Digital waste tracking is live. The deadline is closer than you think.
Digital waste tracking went live in April 2026. If you think your deadline is years away, look again. Here is why it is closer than it seems.
Digital waste tracking is live
On 28 April 2026, the government switched on its new Digital Waste Tracking service. Sites that take in waste can now record what they get online, instead of on paper. It is voluntary today. Very soon, it will not be.
This is not a plan for "some day". The rules are signed and dated. The Digital Waste Tracking (England) Regulations 2026 come into force on 1 October 2026.
Why the deadline is closer than it looks
If you are a hazardous waste carrier, your hard date is October 2027. That sounds far off. It is not, for three reasons.
- It is already live. The service is running now, and an invited group of carriers can start using it in a private trial ahead of their 2027 deadline.
- Your customers go first. The sites you drop waste at must use it from October 2026, a full year before you. They will start asking you for clean, digital-ready records long before your own date.
- The work takes time. Getting your records tidy and your team trained is not a one-week job. The carriers who leave it late are the ones who scramble.
So the real pressure does not start in October 2027. It starts now.
And no, paper is not gone yet
One thing to be clear on, so you do not get caught out. Digital tracking does not scrap your paperwork. The Environment Agency has said you must keep doing your consignment notes and waste transfer notes as normal, alongside the new digital system. For now, you do both. There is no date yet for when paper stops.
What to do now
You do not need to panic. You do need a head start.
- Keep your consignment notes spot on. A messy paper trail today will be a messy digital one tomorrow.
- Get every record in one place you can search. When the Environment Agency or a receiving site asks, you want the note in seconds, not boxes.
- Go digital before you are forced to. Switch early and October 2027 becomes a non-event.
Want the full timeline and what it means for you? Read our plain-English Digital Waste Tracking guide.
How Consigns helps
Consigns makes your consignment notes digital today, signed on site and stored for you, and it is built to plug straight into DEFRA's tracking service.
You stay compliant now, and you are ready for what is coming. Start a free 14-day trial.