A dated record of what has changed in Digital Waste Tracking, the UK's online record of waste movements, since DEFRA first invited sites to test it. Each entry links the GOV.UK page or the law behind the change.
Last updated 23 October 2026
Receiving sites are the places with a permit or licence to take waste in, such as transfer stations and tips. Changes to the list of software providers on GOV.UK aren’t logged here, and an entry waits until a GOV.UK page or the law dates the change. For the dates that apply to you now, see the Digital Waste Tracking dates. To hear about a new entry, add this page’s RSS feed to your feed reader.
GOV.UK's software provider list rewrites what it says about DEFRA's tests
DEFRA updated the list's wording on its Production Approval Tests, the test scenarios it publishes for software that sends records to the service. As the page reads now, each provider on it has self-certified that its software meets the requirements, and must make clear which scenarios its software doesn't support. DEFRA also says buying software is at your own risk.
Receiving sites in England and Wales must now report what they take in
The England and the Wales Digital Waste Tracking regulations both came into force on 1 October 2026. From that day, most sites with a permit or licence to receive waste record the loads they accept on DEFRA's Report receipt of waste service, through software or DEFRA's spreadsheet. The regulations set out the exceptions.
The first £26 service charge is due by 31 January 2027
DEFRA charges £26 a year for each organisation on a Report receipt of waste account. Its guidance now says the first charge is due by 31 January 2027, and that an organisation registering later in the year still pays the full amount.
Local authorities can now register for the service
DEFRA removed its instruction that local authorities shouldn't register, so a council can now use Report receipt of waste. The same update says one spreadsheet can carry several loads, and that you start a new spreadsheet once you have sent one.
DEFRA's policy paper confirms Northern Ireland joins in January 2027
The policy paper now says the service becomes mandatory for receiving sites in Northern Ireland from January 2027, the same month as Scotland. England and Wales stay on October 2026.
DEFRA started a list of software that connects to Report receipt of waste, so a site can send its records straight from the software it uses. DEFRA says the list isn't exhaustive and that you can choose your own provider.
Report receipt of waste opened for public testing, so any permitted or licensed receiving site could start using it before it became mandatory. The same update said waste exemptions aren't part of phase 1, and that household waste recycling centres in Northern Ireland won't need to record waste in phase 1.
DEFRA plans a spreadsheet route for sites with no software
The policy paper added information on another way to send records, for receiving sites that don't run waste software. DEFRA said it was developing a spreadsheet for them, which its guidance linked later that year.