Digital waste tracking basics (England and Wales)
A free course of about 12 minutes. Read short lessons, pass the quiz and get a Waste World certificate with an ID that anyone can check.
Please note: these are Waste World certificates. They are not regulated or accredited qualifications, and they do not replace any training or competence you need by law for your job.
1. What it is
Digital waste tracking is a government service that records waste as it moves, replacing paper-based records over time. The aim is to make it much harder for waste to disappear into illegal sites, and to give a clearer picture of what happens to waste across the UK.
2. Who must use it, and when
- Permitted and licensed waste receiving sites in England and Wales: from 1 October 2026.
- Receiving sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland: from 1 January 2027.
- Waste carriers, brokers and dealers: public beta planned from spring 2027, and mandatory planned from October 2027.
Dates for carriers are plans and could change, so check GOV.UK.
3. How records are sent
Most businesses will send records through waste software that connects to the government service (its API). A temporary spreadsheet option is planned for receiving sites without software. GOV.UK keeps a list of software providers that have connected, but the list is not an endorsement, and you remain responsible for meeting the rules.
4. Getting ready
Check whether your site or business is in the first phase. Look at how you record waste now: weighbridge tickets, transfer notes, load logs. Ask your software provider whether it connects to the service and which test scenarios it passed. If you are a carrier, start keeping digital records now so the change in 2027 is smaller.
Rules and dates can change. See our digital waste tracking guide, which links to the official GOV.UK pages. Last checked 21 October 2026.
Take the quiz
10 questions. You need 8 to pass. You can try again as many times as you like (a few attempts an hour).