Press
Facts about Digital Waste Tracking and about us that you can use in a story, each with a public source. Logos, films and how to reach us are at the bottom.
Last updated 11 October 2026
Digital Waste Tracking in brief
- What it is
- A national online record of controlled waste moving around the UK, run by the Environment Agency and DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Source: GOV.UK
- The law
- Section 58 of the Environment Act 2021 lets governments make rules for an electronic waste tracking system. In England those rules are the Digital Waste Tracking (England) Regulations 2026. Source: Environment Act 2021, England Regulations
- Why
- To tackle waste crime, which the government estimates costs the economy about £1 billion a year. Source: GOV.UK
- Receiving sites
- Permitted and licensed sites that take waste in report every load they receive. That's mandatory in England and Wales from October 2026, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland from January 2027. Source: GOV.UK, Report receipt of waste
- Carriers
- Waste carriers, brokers and dealers follow from October 2027. GOV.UK puts them at around 300,000 registrations, with around 150,000 registered exemption holders, who aren't in the first phase. Source: GOV.UK
- The government's charge
- £26 a year for each organisation on the account, covering all its receiving sites. It's separate from any software subscription. Source: Report receipt of waste
- Paper notes
- Still needed for now. GOV.UK says the paper method will run alongside the digital service at first, so operators keep filling in waste transfer notes and hazardous waste consignment notes where they're required. Source: GOV.UK
- Penalties
- In England, a £1,000 fixed penalty, variable penalties set by the Environment Agency, compliance notices, and criminal offences that carry fines. Source: England Regulations
CarrierNote in brief
- What it is
- Software for recording waste movements, built for small UK waste operators. Drivers fill in waste transfer notes on a phone, customers sign on screen, receiving sites log loads at the gate, and every note is checked against the rules before it's saved. Source: Product
- Who
- Founded by Steve Matthews, Jade Matthews and Oli Ryan, on the Wirral. CarrierNote is a product of Red Tape Software Ltd. Source: Company
- The GOV.UK list
- Added on 8 September to DEFRA's list of software providers for reporting receipt of waste. That means the software connects to DEFRA's service. It isn't an endorsement or a ranking, it doesn't say how the software did on DEFRA's tests, and the list isn't exhaustive. The row reads "Red Tape Software Limited | Carriernote.co.uk". Source: GOV.UK list, Our listing, Our test results
- Prices
- Pilot is free, with 10 waste movements a calendar month, one office login and one crew login, and no end date. Standard is £19.99, Pro £39.99 and Unlimited £99.99, each a month plus VAT, all with unlimited movements. Source: Pricing
- Sending to DEFRA
- For receiving sites, CarrierNote files the receipt for each load with DEFRA today. Carriers' notes are saved now and sent the moment DEFRA opens that step. Source: Product
- What we aren't
- A waste business. We're a software company: we don't carry waste or run a receiving site. Source: Company
Our own figures
Each month we count the upper-tier waste carrier, broker and dealer registrations on the Environment Agency’s public register, by English region, and publish the method beside the figures. They’re free to use in a story: waste carrier registrations by area.
About CarrierNote, in 80 words
CarrierNote is Digital Waste Tracking software for UK waste operators, built by a small team on the Wirral. Drivers fill in waste transfer notes on a phone at the kerbside, receiving sites log loads at the gate, and every record is checked against the rules and kept for as long as the law requires. CarrierNote is on the GOV.UK list of software providers for Digital Waste Tracking. It has a free plan for small operators. More at carriernote.co.uk.
Logos
SVG files, free to use when you write about us. Please don’t change the colours or stretch them.
Films
A demo of the app, a film for receiving sites, and short explainers on EWC codes, POPs and the two working day rule are on our YouTube channel. You’re welcome to embed them.
Press contact
Email support@carriernote.co.uk with “Press” in the subject, or use the contact form.