The UK’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Depra) announced the four nations' digital waste tracking service will no longer become mandatory in April 2025.
Depra said it will ‘endeavour’ to have the digital service for waste tracking in place from April 2026, but it did not rule out further delays.
“We want to ensure that the outcomes delivered through this work meet the standards and user needs you have been informing us of,” the Department said in a letter addressed to stakeholders of the scheme. “A delay to implementation would ensure the new IT service is fit for purpose and increases confidence levels that the needs of our diverse stakeholder groups are met. It will allow us to ensure testing of the new service is comprehensive and involves many of you throughout this phase.”
In 2023, the UK government announced plans to implement a mandatory digital waste tracking system to enhance waste management and promote a circular economy. The initiative, which also covers plastic waste, aims to replace fragmented, paper-based systems with a comprehensive digital platform, enabling real-time monitoring of waste production, handling, and disposal across the UK.
It required businesses generating, transporting, or handling waste to enrol in the new IT service since 2024. Once the scheme comes into force, businesses will be required to log all types of waste movements and transactions in the platform, including hazardous, non-hazardous, and recyclable waste.
Depra said it received feedback from industry stakeholders indicating the service’s original timeline presents ‘significant challenges’. The department expects to be able to give an updated timeline by May 2025.
“As speculated, Defra has announced today that Digital Waste Tracking will no longer be mandatory from April 2025, with the rollout now delayed until April 2026 to give businesses more time to prepare,” commented David Gudgeon, head of external affairs at Reconomy Connect, a waste management services provider. “A UK-wide digital waste tracking system remains essential for improving waste management, increasing transparency, and driving materials up the waste hierarchy. Accurate, real-time data will help tackle waste crime, support the circular economy, and ensure better environmental outcomes,” he added.