A waste item lists more than five EWC codes
Each waste item on a receipt can list up to five EWC codes. This one listed more.
The message DEFRA sends
"wasteItems[0].ewcCodes" must contain no more than 5 EWC codes
The usual cause
- A mixed load was entered as one waste item with every code listed against it.
- A long list of codes was pasted into the code cell for one row.
How to fix it
- Split the load into more than one waste item, each with its own list of up to five codes.
- Keep each item to one waste with its own description, so the codes under it all describe that waste.
- If you can say which of the codes describe the load best, use those.
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.
Get the next guide by email
We write a plain-English guide whenever the Digital Waste Tracking rules move, and these reference pages get updated with them. Leave your email and the next one comes to you.
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.