The UK government has confirmed that all permitted waste sites must begin using a new digital tracking system from October 2026. The phased rollout is designed to modernise how waste is monitored across the UK, with support promised for smaller and less digitally advanced operators.
The UK government has confirmed a firm go-live date for its long-anticipated Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) Service, announcing that mandatory use will begin from October 2026. The announcement marks a key step in the country’s plans to overhaul how waste movements are recorded and monitored, aiming to reduce illegality in the system and drive improvements in environmental performance.
Initially, the digital requirements will apply only to permitted and licensed waste receiving sites, who will be legally obliged to record all waste movements via the centralised system. To ease the transition, a private beta phase will launch in Autumn 2025, followed by a public beta in Spring 2026.
From April 2027, the scope will widen to include a broader range of actors such as waste carriers, brokers, dealers, and exempt site operators. More detail on this second phase is expected by September this year.
As we move towards mandatory compliance in October 2026, it’s essential that receivers of all sizes are fully supported to engage with the system, test it, and build it into their operations.
The new system will require detailed data to be submitted for each waste transfer, including classification codes, movement references, and treatment outcomes. API support will be provided to integrate with existing business systems, while CSV uploads and manual input will remain for those with fewer digital capabilities.
David Gudgeon, head of external affairs at Reconomy Connect, welcomed the update: “The clarity around phased implementation is welcome and provides a crucial opportunity for waste operators and processors to prepare for one of the most significant digital transformations the sector has ever seen.
“As we move towards mandatory compliance in October 2026, it’s essential that receivers of all sizes are fully supported to engage with the system, test it, and build it into their operations.
We now look forward to further clarity on what will fall under ‘waste receiving sites’ and the service fee model – both of which will be critical to ensuring DWT delivers on its potential to reduce waste crime, drive materials up the waste hierarchy, and turbocharge the UK’s transition to a circular economy.”
Household waste collections and trips to HWRCs will remain outside the scope of the system for now. Defra also confirmed it will introduce legislation to support alternative submission methods for digitally excluded operators and that fees for using the service will be shared in full before rollout begins.
Industry engagement sessions are planned in the coming months, with a new technical working group to be formed to help shape how API integrations will work across diverse digital platforms.
A Defra spokesperson said: “Mandatory digital waste tracking will help us move towards a circular economy by providing the best possible information on the movement of waste, making it harder for the rogue operators and organised waste criminals whose illegal activities cost the UK economy £1 billion annually.
“The phased roll-out from April 2026 follows extensive engagement with industry and will provide users with the necessary time to prepare, ensuring an effective and user-friendly service.”
- Waste crime is toxic. It causes widespread and significant harm to people, places, the environment, the economy, and law and order. Waste criminals are often involved in other types of offending such as drugs, firearms, and human trafficking.
- Waste criminals use violence and intimidation to get their way. They make huge profits by breaking the law and not paying tax.
- The results from of the Environment Agency’s national waste crime survey 2023 show that 18% of waste may be handled illegally at some point in the waste supply chain, which is around 34 million tonnes of waste every year, enough to fill 4 million skips.
- The UK Government, working with Governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, is committed to tackling waste crime, which costs the UK economy approximately £1bn annually.
- To help tackle the problem of illegal waste practices and outdated record-keeping, we are introducing mandatory digital waste tracking. This new system will replace paper-based methods with a modern digital platform, aiming to:
- Protect the environment from organised waste criminals and reduce the illegal dumping of waste.
- Safeguard public health by ensuring waste is responsibly managed.
- Promote economic fairness by supporting compliant businesses.
- Advance the circular economy by improving resource recovery and recycling.
- Following a review of implementation options and assessment of international best practice, it has been shown that building the service incrementally in phases will help to ensure a stable, effective, and user-friendly service and provide users with sufficient time to transition.
- Digital waste tracking will become available for all permitted and licensed sites receiving waste in April 2026 and mandatory for permitted and licensed waste receiving sites from October 2026 in the first phase.
- The expansion of the service for other operators is planned for April 2027. Further details will follow in due course.