The short version, in GOV.UK’s own words, with their page linked under each part so you can read the whole thing yourself. Nothing here is our opinion of the rule.

Who it reaches

A site in England or Wales that holds an environmental permit (or a waste licence) to receive waste. GOV.UK: “If you receive waste in England or Wales, you must use the service from 1 October 2026.” Scotland and Northern Ireland follow in January 2027.

A yard working under a registered exemption is not in this phase. GOV.UK: “Waste exemptions are not included in phase 1, as this phase only applies to permitted sites that receive waste. Waste exemptions will be included in phase 2.” No date is given for phase 2 on that page.

Check on GOV.UK whether you need to report the waste you receive

What you have to do

Enter every load you receive on Defra’s Report receipt of waste service, and do it inside the deadline: “You must submit records within 2 working days (excluding weekends and bank holidays), starting on the day after you receive the waste.” So a Friday load is due by the end of Tuesday. The service gives you a reference number back for each one.

It is not a switch-on day. Defra opened the service to permitted sites on 28 April 2026; what changes on 1 October is that using it stops being optional.

How you get on it

The first time you use the service you create a Defra account, using your organisation’s Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login. GOV.UK: “You must not use a personal Government Gateway account for this service – always use your organisation’s account.”

Report receipt of waste on GOV.UK — the Start now button is on that page.

Two ways to send it

GOV.UK: “There are 2 ways you can report your receipt of waste: Using an application programming interface (API). Completing and uploading a spreadsheet.”

The spreadsheet is Defra’s own template. You download it, fill it in, upload it — “You cannot use your own spreadsheet or make format changes to Defra’s version”, and after each upload you start a fresh one. Defra say they expect to keep this route open until at least October 2027. If your gate takes a few loads a week, it will do you.

Software sends the same record through Defra’s API. When you register your organisation, Defra give you an API code; you hand that to whoever makes your software and it goes on every load they send. GOV.UK keep the list of software providers.

What Defra charge

“The service costs £26 per year for each organisation on your account. The charge covers all waste-receiving sites that organisation has. The first payment is due by 31 January 2027.” That is Defra’s charge, paid to them, whichever of the two ways you send by. GOV.UK updated that line on 15 September 2026.

What carries on regardless

This is a new thing on top, not a replacement. GOV.UK: “you must continue to complete waste transfer notes, Annex VII forms and hazardous waste consignment notes (where required)”, and “You must continue to submit waste returns in line with the conditions of your environmental permit.”

If the signal goes

GOV.UK set out what to do if you cannot send because of an outage — tell your regulator, keep a written record of the load inside the same two working days, and put it on the service once it is back, on the clock their page gives. It is under Reporting receipts of waste during an outage on their page.

If you do not

GOV.UK say what happens, under the heading If you do not comply with the new regulations, on the same page. Read it there rather than here.

Who to ask

Defra’s own helpline for the service is 03000 203 781, weekdays. They say themselves they cannot answer regulatory questions — those go to your regulator, which in England is the Environment Agency and in Wales is Natural Resources Wales.

Where ScrapLog comes in

ScrapLog is one of the software routes — on Defra’s list since 8 September 2026. If your site holds a permit, the ticket your gate makes for a load becomes the Defra record and is sent inside the deadline whether anyone has remembered it or not. You put Defra’s API code in yourself, once, in the settings. On an exemption nothing is sent and nothing at the gate changes. £200 a month per site and £300 once to set the yard up; the £26 above is Defra’s and not part of it.

What ScrapLog does about waste tracking · What it costs

Ask us which one you are The waste tracking page

Where every line above comes from

All three read on 16 September 2026. GOV.UK keep them up to date; if a line here and a line there ever disagree, theirs is right.

Digital waste tracking: check if you need to report the waste you receive — published 7 August 2026
Report receipt of waste — last updated 15 September 2026
Digital waste tracking service (policy paper) — updated 5 August 2026