UK requires permitted waste sites in England to report loads digitally
- Over 12,000 permitted waste sites in England covered
- Sites must record waste carrier details and classification code
- Further rollout planned from spring 2027
LONDON, Oct 1 — The British government said that from Thursday over 12,000 permitted waste sites across England must report, in near real-time, every load of waste they receive through a new 'Report Receipt of Waste' service aimed at waste crime.
The sites will need to record information including the details of the waste carrier and the waste classification code, which describes the type of waste being discarded, the government said in a statement.
The Environment Agency will use the data gathered through the service to identify discrepancies between reported collections and receipts, the statement said, helping to flag suspicious activity and target investigations against operators suspected of illegal dumping, mislabelling waste or handling waste illegally.
The government said operators had been able to falsify documents under a paper-based system, and described the service as the first step in giving investigators a digital audit trail.
"Waste criminals used to exploit the gaps but now they will have nowhere to hide," Environment Secretary Angela Eagle said.
Eagle said real-time information "will mean faster enforcement and more evidence to catch rogue operators and shut them down at every part of the waste journey."
Further rollout of the Digital Waste Tracking service is planned from spring 2027, as it becomes available to include waste collectors, the statement said.
A new Waste Crime Crackdown Group, chaired by Eagle, will bring regulators and law enforcement together, the government said.
The government said it and the Environment Agency had already cleared up a waste site in Kidlington, stopped dumping at an illegal site in Bradford and arrested five people for illegally dumping waste at the Bolton House Road site in Wigan.