The short answer
Who has to use digital waste tracking?
Want a yes or no for your own site? Check your permit free
It applies from 1 October 2026 if you hold an environmental permit for a site that receives waste in England or Wales. That covers transfer stations, metal recyclers, treatment facilities, landfill, anaerobic digestion, composting and bespoke landspreading.
It doesn’t yet apply if you hold only a waste exemption - U10, U11 and the T-codes. Waste exemption holders come in a later phase. Defra have not set a date yet.
Check the permit, not the guess
The quickest check is the free permit check. In England, it looks your permit up on the Environment Agency’s public register and tells you whether digital waste tracking applies. It takes about a minute.
Most permits look like AB1234CD, or EPR/AB1234CD on the paperwork. Older licences can look like EAWML 12345. A number starting WEX is an exemption, not a permit.
If the check finds no permit, it can mean an application is still in the system. An application isn’t a permit. Confirm with the Environment Agency before you rely on either answer.
Councils are not exempt
If a council runs a permitted site that receives waste, the same rules apply to it as to any other operator. Councils were previously told not to register with Defra. That changed on 7 August 2026, and councils can now use the service.
Scotland and Northern Ireland start in January
The 1 October 2026 date is England and Wales only. Sites in Scotland start on 1 January 2027. For Northern Ireland, DAERA say January 2027. If you operate in more than one country, each site reports on its own date.
A site in Scotland or Northern Ireland that joins before 1 January 2027 pays nothing until 1 January 2027, the day the duty starts there.
If it applies to you
Every new sign-up gets 14 days free, then from £89 a month per site, and there's no card to enter until you start it. No setup fee when you set it up yourself. Your consultant gives you your price, and you see it before you pay anything. Unlimited loads, unlimited users, no contract.
I’m listed on GOV.UK as a compatible software provider, and Defra publish the full list so you can compare.
Last updated 24 October 2026
Still not sure it applies? Run the free permit check first, then create a free account and log one of your own loads.
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