From 1 October 2026, more than 12,000 permitted waste sites in England must report every load of waste they receive in near real time through a new “Report Receipt of Waste” service, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said.
Replacing paper
Defra says rogue operators have exploited the old paper-based system by falsifying documents. The digital record is intended to give investigators an audit trail and expose suspicious patterns.
First step
The department describes this as the first stage of a fuller tracking system that will follow waste from producer to disposal. It sits alongside wider plans including more Environment Agency officers, greater use of drones and higher fines. The rules apply in England.
