EWC code is not on the official list
The code has the right shape, six digits, but DEFRA could not find it in its copy of the official list of waste codes.
The message DEFRA sends
"wasteItems[0].ewcCodes[0]" must be a valid EWC code from the official list
The usual cause
- Two digits swapped or one mistyped.
- The first four digits are a real heading, and the last two are not a real entry under it.
- A code taken from a different system, such as an internal product code.
How to fix it
- Look the code up in the List of Wastes and copy it again.
- If you are unsure which entry fits the waste, work from the chapter and heading down.
Fix the value in your software or spreadsheet, then send the receipt again.
Sources
- DEFRA waste-movement-utils on GitHub: the shared validator code that DEFRA's receipt services pin, published under the Open Government Licence
- DEFRA waste-tracking-service on GitHub: the Receipt API specification
The message wording and the formats listed come from DEFRA's validator code, version 1.18.0, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The causes and fixes are our reading of its rules.
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Start on the free plan
CarrierNote is on the GOV.UK software provider list, connected to DEFRA's Digital Waste Tracking service. Receiving sites are in scope from October 2026 and carriers from October 2027, and you can be recording to DEFRA's standard from your first load, whenever you start.