The complete guide to UK waste receipt reporting
Everything operators of licensed or permitted UK waste-receiving sites need to know about DEFRA's new digital reporting rules. Free, plain English, no sign-up.
DEFRA's new Digital Waste Tracking service replaces the patchwork of paper waste transfer notes, consignment notes and quarterly returns. From October 2026, every receipt of waste at a licensed or permitted site in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must be reported digitally — either through your software via DEFRA's API, or by uploading the official receipt-of-waste spreadsheet.
Start here
Do these rules apply to me?
Eligibility, exclusions, and the consultant/representative case.
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Step 2Deadlines and key dates
The 2-working-day rule, phase-in dates, and the £26/year service charge.
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Step 3API or spreadsheet — which is right for you?
Side-by-side comparison and a quick decision tree.
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Step 4Every field you need to report
Plain-English data dictionary covering all 40+ fields, grouped by section.
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Walkthroughs
Fill in the spreadsheet template
Step-by-step: download, fill movement and item rows, avoid common pitfalls, upload.
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Connect via DEFRA's API
Get your 6-digit API code, hand it to your software provider, and start submitting.
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Code references
EWC code lookup
Searchable list of all 800+ European Waste Catalogue codes.
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Disposal & recovery codes
D1–D15 and R1–R13, with the official descriptions.
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Hazardous & POPs
HP_1–HP_15 hazardous property codes, plus the full POPs list.
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Validate your spreadsheet before you submit
Upload your filled DEFRA receipt-of-waste template and we'll flag missing fields, invalid codes, and rule violations — for free.