Digital waste tracking is now mandatory for receiversThe guide

AI waste classification for .
Photo in. EWC code out.

LoadSnap was trained on 1.2 million UK waste movements. Point a phone at a load and get back the right EWC code, a hazardous flag, and a consignee-return-ready description - typically inside half a second. Always shows its working.

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A driver's hand holding a phone up in front of an open skip of mixed waste, the camera view glowing as the load is classified

How it works

Trained on the data UK regulators actually see.

Most generic vision models confuse a skip of mixed C&D for a metal scrap bin. Ours doesn't. Specialised, tuned, audited.

Detects document type

Photo of the waste, weighbridge ticket, paper WTN, weight slip - handled. Each routes a different way.

Flags hazardous waste

Routes HWCN automatically. Surfaces SDS where required. Won't let a driver submit a non-compliant load.

850+ EWC codes built in

19-series industrial, 17-series construction, 20-series municipal. Always returns to the codes DEFRA expects.

Confidence + alternatives

We never just pick one. You see the top match, runner-ups, confidences, and the visual cues we used.

Source-attributed

Every classification cites the EWC list entry, the H-code references, and the legal basis. Auditable end-to-end.

Edge cases routed to humans

Below 70% confidence and we kick it to our human review queue. Your driver never gets stuck waiting.

What one photo gives you

One photo fills the whole record.

The classifier is built around the record you actually have to complete, not a demo. Alongside the EWC codes it reads the container and the physical form straight off the photo, so the transfer-note fields fill themselves. Try it on your own photos with the free classifier tool - no account needed.

  • Up to five EWC codes per photo

    A mixed skip rarely has one code. Codes come back ordered by visible proportion - most-of-the-skip first - so the duty-of-care record carries every stream.

  • Container and form pre-filled

    Skip, RoRo, IBC, drum, tipper or loose, with the size where it's visible, plus the Solid / Liquid / Sludge determination.

  • POPs flagged before the tip

    Upholstered seating and other likely Persistent Organic Pollutants are flagged at capture - so the sofa in the skip doesn't become a surprise at the gate.

Mixed skip - classified 0.4s
17 09 0417 02 0115 01 06
Mixed construction & demolition with timber and packaging
Container
Skip · 8 yd³
Physical form
Solid
Hazardous
No
POPs
Not detected

Who stays responsible

It suggests. You decide.

No software can hold your duty of care: classifying waste correctly is legally the responsibility of the waste producer or holder. So LoadSnap is built to make your judgement fast, not to replace it. Every suggestion shows its confidence, its alternatives and the cues behind them, and nothing reaches a transfer note or DEFRA until a person has confirmed it.

  • You decide, in one tap

    The top match and the runner-ups are side by side. Agree, or overrule - the record carries whichever a human confirmed.

  • Low confidence goes to people

    Below 70% confidence the classification is kicked to a human review queue rather than waved through.

  • Nothing files itself by default

    DEFRA auto-submission is opt-in and off by default. You review and press the button yourself until you decide otherwise.

See the compliance dashboard
Confirm classification
17 09 0492% match
17 01 076%
20 03 012%
Under 70% confidence? Routed to human review instead.
Confirm & add to transfer note

See it work

One photo. Two seconds. Full classification.

Drop any of your existing load photos into our free classifier tool and we'll show you what we'd file - without you having to sign up.

Close-up of a phone held over a skip, a green confidence bar reflected in the driver's safety glasses as the classifier returns a result

Questions

AI classification, honestly answered.

01Can AI legally classify my waste?
No software can take on your duty of care. Classifying waste correctly remains the legal responsibility of the waste producer or holder. LoadSnap's AI does the legwork - suggesting EWC codes, the hazardous determination and the reasoning behind both - but a person reviews and confirms the classification before anything goes on a transfer note or to DEFRA.
02What happens when the AI is unsure?
You always see the confidence score and the runner-up codes, never just a single answer. Below 70% confidence the classification is routed to a human review queue rather than waved through, and the driver carries on with the job while it is checked.
03What can it read besides a photo of the waste?
It detects the document type first: weighbridge tickets, paper waste transfer notes, hazardous waste consignment notes, carrier licences and season tickets are all recognised and routed differently. A weighbridge ticket has its weight, date, vehicle registration and ticket number extracted; a carrier licence has its registration number, tier and expiry date pulled out.
04How does it handle hazardous waste?
Every suggestion carries a hazardous flag, the applicable HP codes and a mirror-entry decision where both a hazardous and non-hazardous EWC code could apply. Hazardous loads are routed down the consignment-note path, and likely POPs - upholstered seating with foam is the common one - are flagged at the point of capture rather than at the gate.
05How fast is it really?
Median classification is under half a second from shutter to EWC code on a budget Android over a normal connection - we published a full write-up of how we got there on the blog. With no signal, photos queue on the device and sync when the connection returns.

Digital waste tracking is live

The mandate is here.
Automate compliance.

Receiving sites in England and Wales have had to record every load digitally since 1 October 2026. Start a 14-day free trial in minutes, cancel any time before it ends, and file every load from day one.

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DEFRA API integrated · EA carrier verification · UK data residency