business compliant with this new legislation, you will need to start using this system to maintain these records before October 2026. All waste movements will need to be reported digitally.
It’s important to note that – while trials and pilot programmes are currently underway – the exact requirements of these upcoming regulations haven’t yet been finalised.
DEFRA has stated that it will publish these details shortly.
It may feel like October 2026 gives you loads of time to prepare. But in reality, the next 12 months will fly by, and this legislation may require some significant changes for your business, teams and daily processes.
So, it’s essential that you start preparing for this legislation change as soon as possible.
If you want to speak to an expert about this new legislation – and what it will mean for your business – EnviroCraft’s professional team of waste management specialists are on hand to offer their guidance.
To find out more about our specialist services, or to enlist EnviroCraft to support your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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