Miguel Varela, founder of TEIMAS GLOBAL SL, explains why now is the time to make UK’s waste tracking system simpler and more consistent.
The UK’s Digital Waste Tracking Service is designed to consolidate existing processes into a single digital system, enhancing visibility of waste movements, minimising administrative friction, and providing the data necessary to support compliance and long-term circular economy objectives.
Across Europe, countries such as Poland, Italy, Spain and Portugal, have implemented fully digital national platforms for waste tracking years ago to move beyond paper-based and fragmented systems.
This shift has delivered stronger regulatory compliance and far more reliable and usable data. Let’s look at how these systems operate and the challenges they address in waste management within their respective territories.
Why go digital?
For many waste producers and managers, this might sound very familiar: a transfer note missing a signature, a code entered differently by the producer and the carrier, an auditor asking for proof of final destination, and months later, the documents are scattered across emails, folders, and filing cabinets.
None of these issues are exceptional. They are everyday situations caused by systems that rely on manual processes, duplicated data entry and disconnected actors. While digital waste tracking doesn’t remove responsibility, it does remove a large amount of friction.
When systems are digital by default, mandatory fields prevent incomplete records, validations flag incorrect waste codes or quantities immediately, and all parties work from the same dataset. In short, problems are detected before the truck leaves the site, not during an inspection months later.
When waste movements are managed through digital systems rather than paper-based or disconnected processes, the improvements tend to show up:
Fewer errors and less rework
Digital records introduce structure where manual processes rely on repetition and interpretation. Mandatory fields, consistent data formats and basic validations reduce the likelihood of incomplete or inconsistent documentation.
As a result, organisations spend less time correcting records or dealing with issues caused by avoidable administrative errors.
Clearer traceability across the chain
When information about waste movements is captured digitally and shared across authorised actors, it becomes easier to maintain a continuous record from origin to destination.
This reduces information gaps and makes it harder for movements to go unrecorded. For compliant operators, this clarity acts as a safeguard rather than an additional control burden.
Data that can actually be used
Perhaps the most significant change is that digital systems generate data that goes beyond basic compliance.
Producers and managers gain a clearer picture of how much waste they generate, how different streams are managed and where inefficiencies or improvement opportunities may lie.
That visibility is increasingly important for cost control, internal reporting, ESG requirements and longer-term circular economy strategies.
From compliance tool to circular infrastructure
There is a final, often overlooked benefit. Once waste data is reliable, structured and timely, it enables better planning for recycling capacity, supports secondary material markets with trustworthy information, allows regulators to target real risks, and gives producers the evidence they increasingly need to demonstrate environmental performance.
What do digital waste control systems in Europe look like?
Let’s look at a selection of countries that have already implemented digital waste control systems.
These are just a few examples, as many other European countries, and don’t include France and Germany, and even the EU itself, which have introduced some form of digital waste control.
Spain, e-SIR
Spain’s e-SIR (Sistema Español de Información de Residuos) was introduced via legislation enacted in 2020.
This system comprises three components:
- a national waste register covering producers, carriers and treatment facilities;
- a repository for waste transfer notifications;
- and identification documents; and an annual reporting module for waste operators.
Electronic submissions are mandatory for waste transfers requiring prior notification, including disposal, hazardous waste and certain municipal waste streams.
The platform significantly improves traceability and creates a robust digital footprint for regulated waste movements, making compliance easier for authorities and operators alike.
Portugal, SILiAmb
Portugal’s SILiAmb (Sistema Integrado de Licenciamento Ambiental) has been mandatory since 2021.
Waste operators can submit waste reports and process waste tracking documents digitally, and the platform consolidates environmental obligations into a single portal, enabling companies to comply with reporting requirements in a streamlined, fully digital environment.
Poland, BDO and SENT
Poland’s BDO (Baza Danych o Produktach i Opakowaniach oraz Gospodarce Odpadami) has been mandatory since 2021. The platform requires all entities involved in waste-related activities to register and maintain records, including issuing Polish Waste Transfer Notes (KPO) and submitting annual reports.
BDO captures detailed data on waste types, quantities and operator responsibilities, thereby facilitating full lifecycle oversight. Complementing BDO is SENT, an electronic monitoring system for the transportation of sensitive goods, including waste, to ensure legal transport practices.
Italy, RENTRI
Italy’s RENTRI (Registro Elettronico Nazionale dei Rifiuti) was introduced in phases beginning in mid-2024 with hazardous waste operators, and is scheduled to extend through the end of 2026.
The system allows operators to issue electronic waste identification forms and maintain chronological records of waste inputs and outputs, driving both compliance and industry transparency.
Digital waste control is the foundation of a viable circular economy in Europe
Europe faces a structural challenge in accessing key raw materials, making waste management a strategic priority. Every waste flow that is not properly tracked represents a loss of value, resources and industrial independence.
Digitalisation supports regulatory compliance, but it also enables the identification of real opportunities for recovery and recycling.
When waste is managed using reliable data, it ceases to be an operational burden and becomes a resource. Recycling capacity is strengthened, external dependency is reduced, and economic activity linked to material recovery is reinforced.