Digital waste tracking is now mandatory for receiversThe guide

’s records to DEFRA
in two clicks.

LoadSnap files live to DEFRA Digital Waste Tracking (DWT), and took part in its beta. We submit directly via the new API. Receiving sites go first - England and Wales since 1 October 2026, Scotland and Northern Ireland from January 2027 - with carriers and brokers following in a planned second phase from October 2027. We were live on day one - and you should be too.

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A finger about to tap a glowing tablet propped against a stack of obsolete paper waste-transfer pads in a depot office

Built for the mandate

The clock is already running.

Since 1 October 2026, waste receivers in England and Wales must record every movement digitally, with Scotland and Northern Ireland following in January 2027 and carriers planned for October 2027. LoadSnap took part in the DEFRA Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) Beta and was live on day one.

  1. Apr 2026

    DEFRA Digital Waste Tracking beta opened

    LoadSnap has been filing movements on your behalf since the beta opened.

  2. 1 Oct 2026

    Mandatory for receivers

    Every transfer station, MRF, and treatment site in England and Wales now has to use the digital waste tracking service. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow in January 2027.

  3. 3

    Now

    Record every load today

    File every load you take in to DEFRA as it happens. LoadSnap stores every WTN, photo, and signature.

  4. 4

    Oct 2027

    Carriers follow (planned)

    Phase 2, planned from October 2027: registered carriers submit waste movements digitally - paper WTNs no longer compliant.

DEFRA digital waste tracking

Why the rollout runs backwards - and what it means for you

DEFRA is mandating the receiving side before the carrying side. LoadSnap is built for both phases, so you're ready whichever side of the gate you're on.

Phase 1 · receivers firstFrom October 2026

Receivers go digital while the carrier side is still on paper

DEFRA has started with the people who receive waste, not the people who carry it. So for now the carrier still turns up with a paper transfer note, and the receiving site is the one that records the movement digitally and files it to DEFRA.

  • Carrier arrives; the weighbridge operative selects them from the saved carrier library and adds the vehicle reg and driver
  • Each waste item captured - a photo where the load's visible (LoadSnap's AI suggests the EWC code and description), manual entry for sealed containers; the operative can edit either way
  • Container type, count and weight (estimated or actual) captured at the bridge
  • Operative submits to the back office, who review and file the movement to DEFRA - a Waste Tracking ID comes back
Phase 2 · carriers, brokers and dealersPlanned from October 2027

The people moving and arranging the waste join in

Phase two brings in what DEFRA calls waste collectors: carriers, brokers and dealers. The regulations have not been made and the technical detail has not been published, so what any of them will actually have to record is not yet known. What is known is the timetable.

  • A private beta for invited collectors from autumn 2026
  • A public beta open to all collectors from spring 2027
  • Mandatory for collectors from October 2027, on DEFRA's published plan rather than in law
  • Nothing a carrier or broker can file today, and nothing LoadSnap or anyone else can file on their behalf

LoadSnap digitises the whole workflow and produces your WTNs and records on both sides today. DEFRA submission is live for receiving sites now, and switches on for carriers when their phase starts.

What we submit

Every field DEFRA's new API expects.

Producer, carrier, receiver, vehicle, EWC, weight, treatment code, signature. All pre-populated from the workflow. All retained for the statutory 3 years.

Producer & carrier IDs

Waste-producer codes, registered carrier numbers, broker IDs - all validated against the public register at submission.

Weight & method

Gross / tare / net, measurement source (weighbridge or estimate), method code.

EWC + treatment

EWC classification, hazardous flag, R/D code (recovery vs disposal), final destination.

Vehicle & journey

Plate, ARN, journey log. Every leg captured even on multi-stop runs.

Signature chain

Producer at handover, carrier on collection, receiver on tip. Each signature time-stamped, geo-stamped, archived.

Hazardous extras

HWCN, premises code, H-codes, SDS attachment where required.

What you get back

DEFRA tracking IDs. PDF receipts. Real audit trail.

Every submission returns a DEFRA tracking ID - your defence in any future dispute or audit. Attached to the load, surfaced on the customer's portal, downloadable as a PDF receipt.

  • DEFRA tracking ID on every load

    Surfaced on the WTN, on the customer's producer portal, on the receiver's consignee return.

  • PDF receipts auto-generated

    Branded with your company, downloadable from the customer's inbox. They never need to ask.

  • Auto-retry on transient failures

    The API has bad days. We retry, exponential backoff, alert your admin if a load doesn't make it in.

  • Submission log, fully searchable

    Filter by date, customer, EWC, vehicle. Re-fetch the DEFRA response in one click.

Start for free
A gloved hand tearing a freshly printed QR-coded receipt from a thermal printer in a weighbridge kiosk, a wagon waiting at the barrier outside

Getting connected

How setup actually works.

There are three steps between signing up and your first live submission, and only one of them involves DEFRA. Receiving sites need a Digital Waste Tracking code from DEFRA first - we've written a step-by-step guide to getting your DWT code. From there, LoadSnap handles the plumbing, whether you're a receiving site reporting from day one or a carrier getting ahead of phase 2.

  • 1. Get your DWT code from DEFRA

    Register your organisation on the Digital Waste Tracking service and add each permitted site. DEFRA issues the organisation an API code - a UUID - and the same code works for every site it operates. Registration is £26 a year per organisation.

  • 2. Paste it in and test

    Settings → DEFRA → Your Receiving Sites. Paste each site's code, save, press Test Connection - LoadSnap calls DEFRA and confirms the code is recognised before you ever submit a real movement.

  • 3. Make your first submission

    Log a load as normal and press Submit to DEFRA - the tracking ID comes back and attaches to the record. Auto-submission exists, but it's opt-in and off by default: you press the button until you decide to trust the automation.

Settings · DEFRA · Your receiving sites
Mill Lane Transfer Station
Permit EPR/AB1234CD
Connected
DWT API code
b74cbf3c-••••-••••-••••-009d37a8d677
Test ConnectionVerified with DEFRA

Questions

DEFRA integration questions, answered.

01What happens if DEFRA's API is down?
Submissions queue and retry automatically with increasing back-off, which rides out transient outages without anyone doing anything. If a movement still can't get through after repeated attempts it's parked for manual retry and your admin is alerted - nothing fails silently, and the submission log shows the live status of every load.
02How quickly do receipts have to be filed?
DEFRA expects a movement to be reported within 2 working days of the waste being received, excluding bank holidays. LoadSnap shows a live deadline on every receipt and flags anything at risk of going over, so the 2-day window is tracked for you rather than in someone's head.
03Is LoadSnap 'DEFRA approved'?
No provider can truthfully claim that - DEFRA doesn't approve, endorse or certify waste tracking software. What we can say precisely: LoadSnap has integrated with the Digital Waste Tracking API and passed DEFRA's production approval tests - all scenarios, with no exemptions - and is listed on the gov.uk software-provider register under Webhero.
04What is a DWT code and where do I get one?
It's the per-site API code DEFRA issues once a receiving site is registered on the Digital Waste Tracking service and matched to its environmental permit. It's a UUID - not your permit number or carrier registration - and every site needs its own. Once you have it, it goes into Settings, then DEFRA, in LoadSnap, where Test Connection verifies it against DEFRA before any real movement is submitted.
05When is digital waste tracking mandatory?
For receiving sites, England and Wales since 1 October 2026, and Scotland and Northern Ireland from January 2027. England's regulations - SI 2026/729, made on 24 June 2026 - confirmed the date. Carriers and brokers follow in a planned second phase from October 2027. The API is live now - there's no need to wait for your nation's date.

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